Iron is an inner-biome metal used to advance workbench and gear crafting, and it is available before opening the outer ring.
PC / Global, 1.0+
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Where to farm
Iron veins in the Forgotten Ruins and other inner-ring terrain. Copper and Iron boulders occur in the Forgotten Ruins.
Gather Iron in the inner biomes and smelt it into bars for the Iron Workbench and equipment. Do not delay this supply while waiting for the Great Wall to open.
Radial biome-distance schematic from the Core. It shows distance bands, not a fixed compass map; outer biome sectors are seed-dependent.
GET STARTED
How to farm
Before you go
Pickaxe with enough mining damage for the wall or ore node.
Furnace for Iron Bars.
Food, healing, and combat gear for hostile Forgotten Ruins residents.
Begin at the Core and explore outward through the inner ring until you reach the Forgotten Ruins or Iron-bearing walls.
Mine exposed Iron veins with a suitable pickaxe and collect the dropped ore.
Check the map for large Iron boulders in the Forgotten Ruins and mark any you uncover.
Return to a safe base and smelt the gathered ore in a Furnace.
Use Iron Bars to craft the Iron Workbench and the next tools or equipment you need.
After Drill access, revisit a marked boulder, power Drills with a Generator or Lever, and leave a chest or collection route.
Farming tips
The inner-ring Iron supply does not require defeating the initial Titans or passing the Great Wall.
Carry a way to handle Cavelings before mining deep in the Forgotten Ruins.
Repeat, collect and use
Vein mining can be repeated in unexplored terrain. Each discovered boulder yields a finite 1,800 Iron Ore when fully drilled; new boulders require further exploration.
Common mistakes
Assuming Iron is beyond the Great Wall: search inner-ring Forgotten Ruins first.
Using a pickaxe on the boulder: install powered Drills instead.
Leaving a drill site without checking its storage: collect raw ore or ensure your output route has room.
When to stop or switch
Move on when you have the Iron Bars for the Iron Workbench and your current equipment goals; return to marked boulders later if you want passive stock.
