Gathering crafting materials
Mine raw ore in regional mines
Mining turns accessible ore veins into smithing inputs, giving you raw material to smelt and use in equipment crafting or…
View 1 map ↗WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Mine raw ore in regional mines
Mines throughout Skyrim. Choose one that contains the ore type required by your planned smithing recipe; search the mine itself for visible veins.
SEE WHERE TO GO
1 mapMaps & farm layouts
Drag to pan. Zoom in to read labels and markers.
Before you go
- Carry a pickaxe.
- Check the metal required by the forge recipe or improvement you plan to make.
- Leave inventory capacity for ore and other loot.
Farming steps
- Review the recipe or improvement requirement and identify the exact metal you need.
- Travel to a mine where that ore type can be found.
- Search the mine visually for exposed ore veins; they are not highlighted or marked on your map.
- Approach a matching vein and activate it with your pickaxe to extract ore.
- Continue mining the vein until it yields no more ore, then check nearby mine passages for other visible veins of the same type.
- Collect loose ore if you find any, confirming the material before taking it.
- Carry the raw ore to a smelter near a mine, town, or blacksmith and convert eligible ore into ingots.
- Take the ingots to a forge and use them for the planned equipment craft or improvement.
- Use the vein’s visible appearance to identify its ore, and leave veins that do not match your material goal.
- Keep the pickaxe accessible while exploring; it is the tool used to work ore veins.
Repeat, collect and use
Return to suitable mines whenever you need more ore. Veins replenish over time, but the interval and quantity are not fixed here; repeat the search, mining, smelting, and forging loop as needed.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the game to mark veins can lead you past them; scan walls and mine passages for visible deposits.
- Taking every ore type can fill your inventory with material you cannot use for the intended recipe; focus on the needed metal.
- Carrying raw ore to a forge without smelting it first leaves it unusable for recipes that require ingots; process eligible ore at a smelter.
When to stop or switch
Stop once you have enough ore to smelt for your planned craft or improvement, or when inventory space makes it worthwhile to process and return later.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.