Ore
This page was last verified for Vintage Story version 1.20.9.
- See Ore Deposits for information on where underground ore deposits can be found and how they are generated
Ores are resource blocks that can be mined by the player for use in casting, blooming, smithing, and steel making, grinding and pulverizing for the purpose of creating a large variety of useful crafting ingredients and items including tools, weapons and armor. Once mined, most ores drop ore chunks instead of the ore block themselves. Different ores may require different processing methods in order to be used.
Obtaining
- See Mining for information on how to obtain ores and prospecting
Ores come in two types, metal ores and mineral ores, and can be found on the surface as surface bits or deep below as ore blocks. Mining these blocks will drop either metal ore chunks, which must be smashed with a hammer to yield nuggets, or mineral chunks. Most mineral chunks and some metal chunks need to be pulverized in order to be useful. Finding surface bits always means there is an ore deposit below.
Usage

- See Metal for a list of pure metals and alloys that can be made from ores
Ores must first be processed into metal or crushed into a powder before they can be useful. There are a variety of ways different ores are processed:
- Casting: Most metal ore nuggets must be smelted into the molten version of that ore with a firepit and crucible. Molten ore can then poured into a mold.
- Blooming: Ores with a smelt point above 1340°C such as Iron or Meteoric iron cannot be cast and must be bloomed via a bloomery. Iron blooms into into iron bloom, which must then be smithed into ingots, while meteoric iron blooms into ingots directly.
- Steel making: To make steel, iron ingots must be carburized in a refractory furnace to form blister steel ingots. Blister steel ingots then must be smithed into steel ingots, similar to iron bloom.
- Grinding or Pulverizing: Most mineral ores and some metal ores must be ground in a quern or pulverized into a powder form, for use in various crafting recipes.
- Smithing: Ingots or plates made from casting, blooming, or steel making must then be heated on a forge and smithed on an anvil to form useful items such as tool and weapon heads. Some items can be directly formed via casting, without the need to smith them.
Types of Ores
There are two different types of ores, metal ores and mineral ores. Some metals can be obtained from multiple types of ores, for example, copper can be obtained from both Native Copper and Malachite.
Metal Ores
| Ore name | Metal name |
|---|---|
| Native copper | Copper |
| Malachite | Copper |
| Cassiterite | Tin |
| Galena | Lead |
| Native Gold | Gold |
| Native Silver | Silver |
| Sphalerite | Zinc |
| Bismuthinite | Bismuth |
| Hematite | Iron |
| Limonite | Iron |
| Magnetite | Iron |
| Suevite* | Meteoric Iron |
| Ilmenite | Titanium |
| Pentlandite | Nickel |
| Chromite | Chromium |
| Rhodochrosite† | Manganese |
* Suevite is a rock type, not an ore, but meteoric iron can be found within it. Not to be confused with Sylvite, which is an ore that generates in Halite.
†Unimplemented
Mineral Ores
| Ore name |
|---|
| Lignite1 |
| Bituminous coal1 |
| Anthracite1 |
| Alum |
| Borax |
| Cinnabar |
| Halite |
| Sylvite |
| Lapis lazuli |
| Olivine |
| Quartz |
| Saltpeter2 |
| Sulfur |
| Fluorite† |
| Graphite† |
| Kernite† |
| Phosphorite† |
1Coals, while not technically minerals, are found as ores and listed here for convenience
2Saltpeter is found lining the walls of caves as opposed to being found as a block, and cannot be prospected for.
†Unimplemented
History
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|---|---|
| Vintage Story | Guides • Frequently Asked Questions • Soundtrack • Versions • Controls |
| Game systems | Crafting • Knapping • Clay forming • Smithing • Cooking • Temperature • Hunger • Mining • Temporal stability • Mechanical power • Trading • Farming • Animal husbandry |
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| Blocks | Terrain • Plants • Decorative • Lighting • Functional • Ore |
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| Miscellaneous | List of client commands • List of server commands • Creative Starter Guide • Bot System • WorldEdit • Cinematic Camera • Adjustable FPS Video Recording • ServerBlockTicking • Adding Mods • Troubleshooting Mods |
