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Iron is one of the most important resources inValheim, and unlike some other metals, you simply cannot afford to skip it. Not only is it used by mid- and late-game gear, but there are also a few key structures that require it.
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Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get Iron in Valheim, so no matter how much or how little you need, you have options. Keep reading to learn how you get Iron normally, how to get more from the Swamps, where you can find it in the Mistlands, and why you need so much anyway.
How To Get Iron
The first and most common way you’ll get Iron isthrough Sunken Crypts.These ominous, green cairns are scattered about the Swamps of the world, and if youunlock their doors with the Swamp Key, you’ll be able to plunder the loot they contain.
Scrap Iron is probably the most important thing you’ll find,each Sunken Crypt will yield anywhere from 20 to 150 of this raw metal.You’ll find the most Scrap Iron in chests that dot the dungeon, but you can also get it from mining all the Muddy Scrap Piles that block various passages. Once you have a heap of Scrap Iron, you can sail it back to your base andsmelt it into Iron.
This is by far the best way to get loads of Iron, especially in the early game. The only downside to it is that you’ll first have to find the Sunken Crypt to loot, and then you need to survive the enemies they contain. After all that, you get the pleasure of lugging the Scrap Iron through a dark and dangerous Swamp and sailing for hours to reach your base —It can get old fast.
More Iron In The Swamps
Sadly, however, the mid-game Iron alternatives to plundering Sunken Crypts aren’t much better. The most consistent one isusing the Wishbone in the Swamps.The Wishbone is aboss item dropped by Bonemass.It helps you find treasures hidden underground, and when used in the Swamps, it lets you detect Scrap Iron hidden in the dirt.
Simply equip the Wishbone and stroll around your nearest Swamp. When you start flashing blue, you’re close to a deposit of Iron. Keep moving around; the faster the flash, the closer you are. When it can’t get any faster, start digging, andyou should hit a Muddy Scrap Pile.These can be mined for a few pieces of Scrap Iron.
These hidden deposits aren’t common enough to make this a viable method of getting Iron, butit can be helpful if you have an already-looted Swamp nearbyand just need a few more bars.
Getting Iron From Oozers
The Swamps also has a third way of getting Iron, and it is the only renewable method in the game: Oozers. These orange slimes havea 33% chance to drop a piece of Scrap Iron,so if you can find them, you can start farming Iron without even lifting a pick. However, finding them is more difficult than it seems.
Oozers only spawn in the Swamps at night,and they don’t spawn all that often. With only a 33% drop rate for Scrap Iron, you could easily go a night in the Swamp without finding a single one, and then you’d have to wait a whole day in Valheim before you’re able to try again.
Renewable as it is, this method of getting Scrap Iron issimply not consistent enough to be useful,but if you’re looking you get Iron before you beat the Elder, Oozers are your best bet.
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Iron In The Mistlands
The Mistlands also has a few sources of Iron, and they come with their own unique advantages.The first source is piles of giant weapons and pieces of armorthat lay scattered across the rocky outcroppings in the mist.
You can mine these piles with a Black Metal Pickaxe in the same way you would a Copper deposit. They don’t yield much Scrap Iron, but they’re the only above-ground source that doesn’t require special tools to access.
The second source of Iron in the Mistlands are abandoned structures and half-built bridges.While there may not appear to be much Iron on the surface, these buildings have Iron reinforcements in their core.
If you bring materials for a Stonecutter and Forge with you, you can place them down and quickly deconstruct these buildings with your Hammer. Doing so will give you Iron bars that have been conveniently smelted for you in ages past.
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Why You Need Iron
Iron is probably the most essential metal in Valheim. Unlike Bronze or Silver, Iron isn’t just used for one tier of gear and then forgotten —weapons and armor from the Swamps, Mountains, Plains, and Mistlands all use Iron,making it both a mid- and late-game material. You’ll almost always find yourself needing (or at least wanting) more Iron.
On top of that,you can’t build a few key structures like the Stonecutter or Blast Furnace without Iron,and there are many more structures that are simply much better with Iron. The Reinforced Chest nearly doubles your chest capacity while making your items much easier to organize, and the Wood Iron Beam is a lifesaver when it comes to building large bases.
That’s not even to mention all the crafting station upgrades that require Iron, without which many end-game items are simply unavailable.
