Valheim: How to find and use Iron

While you’ll find plenty of wood, stone, copper, and tin early on in Valheim, if you want to craft some high-level gear, you’ll need to find some iron. Iron is the key to surviving some of the tougher biomes and defeating the Forsaken Beast found throughout the game, but finding it and smelting it is a difficult task. But not to worry, we’ll be able to help you find and secure Iron and start making some gear. Brush up on your skills with these tips and tricks before heading out.

How to find Iron in Valheim

Just like Copper and Tin, Iron isn’t exactly found but must be smelted down from another resource. In this case, you’ll need to find Scrap Iron. Scrap Iron is found in the Swamp Crypts located in the Swamp biome. The Swamp biome is one of the most difficult biomes to traverse, so be sure to come prepared with your best gear and plenty of poison-resistant potions.

You’ll also need to defeat The Elder, the Forsaken Beast of the Black Forest biome. Defeating him will unlock the Swamp Key, which is what you’ll need to unlock the door of the Swamp Crypt. Without it, you’re screwed.

Swamp Crypts are hard to pinpoint in Valheim’s procedurally generated map, so look for a large stretch of Swamp and start searching there. Once inside, you’ll need your pickaxe handy. Look for Muddy Scrap Piles and start hacking away at it with your pickaxe to find Scrap Iron. Gross, but you’ll need to collect as much as you, cause now you’ve got to smelt it.

How to smelt Iron in Valheim

By this point, you should already have a Smelter at your home base, but if you don’t, be sure to build one. One Scrap Iron equals one piece of Iron and takes two pieces of coal in the Smelter. Be sure to build a Charcoal Kiln to help generate coal.

Once you’ve got a good amount of Iron, you can get to work. Get to the Forge to craft Iron tools, weapons, armor, and lots of force and workshop upgrades. If you build a Stonecutter, you can start building stone structures and finally pull yourself out of that tiny shack.

Forge a path to Valhalla

That’s how you find and use Iron in Valheim. Mining ore, farming crops, and building bases are essential to surviving the tenth Norse world, so the risk associated with finding iron is well worth the reward.

Valheim’s has taken the internet by storm and has quickly become one of the most popular games on Steam in just one month. It may still be in early access, but Valheim has the potential to be one of the best survival games on the PC.