In Valheim, the next item crafting tier past Bronze is Iron. However, crafting anything iron related can be a challenge, as Iron Ore locations are rare and locked behind killing a boss. Luckily, it's not that difficult to locate and mine yourself some Iron Ore. Here all of the steps there are to finding Iron Ore in Valheim.
Where to find Iron Ore in Valheim
To find Iron Ore in Valheim, you must mine muddy scrap piles inside Sunken Crypts to get Scrap Iron. You can later turn the Scrap Iron you find into Iron by melting it down inside a Forge. You can also find muddy scrap piles throughout the Swamp Biome, but they can be few and far between. Luckily, you can also find Sunken Crypts that have an abundance of Scrap Iron which you can melt into Iron.
Where to find Sunken Crypts in Valheim
You can find Sunken Crypts by looking for structures such as the one below in Swamp Biomes. Inside these crypts, you can find large muddy scrap locations that give far more Scrap Iron Ore than the small nodes that spawn in the swamp. However, getting inside the Sunken Crypt is a bit tricky, as you'll need a Swamp Key to do so. You can get a Swamp Key by killing the boss called the Elder in Valheim.
Related: How to get a pickaxe in Valheim
How to make Iron in Valheim
After you get Scrap Iron from Sunken Crypts or Mistlands Biomes in Valheim, you can turn it into Iron by throwing it inside a Smelter. Making Iron bars costs one Scrap Iron per Iron bar, which you can later use to make items, such as buildings, and crafting structures. You can also use the Iron to make weapons, tools, and armor inside the Forge.
Where to find Scrap Iron inside Sunken Crypts
Once you get the Swamp Key, you can enter Sunken Crypts by unlocking the locked door with it. When you enter the Sunken Crypt, search the initial area to find muddy scrap walls and piles. You can mine these muddy scrap piles and walls with at least a Bronze Pickaxe. Mining the scrap walls and piles will drop ample amounts of Scrap Iron and Wither Bones. Another method for getting Scrap Iron is to farm the large Ancient Armor and Sword mounds inside the Mistlands Biome.
Related: How to play the Valheim Mistlands Update Public Test
Where to find Scrap Iron inside the Mistlands biome
You can find Scrap Iron inside the Mistlands by searching for large Ancient Armor Sword mounds such as the one shown below. Mining these Ancient Remains will require at least a Black Metal Pickaxe so that you can deal enough block damage to them.
How to survive the Swamp Biome in Valheim
Before charging deep into the swamp, you should note that it is one of the hardest and most dangerous biomes in Valheim. High-level monsters roam the swamp in the form of dragur, skeletons, blobs, Leaches, and the Abomination monster. To deal with all of these monsters, we recommend crafting at least full Bronze or troll hide armor along with a fine bow and fire arrows. We also recommend making fire arrows, as they seem to do insane damage toward all swamp enemies. Another good item to make before heading into the Swamp Biome is Poison Resistance mead. Making Posion Resistance mead will require a Fermentor, but can help combat the poison attacks that are common in the Swamp Biome.
For more on Valheim, we at PGG have you covered with a ton of guides like Where to find Black Cores in Valheim – Black Cores Location and Where to find Black Marble in Valheim – Black Marble Locations.
Andrew Vaughan is a Contributing Writer at Pro Game Guides that has written guides on popular RPGs and FPS survival titles for several years. Andrew Vaughan specializes in survival and roleplaying games and has been a lifelong gamer.