InThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, unique weapons and armor are abundant through quests and various locations. That said, it’s also very much encouraged for players to level up their Smithing Skill and make their own armor and weaponry from the ores and materials they come across during their journey.
The problem with Smithing is that ore veins can be difficult and somewhat random to come across in the wild. Finding reliable sources that yield a lot (and that aren’t purchased from merchants for a high price) isn’t easy if players don’t know where to look for them. This list will provide a few key locations for each ore type, making resource gathering easier than ever inSkyrim.
Update on August 4th, 2023, by Sarah Prado:Thanks to the Anniversary Edition, Skyrim players have access to new weapons and armor. With these additions, metal is going to be needed to upgrade them. This guide will show players where the largest groups of ore veins are, but players shouldlook near mountains, cliffs, and by large rocks for a single ore vein.There are plenty of them out in the open world of Skyrim, and can be easy to miss if players only stick to the road when running or fast-traveling. It should also be noted thatore veins take about 30 in-game days to respawn,so players should get them while they can or save up money to buy ore from merchants. The only two metals that don’t have ore veins are steel (which can be smelted from one iron ore and one corundum ore) and Dwarven metal (which can be purchased or smelted from Dwarven metal items like large plates, scrap metal, or struts).
14Iron Ore
Iron is the easiest and cheapest material to find and will make decent early-game armorfor aspiring Smithing experts. In general, it won’t be an issue to find iron ore in the wild, but those desperate for it should check the following locations:
13Silver Ore
Silver isn’t used in making any armor but rather is usually used to craft jewelry of various kinds, such as circlets, rings, and amulets. It’s decently abundant in the world of Skyrim and best mined at these locations:
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12Gold Ore
Gold ore is just like silver ore when it comes to its utility. It’s best used in the making of various jewelry, such as rings, amulets, and circlets. There are quite a few good locations to find gold ore, making it decently common.
11Corundum Ore
When it comes to making steel ingots and improving gear, Corundum ore is the way to go. It’s extremely abundant, similar to iron and some of the other precious ores listed above. Here are which locations to find it at:
10Orichalcum Ore
Players interested in crafting Orcish armor should look no further than Orichalcum ore. This special type of ore is a bit more difficult to find than some of the more generic ore types already listed here, but dedication will be rewarded with fairly decent armor around early to mid-game.
9Quicksilver Ore
Quicksilver is a bit more of a niche ore, just like Orichalcum, and is used in the making of Elven armor. Elven armor is an early mid-game armor that’s decent for light armor wearers, making it worth crafting for any light armor specialists. It’s quite difficult to find in Skyrim and is best purchased due to how rare it is.
8Geode Vein
During the Dragonborn’s adventures, they might come across something called geode veins. These shimmering rocks areonly foundin Blackreach, which has an approximate number of 22 veins and potentially even more. It’s also possible to find geode veinson Solstheim.
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Geode veins have the chance of dropping a variety of resources. It can either be a precious gem, corundum ore, or even the precious and rare ebony ore. Some veins also produce soul gems of all different varieties, so these veins are always worth mining when coming across due to their rarity and good yield.
7Moonstone Ore
Light armor specialists who would like to improve their Elven armor or even create Glass armor will need quite a bit of Moonstone ore to do so. This ore is extremely precious and expensive, which is why finding it in loot is key to saving some gold.
6Malachite Ore
When it comes to Glass armor and weapons, Malachite ore is absolutely necessary for its crafting and improvement, along with Moonstone ore. Malachite ore is even more uncommon in the wild than Moonstone ore, and it’s just as expensive as Moonstone ore. One piece of it can cost up to 30 gold, so players should definitely mine it themselves.
5Ebony Ore
No doubt the most wanted ore in the game, Ebony ore is used in the making of Ebony armor and gear, which is one of the best armors forheavy armor specialists. One piece of Ebony ore can sell for 60 gold, which goes to show how rare and highly coveted this ore is. That said, it’s actually not the rarest ore, given how abundant its veins are in certain locations in Skyrim.
