Valheim Copper Guide: Best Black Forest Nodes & What to Craft First

Where to Find Copper Ore in Valheim

Copper is the first real metal you get your hands on in Valheim, and honestly, it's your ticket out of the stone-age slums. Bronze gear follows. Better weapons, better armor, and a Black Forest that stops feeling like a suicide run.

So where do you actually find the stuff? No mystery here. Copper deposits only spawn in the Black Forest biome. Meadows won't have it. You can't buy it from any trader at this stage. You can't skip it. If you want bronze, you're putting on your boots and going mining in the Black Forest.

What do copper deposits even look like? How do you mine one without getting ganked? And what do you do with the ingots once you've got them? Let's get into it.

What Copper Deposits Look Like

Forget what you're picturing. A copper deposit is not some small pick-up rock lying on the grass. It's a big boulder, and it looks very specific once you've seen one.

• Gray-brown stone crisscrossed with shiny, metallic flecks and veins.
• Way bigger than normal rocks — think small hill, or a cluster of big boulders stuck together.
• Mostly buried. The node is underground, with just the top peeking out.
• It glints. Catch the light right and there's a sparkle you'll never unlearn.

And don't confuse it with tin. Tin deposits are the small, dark rocks sitting right near water in the Black Forest. You need both metals for bronze, so you're basically hunting two things at once. Keep those eyes peeled.

Where to Find Copper Ore in the Black Forest: Best Spots to Search

Copper is scattered throughout the Black Forest, but some spots are way more productive than others:

• Hillsides and slopes. These nodes love high ground and rough, uneven terrain.
• Biome edges. The border between Meadows and Black Forest is a smart starting line — safer, closer to your base, and you're not diving deep into troll territory on day one.
• Rock clusters. Spot one deposit? Fan out and look around. They tend to spawn in groups.
• Near Burial Chambers. Skeletons camp these spots, so clear them before you start swinging your pickaxe around.

Player-view tip from my own embarrassing early days: I walked right past three separate copper deposits because they looked like ordinary rocks. The sparkle is subtle when you're far off. Once you're in the Black Forest, look for the boulder that looks almost "wet" or shiny. That's the one.

Mark every deposit you find with a map ping (middle mouse button). Even half-mined nodes are worth coming back to later.

New player warning: Don't even think about starting to mine with a stone axe. It does nothing. You need the Antler Pickaxe from Eikthyr first.

Before You Mine: Gear and Preparation

Step 1 — Beat Eikthyr and Craft the Antler Pickaxe

You cannot mine copper with a stone axe. Only a pickaxe will work. The very first pickaxe in the game is the Antler Pickaxe, and its materials come from killing Eikthyr, the first boss.

1. Kill deer in the Meadows until you've got 2 Deer Trophies.
2. Place the trophies on Eikthyr's Mystical Altar to summon him.
3. Beat Eikthyr. He drops Hard Antlers.
4. Craft the Antler Pickaxe at a level 1 Workbench using 1 Hard Antler and 10 Wood.

And hey, repairs are free at any Workbench. When your pickaxe breaks, don't panic. Don't toss it. Just walk over to a bench and fix it.

Step 2 — Pack Food, Gear, and a Plan for Hauling Ore

Mining drains stamina like crazy, so eat before you head out. Cooked meat, deer stew, carrot soup — all solid early picks. Bring a weapon and shield because greydwarves will find you. Bring a torch if you're running late. Empty inventory space? Take every spare slot you've got.

Here's the part that trips people up. You cannot teleport metal ore or ingots through portals. So you either build a small forward base right near the mining site, or once you've got bronze, craft a Cart (20 Wood, 10 Bronze Nails). I learned this the hard way after carrying forty pounds of ore on my back for twenty minutes. A cart full of ore beats six foot trips.

New player warning: Don't tunnel straight down under yourself. Fall damage is no joke, and you really don't want to drop into a troll cave by accident.

How to Mine Copper in the Black Forest: Step by Step

1. Equip your Antler Pickaxe and eat at least two stamina foods.
2. Clear the area first. Greydwarves, Greydwarf Brutes, Skeletons, and Trolls all call the Black Forest home. A Troll can end your run before you've even finished one node. Deal with enemies before you start swinging.
3. Ping the deposit on your map so you can find it later.
4. Mine the exposed top. Swing at the shiny rock. Every hit drops Copper Ore.
5. Dig out the dirt around the node. The pickaxe digs terrain, and most of the deposit is buried. Excavate the sides and the ground around it so you can reach the rest.
6. Keep mining until the node disappears. If you only mine the part sticking out, you're literally leaving ore in the ground. A full deposit usually gives around 8–10 Copper Ore.
7. Watch your footing. Digging straight down under yourself can drop you for fall damage. Work the sides instead of tunneling beneath your own feet.
8. Haul your ore home and repair your pickaxe.

Do this a few times. One deposit is nowhere near enough. Bronze armor and weapons absolutely devour copper.

Turning Copper Ore into Bronze

Smelter and Kiln Basics

Raw copper ore is worthless until you smelt it.

1. Build a Charcoal Kiln (20 Stone, 5 Surtling Cores) and feed it Wood to make Coal.
2. Build a Smelter (20 Stone, 5 Surtling Cores) and feed it Copper Ore plus Coal to produce Copper ingots.
3. Get Surtling Cores from Burial Chambers in the Black Forest. Loot every chest you find.

Your First Bronze

1. Build a Forge (10 Wood, 4 Stone, 1 Copper). You need smelted copper for this, so the Smelter comes first.
2. Mine Tin. Tin deposits are small dark rocks near water in the Black Forest.
3. Craft Bronze at the Forge: 2 Copper + 1 Tin = 1 Bronze.

Good first crafts, in my experience:

• Bronze Axe — chops birch and oak for Fine Wood, which unlocks a ton of recipes.
• Bronze Nails — needed for the Cart and the Karve boat.
• Bronze Spear, Sword, or Mace — pick based on what you fight and your skill levels.
• Bronze Armor pieces — a huge survivability jump before you reach the Swamp.
• Cultivator — turns your base into a farm for carrots and turnips.

New player warning: Don't forget tin. Bronze needs copper and tin. Mining 20 copper and zero tin gets you absolutely nothing.

Common Mistakes When Mining Copper

• Trying to mine with anything other than a pickaxe. It won't work. Go kill Eikthyr.
• Only mining the visible top. The rest of the node is underground. Dig it out or lose the ore.
• Forgetting tin. Bronze needs copper and tin. Mining 20 copper and no tin gets you nothing.
• Trying to portal metal home. Ores and ingots can't go through portals. Plan a forward base or a cart instead.
• Mining at night. More greydwarves spawn after dark. Mine in daylight when you can.
• Ignoring trolls. They hit hard and they're fast. Fight them in the open, or run.
• Running out of stamina mid-swing. Eat real food, not just berries.
• Never repairing the pickaxe. Repair is free at a Workbench. Do it every trip.

FAQ

How much copper ore does one deposit give?

A full copper deposit usually drops around 8–10 Copper Ore. Since bronze takes 2 copper per bar, you'll need several deposits for a full set of gear.

Can I find copper ore in the Meadows?

No. Copper deposits only spawn in the Black Forest. Tin also spawns in the Black Forest, but only near water.

Do I need to smelt copper ore before using it?

Yes. Copper Ore must be smelted in a Smelter with Coal from a Charcoal Kiln. You can't craft bronze directly from raw ore.

Can I bring copper ore through a portal?

No. Metal ores and ingots — including copper, tin, bronze, iron, and silver — can't pass through portals. Use a cart, a boat, or a forward base near the mining site.