Mining and smelting | Crafting TES V: Skyrim Guide
Last update: 05 December 2019
This page of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim guide describes the less developed crafting fields in the game. Namely mining and metallurgy. In our tutorial, we explain their basic principles and suggest where they can be used.
Mining in Skyrim can be performed only in specific locations and it's about obtaining various types of ore. You must begin by visiting a mine that offers a chance to acquire ore you're interested in (full list of mines can be found below). Once you're inside the mine you must take one of the pickaxes (screen above), open your inventory and set it as an active item (you can also use two pickaxes - one for each hand). Important - Not all mines are safe when you visit them for the first time, so you must be ready to defeat bandits or monsters if the situation demands that.
Once you have at least one pickaxe and you've chosen it as an active "weapon" you can proceed with the mining and this is achieved by interacting with an ore vein (screen above) that's not used at the moment by anyone else. Approach the vein, press the E key and wait for the process to end to receive one or several pieces of ore (there's also a chance that the main character can uncover a rare jewel while mining).
The table seen below is a list of all locations where you will find mines. The list specifies what type of ore you can get your hands on and it's important if you want to use them later in the game for smithing. Make sure to use the maps from the first chapter of the atlas to find each location (start by finding the sector and then the number on the map).
LOCATION OF THE MINE | TYPE OF ORE FOUND INSIDE THE MINE |
Darkwater Crossing (4; 30) | corundum ore |
Gloombound Mine (4; 24) | ebony ore |
Kolskeggr Mine (6; 13) | gold ore |
Dawnstar (2; 06) | iron ore |
Markarth (6; 08) | iron ore |
Shor's Stone (9; 05) | iron ore |
Stonehills (2; 22) | iron ore |
Whistling Mine (3; 13) | iron ore |
Kynesgrove (4; 19) | malachite ore |
Soljund's Sinkhole (6; 23) | moonstone ore |
Bilegulch Mine (6; 43) | orichalcum ore |
Dushnikh Yal (6; 36) | orichalcum ore |
Mor Khazgur (1; 27) | orichalcum ore |
Dawnstar (2; 06) | quicksilver ore |
Karthwasten (6; 04) | silver ore |
Markarth (6; 08) | silver ore |
You can convert the ore you've collected in mines to ingots and this is very important if you want to obtain materials needed for smithing. Smelters are used for this activity (as the one seen on the screen above) and most of them can be found near the entrances to mines. Check the table located below this text for a complete list of actions you can perform after interacting with a smelter.
NAME OF THE CRAFTED OBJECT | REQUIREMENTS | COMMENTS |
Corundum Ingot | 2x corundum ore | - |
Dwarven Metal Ingot (2) | 1x large decorative dwemer strut | This material is found mostly in dwarven (dwemer) ruins. |
Dwarven Metal Ingot (3) | 1x large dwemer strut | This material is found mostly in dwarven (dwemer) ruins. |
Dwarven Metal Ingot (3) | 1x large dwemer plate metal | This material is found mostly in dwarven (dwemer) ruins. |
Dwarven Metal Ingot (3) | 1x bent dwemer scrap metal | This material is found mostly in dwarven (dwemer) ruins. |
Dwarven Metal Ingot (3) | 1x small dwemer plate metal | This material is found mostly in dwarven (dwemer) ruins. |
Dwarven Metal Ingot (5) | 1x solid dwemer metal | This material is found mostly in dwarven (dwemer) ruins. |
Ebony Ingot | 2x ebony ore | - |
Gold Ingot | 2x gold ore | - |
Iron Ingot | 1x iron ore | - |
Orichalcum ingot | 2x orichalcum ore | - |
Quicksilver Ingot | 2x quicksilver ore | - |
Refined Malachite | 2x malachite ore | - |
Refined Moonstone | 2x moonstone ore | - |
Silver Ingot | 2x silver ore | - |
Steel Ingot | 1x corundum ore 1x iron ore | - |