Valheim Copper: how to find Copper in Valheim, and best way to mine Copper
Where to find Copper, and the best method for mining Copper boulders
How do you find and mine copper in Valheim? Valheim plots a careful path of progression for players which takes them from stone and flint tools to powerful metal tools and weaponry. Finding and mining Copper Ore deposits is a very important first step towards the metal age of Valheim. Learn where to find Copper deposits and how to mine and smelt it in our Valheim Copper guide.
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Where to find Copper Ore deposits
Finding Copper Ore deposits is likely to become one of your main goals in Valheim after you've defeated the first boss, Eikthyr, and started the next chapter of your journey outside of the starting Meadows biome.
Copper Ore can only be found in the Black Forest. Large boulders of rock can be found in the floor of the Black Forest, and you should keep your eye out for shining veins of ore in the rock. If you're unsure, just go up to one and put your crosshair over it. If the text "Copper deposit" appears next to your crosshair, you're in business.
There doesn't seem to be any further criteria for the spawning of these Copper deposits than "Black Forest", so you'll just need to have a look around when you first encounter this biome. There are almost always many Copper Ore deposits in each Black Forest, which is good because they are non-renewable resources: once you've harvested all the Copper from a deposit, you'll have to look elsewhere for more Copper.
How to mine Copper: best method
Once you've found a Copper deposit, the next step is to mine the Copper Ore. You can do this with an Antler Pickaxe - for details on how to get your hands on this tool, check out our Valheim Pickaxe guide.
What many players don't realise at first is that Copper deposits are actually huge boulders that stretch underground, and you're only seeing the very top of the boulder. The centre of the boulder is filled with dirt and rock, which can fool players into thinking that they've found all the Copper when actually they've only mined a section of the boulder. Even smaller boulders are likely to give you around 100 Copper Ore when fully excavated.
The best method I've found so far for fully excavating Copper boulders is to dig down in the dirt beside the boulder, then work your way around it, finding the sides of the boulder and digging underneath it as much as possible. Sometimes, if the elevation is high, you can fully dig out the boulder, which can lead to it all breaking at once and showering you with many dozens of pieces of Copper Ore. Often though, this isn't possible, but it's still worth finding the edges of the boulder first, so you know where your boundaries are before you start mining.
How to smelt Copper
The next step in your Copper journey is to smelt the ore into refined Copper Ingots. You can do this in a Smelter, which you'll learn how to make by picking up a Surtling Core. You can find Surtling Cores inside Burial Chambers and other dungeons across the map. You'll need 5 Surtling Cores and 20 Stone to make a Smelter.
You can feed Coal and Copper Ore into a Smelter and it'll slowly output Copper Ingots. These Copper Ingots are useful by themselves, because you can use them to create a Forge, a Forge Cooler, a Copper Knife, and Sconces to line the walls of your home with light.
But their main use is to create Bronze, which allows you to forge much greater weapons, armor, and tools. Consult our guide on how to make Bronze in Valheim for full details.
That rounds off this guide to Copper in Valheim. If you're looking for more information on what you can create in this new metal age, be sure to check out our guides on the best weapons and best armor in Valheim.