Extensive Guide to Skyrim Mining Ore Locations | Retrology (2024)

Last Updated on May 5, 2024 by “Talha Saqib”

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing single-player video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and issued by Bethesda Softworks. As the name suggests, the game takes place in Skyrim which is the northmost province of Tamriel. The story of the game emphasizes the player’s character who develops the skills throughout the game. The player’s character needs some weapons and armor for its survival.

Ores help to create weapons and armor. They also provided assistance for the upgradation of the weapons and armor. Some ores have a jewelry-type nature and selling such ores is profitable. Therefore, the Skyrim mining ore locations are necessary to be pointed out. Mining helps to extract the ores from veins. Following are some different kinds of ores and their best mining locations.

Also Check: Skyrim Mining Ore Locations

Iron Ore

It has a major role in early-game armor. We can smelt the iron ore into the iron shields, iron armor, and iron weapons. The amount of ingots we receive is the same as the amount of iron we put for smelting. The following locations are the major sources of mining iron ores in Skyrim:

1. Halted Stream camp is directly north of the Whiterun. Sixteen ore veins are present here which is the most you can get at a place. It’s the best place to mine iron ore in the complete Skyrim. However, the place may have some thieves in it.

2. Fort Fellhammer is directly south of Dawnstar. This location has ten ore veins and is definitely worth a visit. This location is comparatively easy to access.

3. Embershard Mine is southwest of the River wood. This location is pretty close to River wood which we find at the very start of the game. It has eight iron ore veins inside it. Precautions are necessary as there may be thieves around.

4. If we go east from Markarth, Kolskeggr Mine appears which is best for gold ores but if we carry on moving east a place called Blind Cliff Cave appears which has six ore veins in it.

5. The next location is the Dawnstar itself which is north of our second location Fort Fellhammer. In Dawnstar, in the corner of the settlement close to the mountainside, we’ll see a smelter that has six ore veins.

6. The next place is Gloombound Mine which is very close to “Nalzulbur” which is southeast of the Windhelm. This place has five iron ore veins in it.

7. The next location is completely on another side of the map from the previous place. It has five ore veins inside of it. Left Hand Mine is southeast of Markarth. It is a town of people that needs help in clearing out the “Kolskeggr Mine”.

8. The last place called Knifepoint Ridge where we will find five iron ore mines is northwest of Falkreath.

Gold Ore

It has no use in the making of armor, unlike the iron ones. They help in the making of jewelry items. We can level up our smithing by smithing gold rings. These locations are the best sources of these ores in Skyrim:

1. Kolskeggr Mine is located in the east of Markarth and in the southwestern region of Skyrim. This place consists of seventeen gold ore veins.
2. Darkshade is on the east of Valtheim Towers and on the north of the White River. It contains four ore veins of which one is present outside the entrance while the other three are present inside the entrance.
3. Lost Prospect Mine is present in the southeast of Skyrim and between the Fallow Stone Cave and Black Briar Lodge. This place contains three ore veins.
4. Blackreach is a secret prison concealed deep beneath Skyrim. It has seven entrances and exits. One can find it by sincerely exploring the “Dwarven Ruins Alftand”. It contains two ore veins.
5. Fort Neugrad is present in the southeast of Helgen. This fort is located on a minor lake that has two ore veins outside of it.

Silver Ore

Like gold ore, silver ones also play no part in the making of armor. It rather produces jewelry items. It mostly exists at the below mining ore locations:

1. Sanuarach Mine is in the north of the Karthwasten. This place is the best source of silver ores and it has a smelter near the entrance. It consists of seven silver ore veins.
2. Cidhna Mine is below the city of Markarth. This place cannot be entered except during the quest “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” during which the player is jailed for life. Five ore veins are present during the quest.
3. Sunderstone Gorge is located northwest of Falkreath or southwest of Whiterun. It is a cave generally located in the south of Skyrim. It contains four ore veins that are very close to each other.
4. Fallowstone Cave is located in the northeast of Riften. This place is surrounded by bears. Two ore veins are present in the final broad cavern of this place.
5. Wreck of the Brinehammer is located between Dawnstar and Solitude Lighthouse along the northern coast of Skyrim. This place has two ores on shelves below the deck.

Orichalcum Ore

Orichalcum ore is a magenta-colored ore that is used to produce orichalcum ingots. The smelted ingots are used to create and enhance the Orcish armors and weapons. It can be purchased from merchants and can be found at the following mining ore locations:

1. Bilegulch Mine is located in the southeast of Markarth and in the southwest of Skyrim. This place has nine ore veins which is the maximum that can be found in a single place.
2. Dushnikh Mine is also located in the southeast of Markarth. This place has seven ore veins inside of it.
3. Mor-Khazgur Mine is located in the western part of Skyrim and can be found by traveling to the southwest of the solitude. This region also contains seven ore veins.
4. Giant’s Grove is a concealed grove that can be found by traveling through Fallowstone Cave. Four veins are present in this place.
5. Blackreach provides three ore veins.

Quicksilver Ore

It is a special uncommon ore used in the making of Elven armor and Elven weapons. Two quicksilver ore are capable of producing a single ingot. It is also used for the enhancement of katanas (special swords). The following locations can be used to find the quicksilver ores:

1. At the beginning of the game, there are several places outside the Whiterun’s city walls where quicksilver ore can be found. One of them is present in the north of Battle-Born Farm. Two veins are present in the southwest of “Shimmermist Cave” which is in the northeast of the Whiterun.
2. Quicksilver Mine which is located in the town of Dawnstar contains five veins and two ores.
3. Wreck of Brinehammer at the coast-west of Dawnstar contains three veins.
4. Blind Cliff Bastion which is in the northeast of the Markarth consists of three veins.
5. Blackreach also comprises of minimum three veins and more can be found.
6. The Tower Stone which resides on a mountain between the Dawnstar and Winterhold comprises of two veins at the top east of the glacier.

Corundum Ore

It has a use in the form of alloy to develop enhanced versions of other armors. We can smelt the corundum ore with the iron ore to produce a single steel ingot. The following locations are best to find corundum ores:

1. We can obtain up to eighteen ore from Knifepoint Mine which is in the northwest of Falkreath. However, we can obtain these ores during and after the quest “Boethiah’s Calling”.
2. Blackreach can provide almost fourteen veins.
3. Goldenrock Mine is located near the “Darkwater Crossing”. This location provides almost four ores.
4. We can enter Dead Drop Falls which is a cave through the northeast section of Fort Downguard. This place provides four ores.
5. Ironback Hideout is located directly west and across the gulley from Thalmor Embassy. Two ore veins are present near the camp.

Moonstone Ore

It is a yellow-cream stone. The moonstone ore plays a major role in creating Elven armor and Elven weapons. We can combine it with Quicksilver to produce Elven items. The Moonstone ore mostly exists in the following mining ore locations:

1. Mzulft which is on the western side of the mountains of Eastmarch is an ancient Dwemer Ruin. This place comprises seven veins during the quest “Revealing the Unseen”.
2. Soljund’s Sinkhole is present at the east of Markarth. Five veins are present from which three are loose ores and two are ingots.
3. Southfringe Sanctum is located in the south of Skyrim. Three veins are available here.
4. Blackreach provides two veins.
5. Stone Creek Cave which is in the southeast of Windhelm provides two veins.

Malachite Ore

Malachite ore is one of the rarest ore from Skyrim. It plays its role in creating armor and weapons with glass. We can produce refined malachite at the smelter. Skyrim has the following best mining ore locations for this specific ore:

1. Dimhollow Carven scatters eight veins and it is located in the direct north of The Lord Stone.
2. Steamscorch Mine which is located at the back of Braidwood Inn at Kynesgrove which is further south from Windhelm provides seven veins
3. Labyrinthian is located northeast of Drelas’ Cottage and southeast of Morthal. It provides the user with seven ores.
4. Ruunvald Excavation which is southeast of Tolvald’s Cave provides four veins.

Ebony Ore

This ore is the one that has a high demand. Their use is to make ebony ingots at smelters. They play a significant role to create ebony armor and weapons. It is not a common category of ore. The following locations best provide these ores:

1. Gloombound Mine is the best place to collect ebony ore and it is located in the southeast of the Windhelm. Sixteen veins are present here.
2. Raven Rock Mine which is located inside the settlements of Rock Raven in “Solstheim” provides nine veins. Solstheim is located in the northeast of Skyrim.
3. Six veins are present in the Blackreach.
4. Redbelly Mine which is present within the settlements of “Shor’s Stone” provides three veins.
5. The Throat of the World which is located on the eastern edge of Whiterun Hold provides two veins at its highest point.

Ruby Geode Ore

This type of ores requires a pickaxe for mining. The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn DLC introduced these types of ores. They depict a glowing appearance. These are the top Skyrim mining ore locations of ruby geode:

1. White Ridge Barrow provides four veins during some special moments of the second level.
2. Fort Frostmoth is a small fortress located at northeast of Old Attius Farm and southeast of the Raven Rock. It provides roughly three veins.
3. Highpoint Tower which is northeast of Raven Rock provides two veins.
4. Kagrumez which is a “Dwemer Ruin” located south of the Temple of Miraak on Solstheim provides up to one vein.

These are the top Skyrim mining ore locations. This game previously got an update on November 11, 2021. It is available on Xbox, Windows, PlayStation, etc. Lastly, for more guides like these, keep following Retrology.