Skyrim: How Long Does It Take for Ore to Respawn?

The secret to well-maintained and improved gear in Skyrim is smithing, and to achieve that, you need to have a consistent source of materials. Ore plays an important role in crafting, and whether you decide to mine them yourself or buy them, if you’re truly dedicated to the craft, you will be running out of them often. Having said that, in today’s post, we’re going to deal with ores and their respawn timer. Let’s see how long does it take for ore to respawn in Skyrim.

How do you get ore in Skyrim?

You get ore in Skyrim either by purchasing it or by mining it. However, the most profitable approach is to just mine the ore yourself when you run into it. After you have ore, it can be sold or smelted into corresponding ingots, which are further used for crafting jewelry or improving and crafting various weapons and armor.

Currently, there are nine types of ore in the game: corundum, ebony, gold, iron, malachite, moonstone, orichalcum, quicksilver, and silver. Ore is most commonly found in mines, caves, and other outdoor locations, mostly in mountainous regions.

How long does it take for ore to respawn?

Ore respawns every ten in-game days if the location isn’t marked as cleared. If you did clear the location, in that case, it will take a lot longer, 30 in-game days. If you have a regular spot that you are often farming and you return before the respawn timer runs out, the timer will reset. This is because the cell itself has been revisited, and this rule works for every cell in the game.

Some cells, however, never respawn, and this will affect the ore in such cells as well. In some locations, a bug has been documented that prevents the ore from respawning completely; this is, however, rare, and it might not affect you.

Where to find ore in Skyrim?

As we’ve mentioned before, ore is most commonly found in mines. Not every mine will yield the same type of ore. Ore can likewise be found in outdoor areas, especially near hills and mountains. In the rest of this post, we’re going to bring you the best locations to mine every type of ore.

Best locations to mine Corundum ore

Corundum ore is fairly common and is used to create corundum and steel ingots. The best locations to mine Corundum ore are Knifepoint Ridge (19 veins) and Blackreach (14 veins). Knifepoint Ridge is accessible only after Boethia’s Calling has been started. When it comes to mines, the easiest location to farm Corundum ore is Goldenrock Mine, situated in Eastmarch Hold.

Best locations to mine Ebony ore

Ebony ore is a rare type of ore used to create the most durable weapons and armor. Jewelry made out of ebony is likewise very expensive. The best location to farm ebony ore is Gloombound mine, with 16 ore veins in total, and Raven Rock mine in Solstheim, with nine guaranteed veins. Sometimes, ebony ore is dropped as loot after ash spawn or gargoyle has been slain.

Best locations to mine gold ore

Gold is an extremely valuable ore used primarily for crafting jewelry. Besides mining, gold can be transmuted from silver ore after a transmutation spell has been obtained. The best location to farm gold ore in Skyrim is Kolskeggr Mine, with 17 guaranteed veins.

Best locations to find iron ore

Iron ore is the most common ore in the game. It’s used as a basis for plenty of alloys and is involved in crafting many items. It’s also among the most accessible ores in the game. The best location to farm iron is Halted Stream Camp in Whiterun Hold. There are 16 guaranteed iron veins. Halted Stream Camp is followed by Fort Fellhammer, also in Whiterun Hold, with ten guaranteed iron veins.

Best locations to find malachite ore

This crystal ore is used to create glass weapons and armor of high quality. It’s fairly rare, however, with only a few guaranteed locations. The best location for malachite mining ore is Steamscorch Mine, situated in Eastmarch Hold. This location makes sense since malachite ore is mostly of volcanic origin.

Best locations to find moonstone ore

Moonstone is used primarily to create elven weapons and armor. This mythical ore has many useful properties and is often mixed with quicksilver and malachite. The best locations to find moonstone are Soljund’s Sinkhole in The Reach, with five guaranteed veins, and Mzulft in Eastmarch, with 7 guaranteed veins. However, keep in mind that to reach Mzulft, you will have to start the quest Revealing the Unseen.

Best locations to find orichalcum ore

Orichalcum ore is the primary ore that orcs use. It’s a medium-quality ore and is used to create equipment that will mostly be forgotten in the late game. The best locations to find orichalcum ore are Bielgulch Mine, with nine veins; Dushnikh Yal Mine, with seven veins; and Mor Khazgur Mine, with seven veins.

Best locations to find quicksilver ore

Quicksilver ore is fairly common, but it’s used to create some of the best weapons and armor in the game. It’s used to craft elven guilded armor and nordic carved armor. The best location to farm quicksilver ore is Quicksilver Mine, located in The Pale Hold, with five veins, followed by Blind Cliff Cave and Blackreach, with three ore veins.

Best locations to find silver ore

Silver ore is primarily used to create silver weapons useful when you’re up against werewolves and vampires. It can also be used for transmutation into gold. The best locations to farm silver ore are Sanuarach Mine in The Reach, with seven ore veins, and the infamous Cidhna Mine, with six veins. The Reach is known as the best source of silver in general, so it makes sense that the two biggest silver mines are located in this hold.

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