Every empire in the Exiled Lands is built on ore. Before you can craft steel weapons, raise a black-ice fortress, or fuel a furnace through the night, you need to know exactly where iron, coal, brimstone, and crystal hide across the map. This Conan Exiles resource farming guide walks you through the best gathering spots, the right harvesting tools, and the crafting chains that turn raw rock into hardened steel.
Picking the right harvesting tool
Your tool decides how much you walk away with per swing, so this is the first thing to optimize. The two relevant tool families are the Pickaxe and the Pick. A Pickaxe pulls both stone and ore from boulders and rock nodes, making it the all-rounder for ore farming. A Pick leans harder into raw stone but also strips bark from dead trees and bones from corpses.
- Star Metal Pickaxe — the top-tier ore harvester; the highest standard yield per swing for ironstone, coal, and other rock nodes.
- Obsidian Pick — excellent dedicated stone yield, handy when you are quarrying near the Volcano.
- Hardened Steel / Star Metal tools — better durability so you spend less time repairing mid-haul.
Tier up your tools as your materials allow. A flint pick is fine for the first hour, but a high-tier metal pick roughly doubles your haul. The Star Metal Pick is strong, though the Obsidian Pick and Black Blood Pick have the highest harvesting power of all — aim for one of those as your endgame ore tool.
Where to farm iron (ironstone)
Ironstone is the most common metal ore and the backbone of nearly every recipe. You will find it clinging to mountainsides and rocky outcrops, with plentiful nodes around the southern desert near your starting area. Smelt ironstone in a Furnace to produce Iron Bars. Rocknose enemies also drop iron and other ores when killed, so a Rocknose nest doubles as a portable mine.
Where to farm coal
Coal is your reliable furnace fuel and a component in several recipes. The black, charcoal-colored nodes cluster around the center of the map near The Summoning Place, and you can also find deposits out in the desert near The Den. Stockpile coal early — a furnace burning hardened steel overnight will eat through fuel faster than you expect.
Where to farm brimstone
Brimstone is the gatekeeper resource for steel, so plan a dedicated run. The densest source is Shattered Springs, the sulphur-pillar wasteland in the far-western desert (sometimes called the Petrified Forest). The catch: the whole area is blanketed in toxic gas that stacks a damaging debuff. Equip a Sandstorm Breathing Mask or Setite Mask before you enter, harvest the sulphur pillars, and get out.
If you would rather avoid the gas entirely, brimstone nodes also appear in caves and tombs such as Gallaman’s Tomb and Sinner’s Refuge. For a deeper look at the dungeons that hide ore and bosses, see our Conan Exiles dungeons guide.
Where to farm crystal
Crystal is needed for glass, glflask production, and various advanced crafts. It grows inside caves rather than on the open map — explorable spots include the Warren of Degenerates, Hanuman’s Grotto, and Scuttler’s Shortcut. Crystal nodes require a pick to harvest — collecting them by hand yields nothing, so bring a pick. Bring a light source and watch for the cave’s resident enemies.
Crafting steel and hardened steel
Hardened steel is the endgame metal, and the chain that produces it is the reason you farm brimstone and black ice at all. Work through it in order:
- Make Steelfire: combine Tar and Brimstone in a Firebowl Cauldron. Tar is produced as a byproduct when you convert hides into leather using bark in a Tannery (it is also farmable in the Midnight Grove).
- Make Steel Bars: place Steelfire together with Iron Bars in a Furnace — the steelfire acts as a catalyst that hardens iron into steel.
- Make Hardened Steel: combine your Steel Bars with Black Ice in a Furnace. Black Ice is mined from the frozen northern mountains — pack cold-weather gear before you go.
Surviving that trip north is its own challenge; our temperature survival guide covers the armor and food buffs that keep you from freezing on a black-ice run.
Resource cheat sheet
| Resource | Where to farm | Best tool | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ironstone | Southern mountains; Rocknose drops | Pickaxe / Star Metal Pickaxe | Iron Bars, steel chain |
| Coal | Center near The Summoning Place; The Den | Pickaxe | Furnace fuel, recipes |
| Brimstone | Shattered Springs (gas mask!); caves | Pickaxe | Steelfire |
| Crystal | Caves: Warren of Degenerates, Hanuman’s Grotto | Pick (required) | Glass, advanced crafts |
| Black Ice | Frozen northern mountains | Pickaxe | Hardened Steel, insulated builds |
Farming tips for community servers
On private and community servers, harvest rates are fully adjustable, so admins can tune ore yields to match their group’s pace — bump the multiplier up for casual building servers or keep it vanilla for a grindier experience. If you run your own world, our Conan Exiles server documentation walks through the settings panel. Want a low-lag, always-on world for your tribe? Spin up a dedicated Conan Exiles server and set your own farming rules.
Frequently asked questions
What tool gives the most ore per swing?
A top-tier pick pulls significantly more stone and ore per swing than basic tools. The Star Metal Pick is good, but the Obsidian Pick and Black Blood Pick actually harvest the most per swing, making them the true endgame ore tools. Pair it with high-durability gear so you can clear a node field without constant repairs.
Do I need a gas mask for brimstone?
For Shattered Springs, yes. The area’s toxic fumes apply a stacking damage debuff, but a Sandstorm Breathing Mask or Setite Mask blocks it. Cave brimstone nodes are safer if you would rather skip the mask entirely.
How do I turn iron into steel?
First craft Steelfire from Tar and Brimstone in a Firebowl Cauldron. Then place Steelfire with Iron Bars in a Furnace to produce Steel Bars. For hardened steel, smelt those Steel Bars together with Black Ice. Once you are stocked on metal, our bosses guide covers the fights that make your new gear worth it.
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