If you’ve spent even a few hours exploring Enshrouded’s mist-covered biomes, you know that stone tools only get you so far. Upgrading to iron gear is the first major milestone that lets you take on tougher Shroud enemies, unlock higher level building recipes, and explore areas you couldn’t reach before. That’s why knowing how to get iron bars in Enshrouded is one of the most useful skills you can pick up in your first 10 hours of play. I’ve spent dozens of playthroughs testing the fastest ways to farm and craft these bars, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know without any fluff or outdated info.
What You Need to Get Iron Bars in Enshrouded
You can’t craft iron bars right when you spawn, and I learned that the hard way during my first run. I wasted 20 minutes hauling raw iron ore back to my first base only to realize I had no way to smelt it, so don’t make that same mistake. You’ll need to unlock a few key items first before you can even start processing raw iron into usable bars. The core requirements break down to three main parts:
- Raw iron ore: This is the base material you’ll farm from iron nodes scattered across mid-tier biomes. Each node drops between 3 and 6 pieces of ore depending on your pickaxe level and any mining perks you have unlocked.
- Smelter: The crafting station required to turn raw ore into usable bars, unlocked once you rescue the Blacksmith NPC from his Ancient Spire vault. You can’t craft this station without the recipe he provides, so that rescue should be a top priority once you leave the starting biome.
- Charcoal: The fuel source for the smelter, made from burning regular wood in a Charcoal Kiln. You’ll need one piece of charcoal per iron bar you craft, so it’s always a good idea to stock up before you start a smelting session.
You don’t need any special perks to craft iron bars, but you will need to have upgraded your workbench to at least level 2 to build the smelter once you unlock the recipe. That means you’ll also need to gather a small amount of stone and wood to upgrade your base first, if you haven’t already. It’s a small extra step that’s well worth the time to avoid being stuck with piles of unused ore.
Where to Find Raw Iron Ore Fast
Raw iron ore is most commonly found in the Reach of the Rising Sun biome, which is the area north of the starting Revelwood biome. You’ll recognize iron nodes by their rusty red, bumpy texture that stands out against gray stone and green grass. Don’t try to mine these nodes with a stone pickaxe, it’ll take forever and you’ll burn through tool durability way too fast. You’ll need at least a bronze pickaxe to mine iron nodes efficiently, so craft one of those before you head out farming.
For the best farming routes, stick to the hills and cliff sides in the western part of the Reach of the Rising Sun. I usually find 8 to 12 iron nodes in a 10 minute loop there, which is enough to make 24 to 36 bars once smelted. If you’re still learning how to get iron bars in Enshrouded, this farming route will cut your grind time in half compared to hunting for random nodes across the map. You can also find iron ore in treasure chests and as drops from higher level bandit enemies, but mining is by far the most consistent way to stock up. Just watch out for Shroud wolves and raiders that patrol those hills, they’ll attack on sight if you get too close.
How to Craft and Use Your Smelter
Before you can turn your raw ore into bars, you’ll need to get the smelter recipe first. That requires finding and rescuing the Blacksmith from his locked cell in the Ancient Spire vault in the northern part of Revelwood. The vault is guarded by a few low level Shroud enemies, so bring a bronze sword and a stack of healing berries if you’re going in early game. You don’t need any special keys to unlock his cell, just interact with the door once you clear the surrounding enemies.
Once you bring the Blacksmith back to your base, he’ll give you the smelter recipe for free. To build the smelter, you’ll need 20 stone, 10 wood planks, 5 bronze bars, and 3 pieces of Shroud cloth. Place it in a covered area of your base, it won’t work if it’s exposed to rain or Shroud mist. Next, you’ll need to make charcoal to fuel it. One piece of charcoal smelts one iron bar, so make sure you make more than you think you need. I usually make 50 charcoal at a time so I don’t have to stop mid-craft to make more fuel.
It takes 30 seconds to smelt one iron bar, so you can use that time to do other base tasks or go farm more ore while your smelter runs. You can queue up to 20 bars at a time in one smelter, so if you’re planning a big gear upgrade, build two or three smelters to cut down on wait time. If you’ve been wondering how to get iron bars in Enshrouded consistently, running multiple smelters at once is the easiest trick to scale up your production for co-op play or large building projects.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Iron Bars
I’ve made every possible mistake when farming and crafting iron bars in my first few playthroughs, so these tips will save you a ton of time. First, don’t store raw iron ore in chests far away from your smelter. I used to keep all my ore in a central storage chest on the other side of my base, and I wasted so much time running back and forth to grab stacks to smelt. Keep a small chest right next to your smelter dedicated to raw ore and charcoal, it’s a tiny change that makes a huge difference.
Second, don’t forget to upgrade your pickaxe as soon as you have enough iron bars. An iron pickaxe mines iron nodes 40% faster than a bronze one, so you’ll be able to farm twice as much ore in the same amount of time. That creates a nice loop where you can stock up on bars faster the more you craft. You can also add a mining speed perk to your iron pickaxe later to make the process even faster.
Third, don’t use iron bars for low priority recipes early on. I’ve seen new players waste 10 iron bars on decorative building pieces before they even have a full set of iron armor, which leaves them vulnerable when they explore higher level biomes. Prioritize tools, armor, and weapon upgrades first, then use leftover bars for building or crafting for other players in co-op. If you’re playing in a group, assign one person to farm ore and one to run the smelter, that way you can stock up on bars twice as fast without overlapping work.
Once you get the hang of the process, making iron bars becomes second nature, and you’ll be able to stock up enough for all your upgrades in just a couple of hours. Knowing how to get iron bars in Enshrouded opens up almost all of the game’s mid-game content, from better base defenses to weapons that can take on the first major story bosses. Take it slow, make sure you have all the required stations unlocked before you start farming ore, and don’t be afraid to adjust your farming route if you find a spot with more iron nodes than the standard ones. You’ll have a full set of iron gear before you know it, and you’ll be ready to take on whatever the Shroud throws your way.