When you first spawn in Enshrouded, you’re scrounging for every small resource you can get your hands on, but once you hit the point of upgrading tools, building sturdier structures, or crafting mid-tier armor, you’ll quickly realize metal scrap is one of the most in-demand materials in the game. If you’ve been wandering aimlessly and coming back to your base with barely a stack to show for it, you’re not alone. I spent my first 10 hours of playthrough wasting time hitting random rocks and barrels before I figured out the consistent ways how to get metal scrap enshrouded players actually use to stockpile hundreds of units in a single run. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to skip the frustration and keep your crafting stations running nonstop.
How to Get Metal Scrap in Enshrouded: Core Farming Methods
There are three main reliable sources of metal scrap in the game, and you can mix and match them depending on your current gear level and playstyle. You don’t need high-tier equipment to start farming, even brand new players can pull in 50+ scrap per hour with just a basic melee weapon and a little stamina. The best part? None of these methods require you to spend rare resources to get started.
- Looting destructible containers and abandoned structures: Most wooden crates, metal barrels, and old furniture in burnt villages and Shrouded bases drop 1-3 metal scrap each when broken, with no tool durability cost if you use a pickaxe or even your starting melee weapon.
- Dismantling unwanted gear and building parts: Any metal armor, weapons, or structural components you don’t need can be broken down at a Scrap Workbench for a 70% return of the metal scrap used to craft them, which is perfect for clearing out inventory clutter.
- Mining exposed metal scrap nodes: You’ll find these rusted, jagged nodes scattered across rocky outcrops and in lower Shrouded zones, and each drops 4-8 metal scrap when hit with a tier 2 or higher pickaxe.
If you’re still early game and don’t have a tier 2 pickaxe yet, looting is your best bet. You don’t need any special gear, just a bit of stamina to run through ruined areas and break everything you see. Don’t waste time breaking random pots or plant pots though, those almost never drop metal scrap, stick to the containers that look like they hold hardware or building supplies.
Hidden High-Yield Metal Scrap Locations You Might Have Missed
Most new players stick to the starting grasslands for their first few hours, but that’s one of the worst places to farm metal scrap. The highest drop rates are in ruined industrial areas and low-level Shrouded zones that most people skip early on because they assume they’re too dangerous. These spots have way more containers and nodes than open grass areas, and you can clear them in 10-15 minutes each for huge returns.
The first spot to check is the burnt village west of the starting Ancient Spire. Most players run through here to grab the first altar upgrade, but if you stop and break every crate, barrel, and broken cart in the area, you can walk away with 80+ metal scrap in 10 minutes, plus a ton of wood and stone. Pro tip: Don’t leave the village without checking the locked cellar under the largest burnt house. You can pick the lock with a common lockpick, and inside there are 6 large metal crates that drop 8+ metal scrap each, plus occasional copper ore drops.
The second best spot is the abandoned metal processing yard in the northern part of the first map region. It’s partially covered in low-level Shroud, so you don’t need a high tier flame to explore it, and there are 12+ metal scrap nodes there, plus piles of loose scrap that you can just pick up without mining. If you clear the small group of scavenger enemies guarding the yard first, you can farm the entire area without interruptions.
How to Farm Metal Scrap Fast Without Wasting Durability or Resources
Even if you know the best locations, bad farming habits can make the process twice as slow as it needs to be. I used to waste so much pickaxe durability breaking crates and running back and forth to my main base to dump inventory before I figured out these small tweaks that cut my farming time in half. You don’t need to spend hours grinding to get all the scrap you need, you just need to work smarter, not harder.
First, you don’t need to use your best pickaxe for looting containers. Even a rusty melee weapon will break crates and barrels in one hit, so save your pickaxe durability for the actual metal nodes. If you’re playing with friends, split up to cover more ground in looting areas, one person can break containers while another mines the nodes, and you can share all the loot at the end, so you get twice as much scrap in the same amount of time.
Another easy trick is to build a small outpost near the processing yard we mentioned earlier. You only need a bedroll, a small chest, and a fast travel point, and you can fast travel back and forth to dump your inventory without running all the way back to your main base. Also, dismantle all the common metal weapons you get from enemy drops right away. It’s way more valuable to turn them into scrap than to sell them for gold, gold is easy to come by later, but scrap is always in demand.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Farming Metal Scrap
There are a few common mistakes I see new players make all the time that waste hours of their time and leave them short on scrap when they need it most. Avoiding these mistakes will make your farming runs way more efficient, and you’ll never have to pause your progress to go grind for scrap again in the middle of a build or crafting project.
The first mistake is wandering random areas hoping to find scrap. A lot of new players just run around the grasslands breaking every container they see, but most grassland containers only drop food or cloth, so you’re wasting your time. Stick to the industrial or ruined areas we mentioned, those have 10x higher scrap drop rates than open grass zones.
Another big mistake is ignoring the Shrouded zones for farming. A lot of new players are scared to go into the Shroud early, but the low level Shroud areas have way more scrap nodes and containers than the safe zones, and as long as you have a level 1 flame, you have more than enough time to farm before your Shroud meter runs out. Just make sure you keep an eye on the meter and leave before it runs out, you don’t want to lose all your scrap to Shroud corruption.
The last common mistake is hoarding every piece of metal gear you find. I see so many new players keep 10+ rusty swords and chest plates in their chests “just in case”, but you’ll never use them once you get better gear. Dismantle them right away to get that scrap back for better tools or building materials. Also, don’t use explosives to break containers, that will destroy most of the scrap inside, use a melee weapon or pickaxe instead, it’s slower but you get 100% of the drops.
At the end of the day, you don’t need fancy gear or endless hours of grinding to stock up on the resources you need to progress in Enshrouded. Once you know the best locations and efficient methods, you’ll never run out of the materials you need to craft better tools, build bigger bases, and take on harder enemies. Next time you log in, try out one of the farming routes we mentioned, and you’ll quickly master how to get metal scrap enshrouded players rely on for every stage of the game.