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In the vast universe of Starbound, there are several types of ore available to help you progress in the game. If you want to become stronger and spread your power through the universe, you will need to get your hands on this ore.
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There is a lot of ore, which can be used to craft pretty much every item in the game. It's important to know where the ore is, so you will always be prepared. In this guide, we are going to go over every ore, as well as how to find it. First, let's take a look at how to mine the ore that you are looking for.
How To Mine Ore
A wide range of ore is available on every planet. As with any other block in the game, you can use your Matter Manipulator to gather the ore. To mine, just hover over the ore and left-click. If you upgrade your Matter Manipulator, you will be able to mine more ore at a time.
Ore can be found the deeper you go underground on a planet. You will not find that much ore on the surface, so try exploring underground caverns.
Once you have found your ore, you will need to refine it at a furnace.
There are 3 types of furnaces; primitive, industrial, and atomic. Overall, you are aiming to make the atomic furnace. This will be able to refine all ore types.
Below, you can check out the furnaces, as well as building materials and what ore they will refine.
| Furnace Type | Materials To Build | Ore Smelted |
|---|---|---|
| Primitive Furnace |
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| Industrial Furnace |
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| Atomic Furnace |
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Each furnace is essentially an upgrade. For example, when you upgrade to the industrial furnace, you will still be able to refine basic ores.
Planet Threat Level
The ores in this guide will be found on a variety of planets, differentiated by their threat level. Here is a quick overview of planet threat levels.
| Threat Level | Planets |
|---|---|
| Unknown |
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| Low |
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| Moderate |
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| Risky |
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| Dangerous |
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| Extreme |
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| Inconceivable |
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As planets become more dangerous, there will be new types of ore. Next, let's take a look at the basic ores.
Basic Ore
Basic ores can be found on every planet (except barren planets and moons). The threat level of a planet will not affect where these ores are. Additionally, you will be able to find them all within Asteroid Fields. Let's take a look at each ore.
Copper
This will probably be the first ore that you will encounter. Although it is simple, copper bars are needed in many recipes, including the teleportation flag, which allows you to quickly visit planets that you have bookmarked.
Silver
Silver bars are used mainly to craft different furniture. This is an important ore to have handy when you are designing your ship or a colony.
Gold
The last basic ore we have is gold. Gold isn't used in that many recipes, and cannot be made into weapons or armor. This ore will come in handy when crafting batteries, which are important for many late-game advancements, including the Cooling EPP, which allows you to visit Fiery Planets.
Special Ore
Special ores are not found on every planet and are used to create more complex items, including armor and weapons.
Iron Ore
- Found On: Moderate Level Planets, Garden Planets
Iron can be a bit tricky to find. Although it isn't rare, it only appears in small groups. This ore will be more common the deeper you dig. If you can't find iron, try digging farther down into the planet.
Tungsten Ore
- Found On: Moderate Level Planets
If you are looking to build a futuristic themed ship or colony, then tungsten is an important ore. You will use tungsten for several pressurized items, including airlocks and platforms. Many lunar-themed recipes will also require tungsten bars.
Titanium Ore
- Found On: Risky or Dangerous Level Planets
Titanium is mainly used for making weapons and armor. Additionally, this is an important ore for basic mech parts. If you are interested in upgrading your mech for the first time, try to have a lot of titanium. The Astro Mech Boosters will require 10 bars, so you should always be on the lookout for titanium.
Durasteel Ore
- Found On: Dangerous or Extreme Level Planets
Throughout the game, you will be able to upgrade different workstations. This will take a variety of materials, including durasteel. Durasteel bars are needed to upgrade several stations, in addition to other items. This ore has a unique oblong shape, with a blue tint.
Aegisalt Ore
- Found On: Extreme or Inconceivable Level Planets
When processed at a furnace, aegisalt ore will become refined aegisalt. This is a green cube used in a variety of rare weapons and armor. It is also used in the Accelerator Addon, which is an upgrade for your replicator that can craft additional long-ranged equipment. The ore has small green orbs attached to it and is the only ore of this color.
Ferozium Ore
- Found On: Extreme or Inconceivable Level Planets
This ore is used to create rare racial armor. Racial armor is armor that is specific to your character's race. For example, you will need 6 refined ferozium to craft the Reef Helm. This is part of the Reef armor set for the Hylotl race.
Violium Ore
- Found On: Extreme or Inconceivable Level Planets
Similar to ferozium, refined violium is used for racial armor and weapons. The ore is grey with purple veins running through it. When refined, it becomes a purple orb. A lot of the equipment that requires refined violium is purple as well.
Solarium Ore
- Found On: Extreme or Inconceivable Level Planets
This is the highest quality ore in the game and is used to create the highest tier of armor and weapons. If you are looking to make legendary equipment, then you will need this. The ore is shaped like a yellow star, and when processed, it becomes a Solarium Star.
Non-Refinable Ore
In addition to the ores above, you will also find ores that cannot be refined. Check out a quick list of these ores below.
- Coal: Found on every planet, used to craft basic materials
- Prism Shards: Found in mini Prism Biome, used to craft prism furniture
- Core Fragments: Found on every planet, used for early quests
- Erchius Fuel: Found on moons, used for ship fuel
That's all there is to know about ore in Starbound. Once you have found each type of ore, you will be able to craft anything you want. After gathering enough materials, check out our guide on how to upgrade your ship. Once your ship is upgraded, start decorating with objects crafted from ore you have found!
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