Diving deep into the treacherous Mines of Moria, your journey to forge Bronze Ingots is a pivotal step in upgrading your gear and surviving the relentless hordes. But how exactly do you mine the elusive Tin and Copper ores, and what crucial furnace upgrades unlock the power of bronze crafting? Discover the essential tips and hidden dangers that stand between you and your next-tier weapons and armor in Return to Moria. Ready your Steel Pickaxe and prepare to delve deeper than ever before. Your path to Bronze mastery starts here.
The mines open up a lot of new resources to collect which, in turn, unlock a lot of new recipes for crafting. Our Return to Moria guide will explain how to find Cooper and Tin ore and how to craft Bronze Ingots.
How to craft Bronze Ingots in Return to Moria
To craft Bronze Ingots in Return to Moria, you need to combine three Copper Ore and three Tin Ore at a Forge equipped with the Bellows upgrade. Both ores can be mined using a Steel Pickaxe, with Copper Ore found more commonly in the Elven Quarter and Western Mines, and Tin Ore located deeper in the Western Mines. After placing the required ores into the Forge with Bellows, wait about 45 seconds for the Bronze Ingot to be smelted. This ingot is essential for crafting advanced weapons, tools, and armor, unlocking powerful items like the Eregion Spear and Last Alliance Maul.
You’ll eventually just make Bronze Ingots at a Forge, but you’ll have to do a few things first:
- Reach the (Shortcut to the) Mines
- Collect Copper and Tin Ore
- Build a Bellows upgrade for your Forge
Once you’ve done that, you can craft as many Bronze (and Copper) Ingots as you need. Let’s break down the steps in detail.
Reach the Mines of Moria and collect Copper and Tin Ore
After acquiring the Steel Pickaxe in the Elven Quarter, head into the Mines of Moria to start collecting Copper and Tin Ore, essential for crafting Bronze. Copper Ore is recognizable by its bright green-orange color and can be found throughout the mines, including the Elven Quarter and Western Mines. Tin Ore, which is silver with red flecks, is less common and mainly found deeper in the Western Mines, near Ori’s Base and beyond, though beware of orc threats in these areas. Most accessible ore deposits are located at the bottom of the mine, but some can be found along cavern walls. Use the V key to build platforms for reaching difficult spots. Once you have gathered at least three Copper and three Tin Ores, and upgraded your Forge with the Bellows (crafted from Steel Ingots and Elven Wood), you can smelt these ores into Bronze Ingots, a crucial step for advancing your equipment in the game.
The only trick to finding Copper and Tin Ore in Return to Moria is reaching the mines themselves. In the Elven Quarter, you’ll be able to make a Steel Pickaxe and that will let you tunnel to the Shortcut to the Mines.
In the mines, watch for small boulders containing a white-ish ore with red dots. These contain a small amount of Tin Ore. Tin Ore doesn’t appear in the large veins in wall deposits like other ores (here, at least). It only shows up in these boulders.
Copper Ore, on the other hand, acts like the other ores you’re familiar with. Watch for the green and red deposits. You might also find Copper Ore in boulders like tin, but it’s much more common in the standard wall deposits.
Build a Bellows
To build a Bellows in Return to Moria, you first need to gather materials such as Steel Ingots and Elven Wood, which are accessible after progressing into the Elven Quarter. The Bellows is an essential upgrade for your Furnace, allowing it to reach the higher temperatures needed to smelt advanced metals like Bronze. Once crafted, place the Bellows adjacent to the Furnace so it slightly overlaps the furnace boundary to activate the upgrade. With the Bellows installed, you can smelt Copper and Tin ores into Bronze Ingots, a crucial material for crafting better armor, tools, and weapons.
Before you can do anything with your Copper and Tin Ores, you’ll have to upgrade your Forge with a Bellows from the Build menu’s Essentials & Crafting tab. You’ll need 4 Steel Ingots, 8 Elven Wood, and 4 Hides.
Craft Bronze Ingots
To craft Bronze Ingots in Return to Moria, you’ll need to collect both Copper Ore and Tin Ore-three of each-then combine them at your upgraded Forge with the Bellows attachment. Copper Ore is green and orange, while Tin Ore is gray with red flecks, and both are found deeper in the Mines after you’ve progressed past the Elven Quarter. Once you have the Bellows installed and the required ores, smelting a Bronze Ingot takes 45 seconds, unlocking new weapons and armor for your adventures in Moria.
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, so you’ll just need to drop 3 Copper Ore and 3 Tin Ore into your Forge and then wait 45 seconds.
What hidden tips can help me craft bronze faster in Return to Moria
To craft bronze faster in Return to Moria, focus on these hidden tips:
-
Use your Steel Pickaxe to mine both Copper (orange/green) and Tin (red/white) ores deep in the mines, especially in the lower caverns where deposits are more abundant.
-
Press the left trigger (or the corresponding key on keyboard) to mark ore deposits on your map, allowing you to locate and return to rich veins efficiently.
-
Establish a fortified base near a forge and furnace found in the mines’ lower areas, where you can upgrade your forge with Bellows (crafted from Steel Ingots and Elven Wood) to smelt bronze ingots faster.
-
Prioritize crafting the oven and brew kettle with copper ingots early on to produce healing items and energy boosts, which help sustain longer mining and exploration sessions.
-
Farm oats and honey cakes to maintain stamina and health, enabling you to survive tougher enemies encountered while mining deeper for ores.
These strategies streamline bronze production and improve your overall survival and progression in the mines.
How can I efficiently identify copper and tin veins in the mines
To efficiently identify copper and tin veins in the mines in Return to Moria, follow these tips:
-
Copper veins typically appear as orange/greenish ore deposits and are often found near shorelines or in lower caverns. Tin veins are usually red/white and commonly located along creeks or coastal areas, sometimes near the western coast or bog biomes.
-
Use your map to mark ore deposits by aiming at the vein and pressing the appropriate key (left trigger on controller). This helps you track and revisit rich veins without wasting time searching.
-
Copper veins tend to be larger, with 100-250+ copper ore per vein, and extend underground, so be sure to mine below the surface to fully exploit the vein.
-
Building a small base near known copper or tin deposits with storage and a cart can speed up mining runs and transport of ores back to your smelter.
-
Roads can be leveled with a hoe to facilitate faster travel with carts between your base and mining sites, improving efficiency.
-
Be cautious of hostile creatures in these areas, especially in higher-level zones where tin is abundant.
By combining visual identification of ore colors, marking deposits on your map, and establishing efficient logistics with bases and carts, you can maximize your copper and tin mining efficiency.
