Iron is one of the most important resources in My Time at Portia. It is used to craft many items like building components, tools, weapons, furniture, and more. However, iron can be hard to come by, especially early in the game. So where are the best places to get iron in My Time at Portia?
Mining Iron Nodes
The most direct way to get iron is by mining iron nodes scattered around the world. Iron nodes have a distinct black and grey banded appearance and will sparkle. When you approach an iron node, you can hit it with your pickaxe to extract iron ore. Each strike has a chance to extract 1-4 iron ore. Here are some of the locations where you can find iron nodes:
- Abandoned Ruins #1 – Several nodes along the cliffs and in the ruins
- Abandoned Ruins #2 – A few nodes inside the ruins
- Abandoned Ruins #3 – Multiple nodes along the cliffside and on the beach
- Collapsed Wasteland – Many nodes scattered around the sulfur pools
- Eufaula Desert – Nodes concentrated on the west side and south edge
- Amber Island – Nodes along the north and south shores
- Hazardous Ruins – A few nodes inside the ruins
- Somber Marsh – Nodes along the eastern cliff faces
These are just some of the major iron node locations. You can also find several nodes scattered along the rivers and coasts of the map. Having a high mining level will increase your chance of getting multiple iron ore per strike.
Dismantling Items
Many crafted items in My Time at Portia contain iron. By dismantling these items at a worktable, you can recover some of the iron that was used to create them. Any item with an iron icon next to it when placing it in the dismantling queue will yield iron bars. Here are some good items to dismantle for iron:
- Ancient swords and daggers – Found in ruins and chests
- Iron shield and iron sword – Crafted at an Worktable
- Iron pipes and bars – Created at a Furnace or Industrial Furnace
- Broken powered engines – Found through salvaging
- Iron furniture like lamps, chairs, and shelves
This can be a great way to recycle iron you don’t need anymore back into bars. You can then use those bars for other projects.
Purchasing Iron
Once you have some money saved up, you can simply purchase iron bars, plates, and other materials from vendors around Portia. Here are some of the vendors that stock iron for sale:
- A&G Construction – Sells iron bars, plates, and pipes
- Paulie’s Store – Occasionally sells iron bars in limited quantities
- Django’s Shop – Sells iron bars and some iron furniture/decor
- Alice’s Flower Shop – Sells iron lamps and iron decoration pieces
- Sonia’s Shop – Carries iron kitchenware like pots and pans
Purchasing iron can be expensive early on. But as you progress and earn more money, buying iron can be the quickest way to get a lot at once. It saves you time from mining and processing ore yourself.
Looting Chests
Searching chests scattered around Portia and its dungeons can produce iron as well. Here are some tips for looting chests with iron:
- Chests in Abandoned Ruins often have iron bars and ingots inside
- Underwater chests near the hazardous ruins commonly contain iron
- Chests in the Collapsed Wasteland and Eufaula Desert hold iron too
- Dungeon chests like the Ingall’s Mine and the Cave Under the Waterfall can have iron
- Fishing chests have a small chance of giving iron bars
Make sure to check Backpack upgrades at A&G Construction which increase your loot carrying capacity. This allows you to grab more iron per dungeon run.
Commission Rewards
Completing daily commissions and weekly missions for the Commerce Guild is a great way to be rewarded with free iron. Here are some of the missions and commissions that commonly reward iron:
- Kill missions for Abandoned Ruins and dungeons
- Gathering commissions for items that require iron to craft
- Crafting commissions of items like furnaces, engines, or tools
- Missions to analyze Dee-Dee transport items
- Treasure hunt missions in hazardous ruins
Try to pick these commissions whenever you see them to stack up on iron rewards. Prioritize missions with higher difficulty for better rewards.
Mining Dwarf Rewards
Each day at the Dwarf Shop, you can collect rewards from your mining dwarves. The higher level your dwarves, the more rewards you can collect per day. Here are the dwarves that can bring back iron:
| Dwarf | Level | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Lv. 1 Tempering Dwarf | Lv. 1+ | 1-2 Iron Ore |
| Lv. 2 Tempering Dwarf | Lv. 25+ | 2-3 Iron Ore |
| Lv. 3 Tempering Dwarf | Lv. 60+ | 3-5 Iron Ore |
Make sure to send your dwarves out mining each day. Collect their rewards regularly to stock up on free iron ore.
Processing Iron Ore
To use raw iron ore extracted from mining in crafting, you need to process it into iron bars at a furnace or industrial furnace. Each iron ore can be turned into 1 iron bar.
Smelting iron ore into bars takes time, fuel, and costs money. But it maximizes the iron you get from mining iron nodes. You can also process spare scrap, parts, and discs into iron bars at furnaces.
Recycling Discs and Parts
The Recycler machine allows you to convert old or excess discs and parts into useful resources like iron. Discs like the Old World Figurines and Ancient Discs can yield iron bars and ingots when recycled.
Machine parts like the Small Engine, Power Stones, and Boosters can also produce iron when recycled. The higher quality the disc or part, the more iron recycled. Recycling is a nice supplemental way to get iron from old artifacts and parts.
Crafting with Less Iron
Some great ways to conserve your iron usage include:
- Build stone furnaces instead of industrial furnaces when possible
- Use brick instead of iron for paths, foundations, and structures
- Make copper pans instead of cast iron cookware
- Craft wooden boxes rather than iron chests for storage
- Use stone stools and wooden benches instead of iron furniture
Think about material substitutions like stone, wood, and copper when iron is not strictly required. This will make your iron supplies last longer.
Conclusion
Iron is essential material in My Time at Portia that is used for crafting all sorts of equipment, tools, weapons, structures, and more. While it can be challenging to acquire in large quantities, there are many ways to obtain iron through mining, looting, commissions, purchasing, processing, and recycling.
Focus first on mining natural iron nodes around Portia. Loot chests in abandoned ruins and dungeons for bonus iron. Use a furnace to process all your collected iron ore into usable bars. Buy iron from A&G Construction and Django’s shop once you can afford it. Take commission rewards and mining dwarf gifts as free extra sources of iron.
If you employ all these strategies for amassing iron, you will have a steady supply for crafting whatever you need in My Time at Portia!