Where to find moonstone in Skyrim

The Dragonborn can get it at his disposal in several ways.

Buy

You can purchase material only from two types of sellers:

At the blacksmiths.
Merchants selling everything. These are available in almost every locality.

The cost of one bar = 75 gold.

Make

Using a smelter, the hero can make moonstone in Skyrim himself from two pieces of lunar ore, which in turn is mined from special veins using a pickaxe.

To get 1 ingot you will need 2 ores

Find

During his adventures, Dovahkiin may accidentally find an ingot in the following places:

Soljund's Lair Cave (5 pcs).
Sanctuary of Mehrunes Dagon (2 pcs).
Nordic ruins of Ustengrev (1 piece).
Crash site of the “Winter War” (1 piece).
Sometimes be in a locked safe in the Goldenflower estate during the Thieves Guild quest “Clarity” (1 pc).
In Midden (College of Winterhold) - in a basket on the ceiling rafters of the first room (4 pieces).

Sometimes it drops from the Draug's body after being killed.

ID code

In addition to the above methods, you can get blacksmithing material using the console by entering the ID code:

Ore mining in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is part of the Blacksmith profession, which we talked about in the last guide. However, the ore itself is not as valuable as what can be obtained from it - ingots of certain metals. Subsequently, these ingots are used either for transmutations or for forging armor and weapons. The ingots themselves can often be found from merchants, but if you buy up the entire stock from a merchant, the ingots will appear again only after some time (from a day to three). So in this guide we will focus specifically on finding and mining raw ore.

If you see a vein of metal and you have a pickaxe, then press the use key. After this, pieces of ore will appear in your inventory.

Iron ore is the most common, but you'll have to hunt for rarer types of metals. But the most problematic is the extraction of Dwemer ore. As such, it does not exist in Skyrim. However, when visiting the ruins of ancient cities, you will discover Dwemer artifacts - we melt them into ingots.

If you visited one of the ore veins and dug it to holes, then the next time it will not be updated very soon - after a month of game time. But it depends on the type of ore.

We smelt ore in any smelter. They are usually found in forges, next to the other blacksmithing tools.

Corundum Ore – Corundum Ore

Darkwater Crossing, west of Mistwatch. — 5 cores
Pinepeak Cavern, North of Ivarstead
Eldergleam Sanctuary, North Wall. - 1 core
Broken Helm Hollow, East of Riften, use chain
Halted Stream Camp, North of Whiterun -1 vein
North of Whiterun Stables. We go to the main gate, look to the left - go up the stairs and follow the wall
Irkngthand (Outside the stone wall), stand at the entrance to the ruins and face North. The ore is 20-25 steps due west, next to the stone face. — 1 Vein
20-30 meters north of Battle-Born Farm, Whiterun, there is also a quicksilver vein there
The path to the northeast from the northern Valtheim Tower. — 1 Vein
The Serpent Stone

1 Vein. Abandoned Cave (Forsaken Cave)

Ebony Ore – Ebony Ore

Redbelly Mine, North of Riften, located in the town of Shor's Stone - 3 Veins
Mzulft, Southeast of Windhelm
Shor's Stone, northern part, along the mountains
Gloombound Mine, Southeast of Windhelm - 16 Veins
Throat of the World, at the top

Iron Ore - Iron Ore

Embershard Mine, Southwest of Riverwood. — 8 lived
Half-Moon Mill, North of Falkreath
Left Hand Mine, Southeast Markarth - 5 Veins
Fort Fellhammer, South Downstar
Rockwallow Mine, East of Mortal
Halted Stream Camp, North of Whiterun - 16 Lives
Northwind Mine, SE of Mistwotch
Iron-Breaker Mine, Southeast of Dawnstar - 4-5 Veins
Saarthal.
Whistling Mine, SE Winterhold - 2 Veins
Sarethi Farm, southwestern part
Geirmund's Hall, East of Ivarsted. — 1 Vein
Swindler's Den. — 1 Vein
Graywater Grotto. — 1 Vein
Red Eagle Redoubt, in the bandit camp, to the right of the entrance. — 1 Vein
Serethi Farm, on a hill, Northeast of the farm. — 1 Vein

Quicksilver Ore - Quicksilver Ore

The Tower Stone, head East.
Quicksilver Mine, Northwest of Dawnstar.
Alftand, Southwest of Saarthal, on the right after entering the first level.
Lost Echo Cave, in one of the very first caves on the right side.
20-30 meters north of Battle-Born Farm, Whiterun, there is also Corundum nearby
20 meters southwest of Shimermist cave, Whiterun

Moon Ore – Moonstone Ore

Orichalcum Ore – Orichalcum Ore

Bilegulch Mine, southwest of Fort Sungard. — 8 lived
Gloombound Mine, to the left of the mine entrance. — 1 Vein

Silver Ore – Silver Ore

Bloodlet Throne, behind the throne room.
Markarth, after the bridge turn left and go up the hill, look for stones near the half-dead trees.
Near Stendarr's Beacon, East of Riften.
Frostmere Crypt, in front of Frostmere Depths.
Karthwasten, Northeast of Markarth, a small village with two mines.
Raldbthar

Gold Ore – Gold (Gold Ore)

Kolskeggr Mine, South of The Lover Stone, near Markarth. — from 13 to 20 cores
Lost Prospect Mine, East of Riften, North of the mountains, next to the waterfall.
Greywater Grotto, South-Southeast of Helgen.
Saarthal.
Valthiem Towers, east. — 1 Vein outside, 2 Veins inside
North from Fellglow Keep and West from Shearpoint, on the ground - 1 Vein
Fort Nugard, just beyond the lake, next to the treasure of this fort

Malachite Ore – Malachite Ore

Throat of the World, top of the mountain. — 3 cores
Steamscorch Mine, next to the inn in Kynesgrove. -7 Lived

Soul Gems

Blackreach, via Alftand. - lived a lot

Dwemer Ore (Dwemer Ore) As I wrote above, there are no veins with Dwemer ore in Skyrim, however, to obtain ingots of Dwemer metal, you can smelt artifacts found in Dwemer ruins. To enter the ruins you may need a Dwemer key; we obtain it in a secret cave from its inhabitant:

Mines in Skyrim are directly related to ore mining and the blacksmith profession in the game. Ingots are made from ore, and weapons and armor are made from them, which the player cannot do without. But where are the mines in Skyrim, and what kind of ore can be mined in them?

Iron ore and silver

There are quite a lot of mines with iron ore and silver veins in Skyrim, and they are scattered throughout the map. Near most of them there are smelters that can be used to smelt ore into ingots. Also, in order to mine ore in the mines of Skyrim, the player will need a pickaxe.

Iron and silver mines in the game:

Iron Ore Mine - has 6 iron ore veins and is located in the western part of Dawnstar. Its owner Beitild often stands near the mine and buys iron ore for 7 coins.
Stifling Mine - appeared in the Dragonborn expansion, it contains 1 silver and 2 iron ore veins. Located north of the Bloodskal mound.
Whistling Mine is a small mine with 2 iron ore deposits. Located southeast of Winterhold. Ore recovery here is 10 days.
Torch Mine is a location with 8 veins of iron ore. The mine is located southwest of Riverwood and is a haven for bandits.
The Rocking Stone Mine is located in a small campground called Stone Hills east of Morthal. There are 4 iron ore veins here, and the nearby character Gestur Stonebreaker will buy back the mined ore for 7 coins apiece.
The Left Hand Mine is located southeast of Markarth. There are 5 iron mining sites in this mine. Skaggi Marked buys ore here.
The Sanuarakh mine is a place where silver is mined. There are 7 silver veins in the mine, and it is located in the Kartwasten settlement.
The North Wind Mine is located in the mountains northwest of Riften. Here you can find 3 iron deposits. Inside the mine you should beware of skeletons and traps.
The Sidna Mine is Markarth's prison. She belongs to the Silver Blood clan. Prisoners work in the mine, they mine silver. There are 5 silver veins here. The player can get here through a quest or by breaking the law in Markarth.
Fenna's Gulch Mine is a small, single-vein silver mine located in the northwest of Karthwasten.

Atronach Forge

The Atronach Forge will be useful to you regardless of what build you choose for the main character. However, those who play as a magician and have invested a lot of points in the “Witchcraft” branch will get more benefit from it.

The Atronach Forge is a magical device located in Midden (under the College of Winterhold). To work in it you need to have precious stones, rare ingredients and different types of salt (simple, frosty, fire, etc.). Essentially, the Atronach Forge does not create items, but summons them from Oblivion, but you still need to learn the crafting recipes. You can get recipes in many ways, for example, by searching the pockets of NPCs or from the corpses of dead sorcerers.

Despite the lengthy process of gathering recipes and ingredients, the Atronach Forge is the easiest way to get Daedric Armor, Atronach Staves, and Spellbooks in Skyrim. If you unlock access to it (you need to complete the secondary task “Ritual Spell of Witchcraft” from Finis Gestor), then you will not have to spend money on buying volumes that teach magical abilities and looking for suitable equipment for the mage hero.

Important! To take on the “Ritual Witchcraft Spell” quest, you need to first level up your “Witchcraft” skill to at least level 90. Fortunately, this is easy to do. Just use the Soul Capture spell on dead NPCs on cooldown.

Ebonite and orichalcum

Ebonite and orichalcum are found in the game much less frequently than iron, but they are also needed in smaller quantities. Ebony ore is used to make Daedric equipment, and Orichalcum ore is used to make Orc equipment.

Skyrim mines where ebonite and orichalcum are mined:

The Red Mine is located in the settlement of Kamen Shora. Here you can find 3 veins of ebony ore.
The gall mine is located south of Rorikstead. It is guarded by orc bandits and contains 9 orichalcum outlets.
Mor Kazgur mine. This mine can be found in the orc settlement of Mor Kazdur and is not shown on the map. In total, there are 7 orichalcum outputs in the mine.
The Shadow Mine is the largest mine in Skyrim for the extraction of ebony ore. There are as many as 16 ebony veins, 6 iron ore deposits and 1 orichalcum outlet. You can find the mine in the orc fortress Narzulbur southeast of Windhelm.
The Dushnik mine is located in the Dushnik-Yal fortress southeast of Markarth. Inside the mine there are 7 orichalcum outlets.

Gold and corundum ore

Gold is needed to craft rings and necklaces, while corundum ore is used to craft steel ingots and stronger iron armor.

Skyrim mines with gold and corundum veins:

The Golden Rock mine is located in a settlement called Black Brod. There are 4 veins of corundum ore inside.
The Kolskeggr mine is located in the east of Markarth and has as many as 17 gold veins. It is the largest gold mine in Skyrim, but it has been occupied by the Forsworn.
The Lost Chance Mine is a location northeast of Riften. In one of the corners of the mine you can find 3 gold veins.

Moon rock

Moonstone is needed for the manufacture and improvement of elven and glass equipment; it is mined only in one mine in Skyrim - Soljund's Lair, but there are also separate veins of this ore. In the lair itself you can find 5 moonstone mining sites. The mine is located south of Karthwasten.

Elvish (org. Elven)

weapons and light armor are medium quality items that are made using the mineral moonstone.
To create elven weapons and armor, mercury is required, as well as moonstone. The methods for creating Elven weapons were developed by the Altmer and were initially kept a closely guarded secret (see Making Light Armor
).

Aetherium Forge

The Aetherium Forge is a unique place belonging to the Dawnguard faction. You will find it if you complete the mission "Lost in the Ages" (Dawnguard DLC required). By unlocking the Aetherium Forge by killing the Master Blacksmith, you gain access to three powerful Dwemer artifacts:

Etherium Staff. Creates a spider or Dwemer sphere in the area specified by the main character. The created sphere/spider fights on the side of the caster for 1 minute. The ethereal staff is not affected by the bonus of the “Twin Souls” perk, so you won’t be able to summon two creatures. However, you can combine the Dwemer Orb/Spider with summoned Dwemer Gears and a Dwemer Creature that can be obtained from completing the Kagrumez Challenges. To strengthen the Dwemer sphere/spider, we recommend that you take the “Master of the Mind” perk from the “Illusion” school. In this case, the creatures will benefit from the spells “Courage”, “Flight”, “Encouragement” - an increase in HP and strength.
Etherium shield. He not only has a beautiful appearance, but also a unique charm, thanks to which the enemy, having received a blow from the shield, turns into an incorporeal creature for 15 seconds. During the specified time, he cannot deal damage, but he himself does not receive damage. This gives you the opportunity to buy some time in a fight with a group of enemies in order to heal or heal your allies.
Etherium Crown. The item is considered the most useful of the three listed Dwemer artifacts. It allows the hero to have two positive effects from standing stones at once. By wearing the Etherium Crown, you will move one of your existing Destiny Stone bonuses into it, after which you can take a second bonus without losing the first. This property makes the crown indispensable in the process of leveling up skills, completing difficult dungeons and battles with bosses.

The materials for crafting this equipment are collected during the quest “Lost in the Ages”. However, it’s worth saying right away that you can only make one thing - either a staff, or a crown, or a shield. You won't be able to get all three items.

Review

Name	ID
Moonstone Ore	0005ace0	1	30
Refined Moonstone	0005ad9f	1	75

Three pieces of moonstone ore can be mined from one moonstone outcrop.
One refined moonstone is obtained by smelting from two pieces of moonstone ore.
To create elven armor, you need 30 or more Smithing skill.
Elven armor is level 12 light armor, made from refined moonstone, iron ingots, leather and leather strips.
Elven weapons are level 19, made from refined moonstone, mercury ore ingots, iron ingots and strips of leather.
Refined moonstone is also used to create glass weapons and armor.

Bugs

Elven war axes receive no benefits from the first rank of the Hack and Slash perk, just from rank 2 and 3. Fixed by the unofficial Skyrim patch version 2.0.0.

Skyrim materials and styles
Heavy	Iron \| Steel \| Dwemer \| Steel plate \| Orc \| Ebony \| Dragon Shell \| Daedric
Lightweight	Fur \| Rawhide \| Leather \| Elvish \| Lamellar \| Glass \| Dragonscale
Other	Ancient Nordic \| Nordic hero \| Falmer \| Silver \| Bone \| Chitinous \| Nordic carved \| Stalgrimovaya

Mineral resources

Besides the guaranteed sources listed below, the best random places are:

Refined moonstone can be sold by blacksmiths starting at level 6 and general goods merchants starting at level 4.
Moonstone Ore can be sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants starting at level 10.
Moonstone Ore can be found randomly in Falmer loot starting at level 7.

The game has a total of 44 moonstone outputs, 6 ores and 9 ingots in guaranteed locations. Some individual moonstone outcrops that are outside architectural landmarks are excluded from the list below. The Moonstone Outcrops category also has a list of locations that lists all the moonstone outcrops.

Region	Place	Exits	Ore	Ingots	Description
Limit	Soljund's Lair	5	3	2
Eastmarch	Mzulft	7	The quest Discovering the Unseen must be started to gain access to the ore vein outlet.
Falkreath (possession)	South Sanctuary	3
Winterhold	Midden	4
White Beach	Sanctuary of Mehrunes Dagon	1	2	To gain access you must complete the quest Shards of Past Glory
Winterhold	Black Reach	2
Limit	Darkfall Cave DG	2
Eastmarch	Kagrenzel	2
Whiterun (possession)	Camp Silent Moons	2
Eastmarch	Stone Stream Cave	2
Solstheim DB	Altar of Trond	1
Eastmarch	Kronvangr Hall	1
Rift	Crystal Cave	1
Rift	Latest DB post	1
Winterhold	Kurgan Iron	1
Limit	Nchuand-Zel	1
White Beach	Nightcallers Temple	1
Falkreath (possession)	Northern mountain outpost	1
Rift	North Wind Summit	1
White Beach	Raldbthar	1
Haafingar	Green Shadow Cave	1
Rift	Tolvald's Cave	1
Winterhold	Winterhold - Imperial Camp	1
Haafingar	Wolf Skull Cave	1
Limit	Sheer Cliff Cave	1
Limit	Fort Sungard	2
White Beach	Wreck site of the Salt Hammer	1

How to get

The Dragonborn can get it at his disposal in several ways.

Buy

You can purchase material only from two types of sellers:

At the blacksmiths.
Merchants selling everything. These are available in almost every locality.

The cost of one bar = 75 gold.

Make

Using a smelter, the hero can make moonstone in Skyrim himself from two pieces of lunar ore, which in turn is mined from special veins using a pickaxe.

To get 1 ingot you will need 2 ores

Find

During his adventures, Dovahkiin may accidentally find an ingot in the following places:

Soljund's Lair Cave (5 pcs).
Sanctuary of Mehrunes Dagon (2 pcs).
Nordic ruins of Ustengrev (1 piece).
Crash site of the “Winter War” (1 piece).
Sometimes be in a locked safe in the Goldenflower estate during the Thieves Guild quest “Clarity” (1 pc).
In Midden (College of Winterhold) - in a basket on the ceiling rafters of the first room (4 pieces).

Sometimes it drops from the Draug's body after being killed.

Elven armor

Elven Smithing is the first perk in the Light Armor branch of the Smithing skill's perk tree. Unlocking it requires a Smithing skill of at least 30, and the Steel Smithing perk must have already been unlocked. Elven Smithing allows elven armor, elven gilded armor, and elven weapons to be crafted.

The Elven Smithing perk also causes tempering of elven weapons and armor (including elven gilded armor and elven light armor) to be twice as effective. This perk applies to both unenchanted elven gear and enchanted gear (generic armor, generic weapons, or custom), as long as the Arcane Blacksmith perk has been unlocked. Tempering of several other items is also improved by Elven Smithing, namely: Borvir's Dagger, Firiniel's End, Herebane's Courage, Herebane's Fortress, and Auriel's Bow DG .