Ore Veins (Skyrim)

Main article: Ore

For other uses, see Ore Veins.

Ore Veins are mounds of rock that may be mined with a pickaxe to receive a particular ore. Each type of vein has a slightly different color, depending on the ore inside, and typically yield three pieces of ore, as well as a random gemstone on rare occasions.

Locations

Ore veins are typically found in mines and tunnels, but are also scattered around the map in open rocky areas and in some select other dungeons. Some veins blend in with the surrounding rock and may be difficult to find.

Ore varieties

• Corundum Ore
• Ebony Ore
• Geode Vein
• Gold Ore
• Iron Ore
• Malachite Ore
• Moonstone Ore
• Orichalcum Ore
• Quicksilver Ore
• Silver Ore

Gallery

Geode Ore Vein

Gold Ore Vein

Iron Ore Vein

Malachite Ore Vein

Depleted Malachite Ore Vein

Quicksilver Ore Vein

Moonstone Ore Vein

Orichalcum Ore

Trivia

• Ore veins typically respawn every thirty in-game days.
• A method that can be used to replenish ore veins faster is to enter and exit a nearby location of the source (a nearby cave/house/mine etc.) one week after depleting the ore.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Ore Veins (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  PC   360   PS3   Sometimes, ore veins do not respawn.
•  PC   360   PS3   When the mining animation starts, no messages for receiving the ore will be displayed, and the Dragonborn will continue to mine indefinitely unless interrupted. This can be fixed by equipping the pickaxe and manually mining the ore vein. This can be caused by local characters heading to the deposit to mine it. Killing these people or manually swinging the axe to mine the ore will prevent this from happening.
• Occasionally, one will not be able to mine ore veins, despite them not being depleted. This is due to either a glitch or the timer has not completed yet. One way to solve this is to leave the location, wait outside for a few hours, then return. This should fix the glitch and the ore will be able to be mined.
• When a depleted ore vein is revisited after a few in-game days, it might lose cohesion, allowing the Dragonborn to walk through it.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• The Elder Scrolls Online