Valheim is a massive and complex RPG. You can travel all over the game world and explore some very interesting locales, all while looting rare items from the corpses of slain enemies. While doing battle with enemies, you will be fine with the basic tools, at least for the beginning. The basic tools are fine for the starter enemies, but things are more complicated in those later areas.
You will need to start by defeating Elkthyr to get your first pickaxe. From that point onward, you will need to want to push towards more complex items. Those more advanced weapons need Tin and Copper Ore in Valheim. You won’t find this stuff all over the place, but there are some basic tips to keep in mind. Here’s where to look and find the stuff most often.
How to find Copper Ore in Valheim
In the early Meadows area is rife with the basic Copper reserves. Look around rocky outcroppings and around the shores of rivers. You will see a Copper Deposit on the ground. it shows up as a small collection of metallic veins on the ground. Other areas like the Black Forest have more veins as well. Look in any mountainous areas as well, those can have tons of metals. Just smack it with your Pickaxe and hope for good drops.
Keep in mind one thing though, as these deposits have random drops. The deposits will often give out Stones and other resources beyond metals. Also, Smelters are needed to harvest the ores you find. You need Stone x20 and Surtling core x5 to build the Smelter.
When you want to use/place the Smelter, have your Hammer in your inventory. Open the menu and press [F] to switch to Crafting tab. Once there you can use [Q/E] to switch to the smelter. Finally, use [LMB] to confirm the placement.
Take the resources above to a Workbench and build the Smelter. The Smelter uses 2 Coal per Iron or Copper ore to smelt one bar.
How to find Tin Ore in Valheim
Tin ore is a bit more complicated to find. It’s much less common in the game compared to Copper. Tin will often spawn around rivers and it will be less plentiful. But just keep looking and you should be able to find some. There are some extra problems with using it though. You need to combine Tin and Copper to make Bronze.
When you want to make use of these ores, you need to grab these ores and head back to your house. Make sure you have upgraded your Workbench and have unlocked some higher-end recipes. Be sure to drop a Portal nearby your home if there isn’t one, as you will need to come back here for crafting regularly. Make sure to bring back advanced materials to upgrade your Workbench as well, this will allow you to get better weapons. You will need plenty of Tin and Copper Ore in Valheim to get these better weapons.