Permafrost Resources & Where to Find Them

Pickaxe tiers decide what you can mine

Mining in Permafrost is gated by your tool, not your skill level. A red crossed-out icon on a deposit means your current pickaxe cannot break it. Upgrading the pickaxe is the real measure of progress.

The table comes from fan guides built on the Early Access build. The Stone Pickaxe costs 2 Stone and 4 Wood, and the Flint Pickaxe costs 2 Flint and 4 Wood at the Workbench. Our crafting guide covers the full tool path.

Where to find flint

Flint is the first resource that matters, because it unlocks the Flint Pickaxe. The Bone Cave between Horizon and the Woods holds flint that your starting Stone Pickaxe can mine. You visit it early in the story to rescue your dog.

Flint also shows up on rocky slopes around the Woods. Fan data lists 4 to 5 flint per node, so two or three nodes cover your first tools. Bring extra, because the Repair Bench costs 10 Flint and 10 Wood.

Watch out for the bear in the Bone Cave. It can turn aggressive even when it looks injured, so keep your distance and avoid narrow passages. Our enemies guide explains how to handle it.

Where to find copper

Copper is the first ore that needs the Flint Pickaxe. Fan guides point to the rocky ravine near the damaged road bridge between the Woods and Horizon, toward the frozen creek bed. Look for deposits labelled Copper Boulder.

More copper lies in the canyons toward the Solar Fields, including around Landscar Cave. Copper nodes give about 3 to 6 ore each in fan data. A loose Copper Ingot also sits in the Nomad Camp, inside a Cold Zone near New Home.

Copper turns into ingots at the Stone Furnace, at 3 Copper and 5 Coal per ingot. Those ingots build the Tailoring Bench and become Wire for the radio station. Eighteen copper covers both early goals.

Coal and sulfur

Coal fuels every smelting step, so you will always want more. Fan guides list coal at the cave opening toward Horizon, in the Bone Cave passages and on a cliff path above Horizon near Liam's favorite spot. The ravine by the damaged bridge and the canyons toward the Solar Fields also have it.

Short on coal? Burn 5 Wood into 2 Coal at the Stone Furnace. Coal is also the best fuel in fan data, burning for about 120 seconds per unit, so it keeps fires going longer than wood.

Sulfur needs the Flint Pickaxe as well. It burns only briefly, but it matters for gunpowder later on. The Rat Queen's Weapon Bench quest also hands out some sulfur as a reward.

Iron and scrap

Iron needs a Scrap or Copper Pickaxe. Fan guides send you to the rocky passages and caves of the wider Solar Fields area. Iron nodes give about 8 to 12 ore each, and an Iron Ingot takes 3 Iron and 3 Coal.

Scrap comes from metal debris rather than rock. Wrecked cars and broken machinery drop 1 to 5 scrap each, and Metal Junk can be recycled at the Dismantle Bench. The official building post says scrap becomes common around House Camp.

Iron and scrap together make Quality Metal at a smelter. The Weapon Bench also needs 10 Iron Ingots, so iron is in high demand. Our Quality Metal guide covers the recipes.

Moonrock

Moonrock is the rarest ore in the current build. Fan guides find it in bunker areas, at meteor impact sites and near the Crater, which a moon fragment created. Only a Quality Pickaxe can mine it.

Moonrock Ingots come only from the Professional Smelter. They go into the Lunar clothing set, which late quests ask for before White Hell. Jeremiah at Crow's Nest wants Moonrock equipment as part of his story.

Wood, stone and other materials

Wood and stone are everywhere, and you gather them with your first axe and pickaxe. A single tree gives a good amount of wood, which makes early walls cheap. Stone builds the Stone Furnace for 40 and the campfire for 2.

Cloth, hide and fat come from animals rather than nodes. The Tanning Rack turns pelts and fat into Treated Hide, then into Cloth. Our food guide covers the best hunting grounds.

Plastic junk, gold and components turn up while scavenging buildings and containers. Plastic matters for the Insulated Mountain clothing and the Quality Pickaxe. Search every room, because the dog can carry what you cannot.

Gathering tips

Short trips beat long ones in Permafrost, because the cold drains you the moment you leave the fire. These tips come from fan guides and players in the first week. Use them to plan each run.

• Upgrade to a Flint Pickaxe before you walk past copper boulders.
• Carry spare wood so you can make coal at a remote furnace.
• Keep the furnace next to storage, since output can drop on the ground.
• Mark ore spots on the map as you find them.
• Avoid Cold Zones until you have warm clothes, even if they hold better loot.

The smelting chain at a glance

Raw ore is only half the job, because most recipes ask for ingots. The Stone Furnace handles the early steps, while the smelters take over later. Here is how the chain fits together in fan data.

Wood becomes coal, and coal fuels every step after it. Copper and coal become Copper Ingots, which turn into Wire at the Workbench. Iron and coal become Iron Ingots, which build the Weapon Bench and the Professional Smelter.

Iron and scrap become Quality Metal at either smelter. Moonrock becomes Moonrock Ingots only at the Professional Smelter. Build each station next to your storage so the whole chain runs in one place.

Gathering in co-op

Groups can split the work so that nobody spends a whole session mining. One player can run the furnace while others bring back ore and scrap. Shared chests at the base keep everything in one place.

Remember that some world loot only goes to the player who finds it. Agree on who opens which crates before a big scavenging run. Our co-op guide lists the other quirks to expect.