There are loads of different resources to gather in Going Medieval. Some, like berries and wood, are found on the surface, whereas you might need to dig a little bit deeper to find iron. Metal ore can be found on the surface, too, but eventually visible resources will run out.

Unlike other colony sims of its type, there are sophisticated underground building and mining mechanics in Going Medieval. You can dig massive mine shafts, supported with pillars and beams, where you can search for underground deposits of clay, limestone, iron, and more. Here’s what you need to know about mining.

You Can Find Some Ore On The Surface

Right at the start of the game, you won’t need to worry too much about mining. You’ll likely start building underground for the first time during the summer — to keep food cool in the hot temperatures — and it’s not until much later that you’ll be requiring the stacks of iron ore needed to kit your settlers out with the best armor and weapons.

For smaller projects, you can find many resources above ground, usually right next to nodes of ores. For example, you might a few piles of limestone above a limestone deposit. You can set your settlers to pick this up with the Allow command.

Mining Ore

While you can sometimes find ore nodes by searching across the map, eventually you will need to dig underground to continue finding lots of ore.

There is no exact way of knowing where the ore will be. You will have to start digging channels into the ground. Sometimes iron is found directly underneath limestone, but that isn’t always the case.

The best way to start mining is to dig two layers deep and start building conventional mineshafts in different directions. You will need to support the mines with beams and pillars. Otherwise, stability starts to become an issue.

How To Build An Effective Mineshaft

Here is a rough guide on how to build effective mines. It’s basically a form of strip-mining. Here’s what you need to do.

  • Set a mining order for a 5x5 chunk. Build a staircase so your settlers can reach the bottom of the pit. Dig down another layer. Build another staircase. Start mining outwards in 3x3 tunnels. Make sure to place beams in the center every 10 blocks or so. You can use beams to support the tunnels.

If you do not build supporting beams and pillars, areas of the ground above tunnels can start to collapse. In the worst-case scenario, one of your settlers may become injured as the tunnels collapse on their head, giving them severe concussions and leaving them sleeping at the bottom of the tunnel.

NEXT: Going Medieval: Complete Beginner’s Guide