Crimson Desert: How to Get Copper Ore (Cave Location & All Sources)

TL;DR

Copper Ore is used to upgrade weapons, armor, shields, and jewelry at the Blacksmith.
The fastest cave source is the Nas River Cave, southeast of Hernand City.
Open-world veins cluster around Hernand’s river cliffs, Anvil Hill, and Howling Hill.
You can also buy Copper Ore from Rhett’s shop or Mineral Shops at Cairn House and Karin Quarry.
Veins respawn after roughly seven in-game days, so clear them all at once for the best returns.

Copper Ore is one of the most important early materials in Crimson Desert. You will need it again and again to refine your gear at the Blacksmith. It feeds into weapons, plate armor, metal shields, and jewelry upgrades. Miss it early and you will spend half the game scrambling to catch up.

The good news is that once you know where to look, Copper Ore is not hard to find. There is a dedicated cave for it right near the starting area, plus several open-world farming routes and vendors who will sell it to you if you are in a rush.

This guide covers every source.

Table of Contents

What Is Copper Ore Used For in Crimson Desert?

Before you farm it, here is why it matters.

Copper Ore is a crafting material used for refinement at the Blacksmith. It upgrades weapons, plate armor, metal shields, and jewelry. Because it covers jewelry in addition to everything else, you may burn through Copper faster than Iron. Prioritize farming it if you plan to upgrade accessories.

If you want to know more about upgrading your gear properly, check out our Crimson Desert equipment upgrade guide and our guide on how to reinforce equipment.

How to Mine Copper Ore: Tools You Need

You cannot mine with your sword. You need the right tool first.

Copper Ore is gathered by striking ore deposits with a Pickaxe, which you can buy at the Provisioner’s Shop in Hernand, or by using the Force Palm Attack. The Pickaxe costs 31 copper coins from the Provisioner. You can also get one for free by completing Rhett’s Request, an early side quest in Hernand City.

Alternatively, the Force Palm ability instantly shatters ore deposits without any animation. Using these abilities drains your stamina and spirit, but it saves a huge amount of time on long farming runs. Either method works fine.

Once you equip the Pickaxe, approach a deposit, hold aim until the targeting circle turns blue, then hit attack. A few strikes will break the rock and drop the ore on the ground. Watch out on steep slopes because ore chunks can roll downhill away from you.

Copper Ore Cave Location: Nas River Cave

The fastest dedicated copper source early in the game is a cave near Hernand.

Head southeast of Hernand City and you will find the Nas River Cave. It is part of the starting area, so you will not have to travel far. Head inside and you will find a wall full of Copper Ore nodes ready to mine with a Pickaxe or your Force Palm ability.

The game itself describes this cave well. Though it was once considered a hidden spot, its reputation as a rich copper source has made it well known to locals and adventurers alike.

Head southeast from Hernand City, follow the Nas River, and look for the cave entrance. It is easy to reach and safe to clear early on.

Open World Copper Ore Locations

If the Nas River Cave is cleared and you need more, there are several farming routes across the map.

Hernand River Cliffs (Best Farming Route)

This is the single best copper farming area in the game, especially early on. Around 13 Copper Ore deposits are clustered along the river cliffs in the Hernand region, and each deposit holds up to 6 ore pieces. A single loop through this route can yield around 60 to 70 Copper Ore.

The cliffs of Howling Hill, south of Hernand City, are a great starting point. You can follow the stretch of deposits from the base of Howling Hill all the way to Unicorn Cliff. This is likely the first proper mining route you will stumble into while following the early story quests.

Anvil Hill (Hernand)

There is a solid copper cluster at the base of Anvil Hill, just southeast of Hernand. Look for deposits in the rocky outcroppings at the foot of the hill. This spot pairs well with Iron Ore farming since both types of ore appear in the same area, letting you farm both in one trip.

Glenbright Manor Road (Hernand Highlands)

There is a copper ore vein southwest along the road from Glenbright Manor in the Hernand Highlands. It is a convenient early-game find and easy to grab while passing through the area. Check out our Glenbright Manor Basement guide if you are already in the area.

Demeniss (Nas River Banks)

Copper deposits also appear near the Nas River in the Demeniss region. They are more spread out than the Hernand cluster, but still accessible along the riverbanks and surrounding hills. Good for a secondary farming loop once you have explored further out.

Delesyia (Gorthak Rocks)

Copper can be found scattered across the rocky terrain in the Gorthak area of Delesyia. The terrain here is rougher, so expect more searching compared to Hernand. Better suited for mid-game exploration when you have already exhausted the Hernand routes.

Tashkalp Cliffs (Desert Region)

The desert cliffs around Tashkalp hold a handful of Copper Ore veins. This is a mid-to-late game farming spot and a long ride from Hernand. That said, the arid landscape actually makes the deposits easier to spot since the greenish tint of copper stands out clearly against the sandstone.

How to Spot Copper Ore Deposits

Copper nodes can blend into the environment if you are not looking carefully.

Copper always has a greenish tint, almost like the color of the Statue of Liberty. It appears in small nuggets rather than the large formations you see with Iron Ore. The game notes that copper tends to show up on exposed rocks more than on sheer cliff faces, so search lower rocky terrain as well.

Iron Ore appears as dark-gray formations. Copper has that subtle green coloring. Once you spot it a couple of times, it becomes much easier to identify from a distance.

Where to Buy Copper Ore (Vendors)

Mining is the fastest method, but you can also purchase Copper Ore if you are short on time or just came up empty on a farming run.

The equipment shop inside Hernand City is run by Rhett the troll. He sells up to two Copper Ores at a time, each priced at 45 coins. For a bigger stock, head to the Mineral Shop at either Cairn House or Karin Quarry, where you can buy three Copper Ores at the same price per piece.

Both Rhett and the Mineral Shops restock after two or three in-game days. You can sleep at a campfire or a bed to speed up the clock and trigger a restock sooner.

To unlock the Mineral Shops, you need to liberate Cairn House and Karin Quarry. Our guide on how to unlock the Mineral Shop in Crimson Desert walks you through exactly how to do that.

Copper Ore Respawn Timer

Copper Ore deposits take roughly seven in-game days to respawn after being fully mined. The key word is fully. If you only mine a few nodes and leave the rest, the respawn timer for each deposit runs individually.

The smarter move is to clear every deposit in your farming route in one go. That way everything refills on the same in-game week and you can return for a full haul each time.

Set up your farming loop near an Abyss Nexus fast travel point. Being able to teleport directly to your mining area saves a huge amount of travel time between sessions.

Tips for Farming Copper Ore Efficiently

A few habits that will save you time and frustration:

Farm Iron and Copper together. Both types of ore appear in the same areas, especially around the Hernand river cliffs. You can knock out both resources in one farming run without any extra travel.

Use Force Palm to speed things up. Instead of the full pickaxe animation, Force Palm shatters deposits instantly. It costs stamina but cuts farming time significantly on longer routes.

Clear every node in a route. Partial clearing staggers the respawn timer. Always mine the entire cluster so everything refills at once.

Mark deposits on your map. The first time you find a node, mark it. Copper deposits stay on your map after discovery, so you never have to hunt from scratch again.

Buy when you are in a hurry. Vendors are not the cheapest option, but if you need one or two Copper Ores to finish an upgrade right now, Rhett or the Mineral Shops are a quick fix.

Other Resources You Will Need

Copper Ore is just one piece of the crafting puzzle in Crimson Desert. Here are some related guides to keep your gear fully upgraded and your resources stocked:

Crimson Desert is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox. You can also visit the official Crimson Desert website for more details from Pearl Abyss.