Cobalt is one of the first “late‑tier” metals you’ll run into in Hytale. It sits above iron and copper in power, and it opens up a full blue gear set plus some key workstation upgrades. The tradeoff is that you have to leave the comfortable starter regions and head into colder, harsher zones to mine it efficiently.
Where cobalt spawns on the Hytale map
Cobalt is tied to cold regions. In the current Early Access build, the most reliable way to find it is in the snowy zone known as Whisperfrost Frontiers (often called Zone 3 or the snow zone). On the world map, this area shows up as a broad band of white terrain: snow‑covered plains, forests, and tall, jagged mountains.
Within that snow band, cobalt can appear in three main places:
- Mountain slopes in the snow biome – Sheer rock faces on tall peaks often have cobalt exposed on the surface. You can scan cliff walls visually and spot veins from a distance.
- Cave entrances in snowy plains and forests – Openings in the ground or cliffside that show stone rather than packed snow often hide a few blocks of cobalt near the entrance and more deeper inside.
- Underground icy cave systems – Deeper underground, icy caverns generate mixed veins of cobalt and iron with occasional silver and gold. Some of these caves are dry, others are fully flooded.
Cobalt ore appears as a dark blue block embedded in stone. It is noticeably darker and less saturated than the bright green thorium, which makes it blend more into gray rock, especially in low light. Plan to carry torches or other light sources so you can check suspicious patches of stone, particularly on shaded mountain faces.
Best places to farm cobalt efficiently
Not every snowy chunk of terrain produces the same amount of cobalt. Certain structures and cave layouts are much more efficient if you are trying to gather enough metal for a full armor set or a batch of weapons.
Farming cobalt on snowy mountains
Open mountain terrain is usually the fastest way to see a lot of ore in a short time without heavy digging.
Step 1: Travel to the snow zone until the map shows continuous snow and ice, not just small cold patches. Look for icons or terrain hints that suggest tall peaks or ridgelines.
Step 2: Climb toward one of the tallest mountains you can see. Stay on the rocky parts of the slope rather than deep snow drifts, so more stone is visible.
Step 3: Circle the mountain at a steady height, checking every exposed stone wall for dark blue clusters. Cobalt commonly appears as one‑ or two‑block veins spaced along the slope.
Step 4: When you spot a vein, mine it out completely, then continue circling the same peak before moving on to the next mountain.
This approach works well because you can “scan” a lot of terrain quickly without committing to a deep cave run. The downside is that each vein is small, so you may need to cover several peaks to collect enough ore.
Farming cobalt in snowy caves and icy caverns
If you would rather trade safety and visibility for higher ore density, caves are more rewarding.
Step 1: In snowy plains or forests, look for dark cave mouths cut into hillsides or small sinkholes with visible stone. Prioritize entrances that dip sharply down rather than shallow overhangs.
Step 2: Place torches as you descend and check both the floor and walls for dark blue ore. Early sections often contain a few surface‑adjacent nodes.
Step 3: Follow tunnels that lead deeper; standard icy caves tend to spawn “pockets” of cobalt mixed with iron, with an occasional silver or gold vein nearby.
Step 4: If you reach a flooded section, decide whether you can safely traverse it. Fully submerged ice caves can hold large concentrations of cobalt, but without reliable underwater gear, they are risky in survival play.
Other zones where cobalt appears
Snow is not the only place that generates cobalt, especially once you progress into more dangerous regions.
- Devastated Lands (Zone 4) – Beneath the scorched surface, smaller “lush” tunnels generate heavy clusters of adamantite, cobalt, silver, and iron. These tunnels are more compact than the huge jungle caverns and tend to be much richer in ore.
- Surface biomes near volcanoes in Zone 4 – Small volcanic or “deep crystal” style islands can spawn cobalt and adamantite directly on the surface rock near molten areas, letting you mine high‑tier ore without going underground.
These later zones are significantly more dangerous than the snow region and are better suited to players who already have decent armor and weapons. In return, the ore density is much higher, so a single good tunnel can yield enough cobalt for several pieces of gear.
Required tools and safety gear
Cobalt does not demand advanced equipment to harvest, which makes it accessible as soon as you can survive in the relevant zones.
- Minimum tool – A basic or “crude” pickaxe is sufficient to mine cobalt ore. You do not need a special tiered tool the way some games gate higher metals behind better picks.
- Armor and weapons – The snow and Devastated Lands zones are significantly more hostile than the opening grasslands. Enter with at least iron‑tier weapons and armor or equivalent, so roaming enemies do not overwhelm you while you are stuck on a cliff face.
- Mobility and fall protection – Mountain farming carries a high fall risk. Build temporary staircases or platforms instead of jumping across gaps, and keep blocks on your hotbar to pillar up or catch yourself.
- Light and navigation – Cobalt’s dark color makes it easy to miss in shadows. Carry torches or other light sources and mark your path in caves so you can exit quickly if you get low on health.
Smelting cobalt ore into ingots
Once you return from a mining trip, cobalt follows the same basic refinement pipeline as the more common metals.
Step 1: Place a basic furnace in a safe part of your base with nearby storage so you can move ore and fuel quickly.
Step 2: Open the furnace and add cobalt ore to the input slot, plus any suitable fuel to the fuel slot.
Step 3: Wait for the furnace to process each piece. Cobalt takes longer to smelt than lighter metals like copper, so plan for a slightly slower turnaround.
Step 4: Remove the finished cobalt ingots from the output slot and move them into your crafting storage once the batch is complete.
Because of the longer smelting time, running multiple furnaces in parallel or upgrading your furnace setup becomes more valuable once cobalt is part of your regular crafting loop.
What you can craft with cobalt
Cobalt sits at an important point in Hytale’s progression curve. It improves your combat power and also unlocks better infrastructure for future crafting.
- Cobalt weapons – Cobalt blades and other weapons hit harder than iron and copper tools. They are a good stepping stone toward the top‑tier metals you can obtain in later zones.
- Cobalt armor set – A complete cobalt set offers a noticeable defense bump over earlier metals. This makes exploring the Devastated Lands and other high‑threat fragments more survivable.
- Furnace upgrade – Cobalt enables at least one key workstation upgrade: a furnace improvement that adds an extra input slot. This lets you smelt more efficiently or run different ores at once instead of queueing them.
At this stage of Early Access, cobalt does not have the same breadth of niche uses as some fantasy metals, but its combination of gear and infrastructure recipes makes it a natural target once you have iron fully online.
How cobalt compares to other ores by zone
Cobalt’s distribution makes more sense when you look at it alongside the other metals that spawn in each region. The table below focuses on ores in the main four zones of Hytale’s current world layout.
| Zone | Typical nickname | Common ores | Notable cobalt presence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Grasslands / Emerald Winds | Iron, copper, small amounts of thorium, silver, gold | None |
| Zone 2 | Desert / Howling Sands | Thorium, iron, silver with rarer copper and gold | None |
| Zone 3 | Snow / Whisperfrost Frontiers | Cobalt, iron with some silver and gold | Primary early‑game source in mountains and icy caves |
| Zone 4 | Devastated Lands / lava zone | Adamantite, cobalt, iron with some gold and copper | High density in lush tunnels and near volcanic surfaces |
Mithril currently does not appear as a naturally generating ore in the standard adventure‑style zones, even though it exists as a block in creative tools. Late‑game structures such as Fragments of Orbis may eventually change where high‑tier metals are found, but cobalt remains the most accessible mid‑to‑late metal for now.
When to prioritize cobalt in your progression
Because cobalt is locked behind harsher biomes, it is worth thinking about when it fits into your build‑up rather than rushing to it as soon as you spot snow on the horizon.
- Exploration‑focused players can treat cobalt as a milestone before committing to the Devastated Lands or more punishing fragments. A single trip to the snow zone to craft a partial armor set and one or two weapons can make a big difference in survivability.
- Base builders and crafters will want cobalt primarily for the furnace upgrade and improved tool durability/damage. Even if you stay near the starter zones, a quick cobalt run can streamline ore processing for the rest of your world.
- Challenge‑oriented players may skip cobalt gear entirely if they aim to jump straight into adamantite with strong group support. For most solo players, though, cobalt is a practical and reasonably accessible stop along the way.
The Early Access version of Hytale is structured to reward movement between zones rather than grinding a single region forever. Cobalt is a clear example of that design: it pulls you out of the familiar grasslands, pushes you into new environmental hazards, and pays you back with stronger gear and better infrastructure once you adapt.
