If you’ve just beaten the Wall of Flesh and stepped into Terraria’s chaotic hardmode for the first time, you’ve probably realized your old iron pickaxe won’t cut it for the new ores popping up across your world. One of the first high-tier ores you’ll need to craft better gear, weapons, and crafting stations is cobalt, and figuring out how to mine cobalt in Terraria can feel frustrating if you don’t know the exact prerequisites and spawn rules. I’ve been there, trust me. Back when I first started playing hardmode, I spent three hours digging through the Underworld looking for cobalt before I realized I hadn’t even smashed an altar yet. This guide breaks down every step you need to follow to farm cobalt efficiently, no matter if you’re playing on classic, expert, or master mode.
Prerequisites You Need Before Mining Cobalt
You can’t mine cobalt before you unlock hardmode, so don’t waste time looking for it in pre-hardmode worlds no matter how deep you dig. There are three non-negotiable boxes you need to tick first before cobalt will even spawn in your world:
- Beat the Wall of Flesh: This final pre-hardmode boss triggers the hardmode transition, and drops the Pwnhammer you’ll need for the next step. You don’t have to beat it with any specific gear, but a full set of molten armor makes the fight far easier if you’re new to the boss.
- Smash at least one Demon/Crimson Altar: Each altar you smash with the Pwnhammer adds one hardmode ore to your world generation, with the first altar always spawning either cobalt or its alternate ore palladium. If your world spawns palladium first, you won’t find cobalt unless you create a new world, or use a seed that guarantees cobalt spawns.
- Get a pickaxe with 110% or higher pickaxe power: The only pre-hardmode pickaxe that meets this requirement is the Molten Pickaxe, crafted from 35 Hellstone Bars you smelt from hellstone mined in the Underworld. If you head underground without this, you’ll only waste hits on cobalt blocks that won’t break, and wear down your tool’s durability for no reason.
It’s worth noting that some players prefer to smash 3 altars right away to unlock all three tiers of hardmode ore, but you only need one to get cobalt or palladium spawning. If you’re playing on a multiplayer server, double check that other players haven’t already smashed altars before you start digging, so you don’t waste time looking for ore that hasn’t been added to the world yet. You can check what ores are available by opening your world’s info panel, or by testing a small cobalt vein if you spot one.
How to Mine Cobalt in Terraria Without Wasting Time
Once you’ve checked off all the prerequisites, you can start mining cobalt efficiently with a few simple tricks that cut down on hours of random digging. When you’re learning how to mine cobalt in Terraria, the biggest time saver you can use is Spelunker Potions, by far. These highlight all nearby ore blocks on your screen, including cobalt, so you don’t walk right past large veins hidden behind walls. You can craft Spelunker Potions with a bottled water, blinkroot, moonglow, and gold ore, or find them in chests scattered across the underground.
Next, pick a depth range where cobalt spawns most frequently. For small worlds, look between 0 and -1200 feet, for medium worlds between 0 and -1800 feet, and for large worlds between 0 and -2400 feet. Stick to the upper cavern layer, as cobalt is much rarer in the deeper caverns closer to the Underworld. Many players make the mistake of digging straight down to hell to look for cobalt, when it spawns far closer to the surface of the underground.
If you don’t have Spelunker Potions, stick to exploring large, natural cavern systems instead of doing random strip mines. Natural caverns have far more exposed ore blocks, so you’re more likely to spot cobalt veins without having to dig through hundreds of dirt and stone blocks. Bring a stack of torches with you to light up every area you explore, as dark corners often hide small to medium cobalt veins you would otherwise miss. You can also use a shine potion if you don’t want to place torches as you go, but torches also stop enemies from spawning right next to you while you mine.
Best Locations to Find Large Cobalt Veins
Not all underground areas are equal when you’re farming cobalt, and picking the right spot can double or triple the amount of ore you collect per trip. If you’re focused on how to mine cobalt in Terraria as fast as possible, prioritize exploring unmined caverns over any other strategy. Hardmode ores only spawn in natural, unbroken stone blocks that were generated when you created the world. Any areas you dug through pre-hardmode won’t have new cobalt spawns, so skip those entirely to save time.
If you’re struggling to find untouched caverns, dig a new hellevator on the far left or far right side of your world, where you haven’t explored before. As you dig down, stop every 100 feet to branch out into horizontal 2-block tall tunnels for 50 feet in each direction, and you’ll almost always run into at least one cobalt vein if you’re in the correct depth range. Don’t forget to bring a weapon with at least 20 damage with you, as hardmode caverns spawn much stronger enemies than pre-hardmode, and you don’t want to get caught off guard mid-mining trip. Enemies like giant flying snakes and armored skeletons can take out undergeared players in just a couple hits, so keep your hotbar equipped with a sword or bow at all times.
You can also find small cobalt veins in underground chests and in reward bags from hardmode enemies, but that’s far less reliable than mining it directly. If you find a single cobalt block peeking out of a wall, always dig 2-3 blocks in every direction around it, as cobalt veins usually consist of 5-12 connected blocks, even if only one is visible at first. For faster mining, drink a Mining Potion to boost your pickaxe speed by 25%, so you can clear through stone and ore blocks in half the time. If you have a grappling hook, you can move between cavern levels far faster than climbing ladders, so keep one equipped to navigate uneven terrain quickly.
Common Cobalt Mining Mistakes to Avoid
Even if you follow all the steps above, it’s easy to make small mistakes that cost you hours of wasted time. The most common mistake new hardmode players make is trying to mine cobalt with a pickaxe weaker than the Molten Pickaxe. Even if you can see cobalt blocks, tools like the Gold or Platinum Pickaxe won’t break them, no matter how many hits you land, so double check your pickaxe power before you head down. You can check your pickaxe’s power by hovering over it in your inventory.
One of the most frustrating mistakes you can make when figuring out how to mine cobalt in Terraria is realizing your world only spawns palladium after hours of digging. Palladium is the alternate ore to cobalt, and worlds only spawn one of the two. If you’ve been digging for hours in the right depth range with Spelunker Potions and haven’t found a single cobalt block, you probably have a palladium world. You can either use palladium for your gear instead, as it has almost identical stats, or generate a new world to farm cobalt if you specifically want it for crafting.
You also want to avoid mining in areas near spreading corruption or crimson, as those biomes convert regular stone into ebonstone or crimstone, which can’t spawn cobalt. If your world’s corruption is spreading fast, you might want to quarantine it first with hellstone blocks before you start mining, so you don’t lose large sections of potential cobalt spawn areas. Finally, don’t forget to store extra ore in a chest near your mining spot every 30 minutes or so, so you don’t lose all your hard-earned cobalt if you get jumped by a hardmode boss or enemy pack. It only takes one surprise Wraith attack to send you back to spawn without all the ore you spent hours collecting, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Mining cobalt doesn’t have to be the frustrating, time-consuming chore many new hardmode players make it out to be. As long as you unlock hardmode, smash your first altar, bring a Molten Pickaxe, and use Spelunker Potions to spot veins fast, you’ll have more than enough cobalt to craft your first set of hardmode gear in no time. I still follow these exact steps every time I start a new Terraria playthrough, and I usually get enough cobalt for a full set of armor, a pickaxe, and a sword in under an hour. Now that you know how to mine cobalt in Terraria, you can skip the random digging and get straight to upgrading your gear to take on the first hardmode bosses.