Finding and Mining Fossil Ores

Locating Fossil Ores

Fossil ores spawn deep underground throughout your world, with older fossils found at greater depths. You'll encounter 14 different fossil ore types, each with a unique texture to help you identify them quickly. Older specimens from earlier time periods generate much deeper, so you'll need to mine at varying depths to collect a diverse range of fossils.

Mining Requirements

You need at least an iron pickaxe to successfully mine fossil ores. Stone or wooden pickaxes won't work. Once you've located an ore, mine it with your iron pickaxe to collect the fossil piece. Each ore drop gives you one fossil slab or piece toward a complete skeleton.

Collection Strategy

If you're hunting for specific time periods or creatures, mine deeper for older fossils and shallower for more recent ones. The unique textures on each fossil type make it easy to sort your collection as you gather pieces. Keep mining the same areas to accumulate the multiple pieces needed for larger skeletons—some require 5 pieces, while massive dinosaurs need 15 or 20 pieces to complete.