In Campaign mode, repair the Great Forge of Narvi in the Elven Quarter to unlock steel crafting. Smelt Steel Ingots from Iron Ore and Coal, then craft a Steel Hammer or Steel Pickaxe at a Forge. The pickaxe is the tool you need to break the Compacted Dirt barrier into the Mines of Moria.
How to unlock steel in Campaign
- Reach the Elven Quarter. The Great Forge of Narvi is near the center of the area, according to the PC Gamer walkthrough.
- Repair the Great Forge. Look for its three missing parts around the forge room. If a part is missing, inspect its glowing slot to reveal a replacement blueprint, then craft that part from Iron Ingots at an available Forge. Installing the final piece triggers an enemy horde, so prepare before completing the repair.
- Use the repaired forge to unlock the recipes. In Campaign, repairing Narvi unlocks the Steel Ingot, Steel Hammer, and Steel Pickaxe recipes. The Great Furnace can smelt Steel Ingots without fuel.
Steel and tool materials
Each Steel Ingot requires 3 Iron Ore and 3 Coal. The tool recipes use the same amount of Elven Wood and Hide; the pickaxe costs one more Steel Ingot than the hammer.
| Item | Recipe | Main use |
|---|---|---|
| Steel Ingot | 3 Iron Ore + 3 Coal | Crafting material |
| Steel Hammer | 2 Steel Ingots + 4 Elven Wood + 1 Hide | Rebuilding statues and repairing damaged structures |
| Steel Pickaxe | 3 Steel Ingots + 4 Elven Wood + 1 Hide | Breaking the Compacted Dirt barrier; mining Copper and Tin |
To craft both tools, gather 5 Steel Ingots, 8 Elven Wood, and 2 Hide. Smelting those ingots takes 15 Iron Ore and 15 Coal. These totals are calculated from the individual recipes above.
Gather the remaining ingredients and craft the tools
- Elven Wood: Chop trees in the Elven Quarter.
- Hide: Hunt local wildlife.
- Steel Ingots: Smelt 3 Iron Ore and 3 Coal per ingot.
Once you have the materials, craft the Steel Hammer or Steel Pickaxe at a Forge. Make the pickaxe first if your immediate goal is to reach the Mines of Moria: use it on the Compacted Dirt barrier, then use it to mine Copper and Tin deposits.
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- Feel the Fellowship: Experience the Fellowship of the Dwarves like never before, with the rich lore of the iconic fantasy world from J.R.R. Tolkien interwoven into the very fabric of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria.
- Survive the Dark: To survive the treacherous Mines of Moria players must conserve resources, hunt and gather for food and manage their sleep, temperature and noise levels. Utilize dynamic light systems for safety and to blaze a path further into the darkness. Battle unspeakable evils and survive hordes of monstrous Orcs in visceral combat, while uncovering the secret of the Shadow that looms within the mountain.
- Base Building: Find solace from the darkness. Reveal and clear new locations to create architecture on a grand scale. Get creative and construct bases from scratch or build upon the existing environment. Beware the evils which seek to destroy Dwarven progress.
- Rebuild and Reshape Moria: Restore the long-lost ancient kingdom of Khazad-dûm to its former glory, recovering Dwarven landmarks as the story progresses. Resurrect old mines and refire their forges to yield their untouched resources.
- Explore: Delve into the depths of the Mines of Moria. Procedurally generated environments are abundant with resources and fraught with mystery and danger, providing a unique experience each and every time.
How steel unlocks differ in Sandbox
Do not assume the Campaign sequence applies in Sandbox. The official game site describes the game broadly but does not document recipe unlocks. The cited item and forge guides give different mode-specific paths: the Steel Ingot recipe unlocks in Sandbox by building a Bellows, while the Steel Hammer page lists obtaining a Steel Ingot as its Sandbox unlock. If you are in Sandbox, check the crafting book and the relevant recipe requirements for your current mode.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If a Campaign recipe is missing
After repairing Narvi, check the crafting book and confirm the forge repair completed. The available guides do not establish a universal fix if a steel recipe still does not appear. A community report describes interacting with Narvi again after the horde, but that is anecdotal rather than a verified solution. The PC Gamer guide was published October 24, 2023, and does not identify the game version its recipe details reflect, so patch-specific behavior is not established.
Quick Recap
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- Join forces to help Frodo make his way across Middle Earth and complete his quest to destroy the one ring
- In this cooperative strategy game players will roll dice and draw cards to try and avoid the ring wraiths and save Middle Earth
- Plays up to four players or can be a solo adventure
- Playtime is approximately 50 minutes
- Immerses you in the world of Tolkein
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