Your ability to progress deeper into the Mines of Moria will meet a roadblock when you reach the Elven Quarter.

Condensed dirt requires you to have a steel pickaxe in order to carve your way through, but how where do you get the steel pickaxe?

In this survival guide, we’ll show you how to make the steel pickaxe in Return to Moria.

To see the process for yourself, be sure to watch the video below!

How To Unlock the Steel Pickaxe Recipe in Return to Moria

To unlock the recipe for the steel pickaxe, you need to repair the Great Forge of Narvi in the Elven Quarter.

Doing so unlocks a number of different recipes like the steel ingot recipe, the steel hammer recipe, and the steel pickaxe recipe.

You can repair the forge by replacing the broken parts with new parts scattered throughout the forge area as well as just outside it.

Once you have the recipe unlocked, you can start crafting it.

How To Craft the Steel Pickaxe in Return to Moria

You can craft the steel pickaxe in your smithy, or the Great Forge of Narvi, with some resources.

The resources required to craft the steel pickaxe include:

• 3 Steel Ingots
• 4 Elven Wood
• 1 Hide

You can make steel ingots by smelting iron ore and coal in your Furnace.

Elvish wood grows throughout the Elven Quarter, so you just need to cut it down.

Hide is gathered by hunting down white deer.

Once you have all your resources, you can craft the pickaxe in your smithy.

What Does the Steel Pickaxe Do in Return to Moria

The steel pickaxe has two main purposes.

The first is to dig through condensed dirt.

This is tougher dirt that requires a better pickaxe to destroy.

You won’t be able to progress further in the game without a steel pickaxe.

It’s also used to harvest second-tier ore like copper and tin.

You’ll find those veins deeper in the mines, but only a steel pickaxe can harvest them.

Since both copper and tin are necessary to make bronze ingots, the steel pickaxe is an important tool to have.