So there I was, sprinting around the map for what felt like forever, trying to find Primitive Iron Ore in Chrono Odyssey. Nada. I even ignored the dungeon because the map circle made it look like the entire area was part of it (classic open-world confusion, right?). If you’ve been there too, don’t worry. I’ve cracked the code and found two solid ways to farm Primitive Iron Ore that actually work, one that’s common (but a little buggy), and one that’s criminally underrated. If you’re planning to craft that sweet Ancestral gear, you’ll need a lot of this stuff, so let’s get into it.
How to Farm Primitive Iron Ore
If you’re aiming to craft Ancestral gear, the top-tier level 15 weapons and armor, you’ll need loads of Primitive Iron Ore. It’s the core ingredient you’ll smelt into ingots, which are then used to craft the actual gear.
Problem is, Primitive Iron Ore isn’t something you can just casually stumble upon. It has its own farming methods, unique spawn mechanics, and a bit of RNG tied into it. To make things worse, Time Portals are sometimes buggy and refuse to spawn anything useful… while Void Matter from the Void Nexus? Don’t even get me started, bugged 99% of the time.
But good news: Primitive Iron Ore is grindable, if you know where to look. No joke, I never would’ve thought to go inside the dungeon initially because the circle on the map looked like it covered the entire region. Classic open-world map confusion. Anyway, here are two methods to get Primitive Iron Ore (and their locations):
Method 1: Farming Through Time Portals (The Classic Way)
Let’s start with what most people know, Time Portals. These glowing blue dungeon entrances are scattered throughout Setera, and while you technically need a party to enter, you can just create a party of one. Easy workaround.
Once inside, here’s what you do:
- Defeat the tentacle mobs near giant corpse piles (gross, but effective).
- Search the area, they often spawn Primitive Iron Ore deposits nearby.
- Complete the mini-dungeon by destroying four sub-portals to summon the final boss.
- Get rewarded with a chest full of goodies, including:
- Primitive Iron Ore
- Ancestral weapon/armor designs
- High-quality accessories
Heads-up: These nodes don’t always spawn. I’ve had runs where nothing was mineable. It’s kind of hit-or-miss, and it feels like the loot pool is a little bugged right now. Still, worth checking if you’re already farming for designs.
How To Get Time Portal Keys
Heads-up, getting into the dungeon isn’t totally free. You’ll need a key to enter, which you can only get by either buying it from specific merchants or by taking down some tough enemies. That said, if you’ve made it this far into the game, chances are you’ve got at least one sitting in your inventory (or you’ve unknowingly walked past five merchants who sell it, been there).
Method 2: Farming the Open World Golem “Ezzo” (Best Method)
Now this, this is the real moneymaker. Just west of the Santove’s Discovery bound stone, you’ll find the Fading Footsteps solo dungeon. But outside of it? That’s where the magic happens. There lives a massive golem-like open-world boss named Ezzo, and he literally drops Primitive Iron Ore by falling apart mid-fight.
Here’s how it works:
- As you deal damage to Ezzo, chunks of his body fall off and become mineable Primitive Iron Ore nodes.
- Once Ezzo is defeated, his corpse shatters into 6–7 additional ore nodes.
- Everyone rushes in to mine what they can, so bring a high-quality pickaxe to get ahead of the pack.
You don’t need any keys to farm Ezzo. No parties. Just show up and go ham.
Tip: If you’re not soloing (and I wouldn’t recommend it), let someone else tank Ezzo while you scoop up the ore mid-fight. Then switch roles. It’s chaotic, but it works. Also, Ezzo respawns every few minutes, so it’s easy to farm him on repeat.
Wrap-Up: Don’t Forget to Bring a Pickaxe!
If you’ve been banging your head against the wall trying to find Primitive Iron Ore, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Between buggy Time Portals and confusing map layouts, it’s easy to miss both methods.
Here’s the TL;DR:
- Use Time Portals if you’re hunting for designs and ore (just expect occasional bugs).
- Farm Ezzo in the open world if you want fast, reliable ore with no dungeon keys or party requirements.
Either way, once you get into the rhythm, farming Primitive Iron Ore becomes way easier, and you’ll be rocking that sweet Ancestral gear in no time. Also, don’t forget your pickaxe. I cannot stress this enough. Don’t be me. Don’t show up empty-handed and sad.
Up next, if you’re still running everywhere on foot, you’re seriously missing out. Good news is, you can actually get your first mount for free. Yup, no grinding, no spending. If you’re curious how, I’ve got you covered, check out my full guide on how to unlock your mount and mount skins in Chrono Odyssey!
