Ore types & armor differences

[Snacc Blast]

I'm confused on how ores work and how those translate into different types of bars. Is there a good resource to explain this?

For example, I mined and smelted some kind of ore (I think it started with an a or h) and it become iron bars when smelting was done.

Also, is there a good way to see the difference in stats or just general quality of armor and weapons (iron vs silver etc) or is it just the listing in ascending order as seen in the game?

[MadAsgardian]

There's a tab under Labors that explains, I forget the name.

Edit: Labor > Stone Use

Though wiki is less hassle.

[Snacc Blast]

Originally posted by MadAsgardian:

There's a tab under Labors that explains, I forget the name.

Edit: Labor > Stone Use

Though wiki is less hassle.

Thank you!

And as far as which type is superior? Is it just in ascending order

[LastChime]

Originally posted by Little Twinky WiceKwispy 6969:

Originally posted by MadAsgardian:

There's a tab under Labors that explains, I forget the name.

Edit: Labor > Stone Use

Though wiki is less hassle.

Thank you!

And as far as which type is superior? Is it just in ascending order

Nah different metals are good for different things but the easy rule of thumb if you don't want a metallurgy degree is:

spoiler > steel > iron/bronze > silver > copper

[Sneep Snorp]

Originally posted by Little Twinky WiceKwispy 6969:

Originally posted by MadAsgardian:

There's a tab under Labors that explains, I forget the name.

Edit: Labor > Stone Use

Though wiki is less hassle.

Thank you!

And as far as which type is superior? Is it just in ascending order

Well depends what you want different metals are good for different things though steel is honestly a good baseline for being all around great, but heavier metals like silver can be good for weaponry that requires weight like hammers, meanwhile a sword made from iron or in the past obsidian (heard conflicting reports though about obsidian maybe being nerfed) would be just fine.

[HiSodiumContent]

Originally posted by Little Twinky WiceKwispy 6969:

And as far as which type is superior? Is it just in ascending order

For metals, there's two factors to consider for most practical applications (weapons, traps, armor). Weight and durability. For most cases, steel, which is made from super refined iron, is best, with unrefined iron below that. Most other metals are inferior for the weight and durability to these, but silver is preferred to iron and possibly steel for blunt weapons because of weight and hardness. If you could forge platinum, it would beat silver for blunt. Metal types with consideration to shields: lighter, but durable, is preferred, though the durability of iron and steel may edge out most other metals by default.

I just watched a good overview of all metal types on YT recently if you want to get a better sense of the advantages and disadvantages of other metal types, but it mostly boils down to weight, durability, value and what you can make from the metals.

[malthenielsen]

I played the game for a long time, but would not manage dwarven mettalurgy without the wiki https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Metal

Like who could remember what is a billon bare made of and what metal you get is you smels sphalerite?

[malthenielsen]

What you melted was hematite btw.

It's different what is best for armor and slashing/cutting weapons and crushing weapons. And the best solution also depends on what you can get your hands on. So you really need the wiki.