Chain

Chain is a crafting material used in a wide range of late- and midgame recipes. It is especially important for iron-age and decorative crafting, and it is one of the few metals that cannot be smelted or refined from ore; instead, it must be found as loot or salvaged from specific structures.

Chains are obtained primarily from Wraiths and from chests. They can be found in chests in Sunken Crypts, in swamp chests, and in chests in the Sealed Tower. They can also be recovered by deconstructing hook-and-chain assemblies in Dvergr Harbors and Dvergr Excavation Sites. Because several of these sources are in dangerous biomes or structures, chains are often collected incidentally while exploring rather than farmed directly.

The item is used in both crafting and building. Notable recipes include:

• Iron Cooking Station
• Forge Bellows
• Hanging Brazier
• Standing Dvergr lantern
• Wall-mounted Dvergr Lantern
• Wolf armor pieces
• Black Metal Shield
• Black Metal Tower Shield

Because so many useful recipes require chains, it is worth holding onto every one you find. Swamp exploration is the most reliable early source, since Wraiths spawn there at night and swamp chests can contain chains as well. Sunken Crypts are especially valuable because they provide both iron and chain-related loot in the same biome progression.

For construction, chain is most often used for light sources and forge upgrades, making it a common ingredient in bases built after the Iron Age. For combat gear, it is part of some of the stronger shield and armor recipes, so stockpiling chains before upgrading your equipment saves a lot of backtracking later.

In practice, the best way to gather chains efficiently is to combine swamp looting with night travel and crypt runs, then save any extra chains for high-priority crafting projects instead of spending them immediately on optional furniture.