Cobalt Ore is mined on the large island south of your starting island — reachable only once your Airship is upgraded to Level 3 — where an infinite Cobalt deposit sits on the island’s northern cliff alongside a Stone node.
Cobalt is a mid-game ore in Solarpunk, the survival base-builder by Cyberwave, and you will not find a scrap of it on the starter island. It only opens up once you have pushed your Airship far enough to reach the outer ring of islands — and the single most reliable place to dig it is a permanent node tucked on the far southern island. This is not the Roblox gardening game some listings confuse it with; the cobalt here is a real mineable resource with a fixed home.
Where Cobalt Ore sits on the southern island
The dependable source is the infinite Cobalt deposit on the large island directly south of your starting island, out at the edge of the travel circle. Open the map, fly south, and look to the island’s northern cliff — Cobalt and a Stone node spawn together up there, so if you spot the stone, the cobalt is right beside it. Because the node is permanent, this is the spot you return to for a steady supply rather than a one-off haul.
There is also finite cobalt scattered around. Once Airship Level 3 unlocks, a couple of newly reachable islands north of your base hold loose Cobalt Ore spawns, but those run dry once mined. The southern node is the one that keeps producing, so treat the scattered northern bits as a bonus and the southern cliff as your actual farm.
Farm the southern node, not the scattered ones — the northern-cliff deposit on the large southern island is infinite, so a single mining run there beats chasing the finite cobalt that pops on the newly unlocked northern islands.
Upgrading your Airship to Level 3 through the Tradebot
| Airship upgrade | Trades required |
|---|---|
| Level 2 | Watermelon x4, Cotton x12, Beeswax x20, Watermelon x10, Copper x32 |
| Level 3 | Silicon x5–6 (verify in-game), Wheat x10, Cloth x20, Bread x10, Egg x6 |
The two trade sets break down like this:
One number is worth double-checking before you grind for it: the early Silicon cost in the Level 3 set is reported as both 5 and 6 depending on where you look, so confirm the exact figure on your own Tradebot screen rather than stockpiling blind. The rest of the requirements are consistent. Plan ahead for the Egg x6 — setting up chickens early saves you a scramble — and remember Silicon itself comes from smelting Quartz Ore, so that chain is worth starting before you need it.
What else the southern island holds and what Cobalt feeds
As for the cobalt itself, you need it broadly for in-game crafting; it is one of those backbone materials that feeds the recipes you lean on as you progress. Bring it back to base and smelt it in a Furnace, the same way you process other ores, to turn raw Cobalt Ore into usable material. No verified prices, respawn timers, or value figures exist for it yet, so anyone quoting hard numbers is guessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I upgrade the Airship to Level 3 so I can reach the Cobalt island?
Head to the Tradebot island north of your starting island and complete the trade sets in order — Level 2 first (Watermelon x4, Cotton x12, Beeswax x20, Watermelon x10, Copper x32), then Level 3 (Silicon x5–6, Wheat x10, Cloth x20, Bread x10, Egg x6). Once Level 3 is active, the large southern island carrying the infinite Cobalt node comes into travel range.
Can I automate Cobalt mining with drills and drones instead of using a pickaxe?
Automation is possible — a rig with drills feeding cobalt drones can pull ore off a node, and you can run more than one drill on a single node if you have the power for it (a larger windmill helps), with one drone needed per output box. That said, the automated setup shown in footage runs on a higher-tier island node, while the southern deposit is more commonly described as a manual Pickaxe job, so do not assume the two methods are identical on every node. For a manual run, bringing 3 or 4 Iron Pickaxes is the recommended way to avoid breaking tools mid-haul.
Is there an infinite source of Cobalt, or do the deposits run out?
Both exist. The node on the northern cliff of the large southern island is permanent and keeps producing, making it the reliable farm. The cobalt that scatters across the newly unlocked northern islands is finite and disappears once mined, so for a steady supply you want the southern node.
What is Cobalt Ore used for in Solarpunk?
Cobalt is a core crafting material needed broadly across in-game recipes. You smelt the raw ore in a Furnace to refine it, the same process used for the game’s other ores, before it goes into whatever you are building. No confirmed list of exact recipes, stats, or costs is available yet.
Video help
