Is this Chromite hit worth digging for?

[DrCopper]

So I had this nice unexpected Chromite hit with the propick, at a level of Decent (about 1.6‰). I chased it up to a local maximum of 1.92‰ but it never went higher than Decent, and it seems like it doesn't go much lower than 1.6‰ either wherever I prospect within this small-ish gravel desert.

I dug a shaft down to about y=30 at the local maximum (ran out of ladders), but I didn't find any Chromite; dug straight through a Cassiterite vein instead.

My question is: Decent doesn't sound very promising but 1.92‰ is a fairly high density compared to other ores (much higher than the Cassiterite I punched through, which happened to be Ultra High at that same spot). Is it worth digging shafts in this area, or should I look elsewhere for something higher than Decent before I commit to digging?

[LadyWYT]

7 minutes ago, DrCopper said:

My question is: Decent doesn't sound very promising but 1.92‰ is a fairly high density compared to other ores (much higher than the Cassiterite I punched through, which happened to be Ultra High at that same spot). Is it worth digging shafts in this area, or should I look elsewhere for something higher than Decent before I commit to digging?

I've never seen higher than Decent for Chromite. I would say dig a little deeper on the current shaft(like, close to the mantle deep), dig a few branches around just to make sure you didn't miss anything, and then look for another prospecting point if you still find no chromite vein in that shaft. Chances are that if you went through all the above and found nothing, then the ore didn't actually spawn.

Chromite is also one of those minerals that's rare enough, that I'd say it's worth checking the Poor/Very Poor readings too, if you've got no other Decent reading spots to search.

[Never Jhonsen]

On 9/2/2025 at 7:16 PM, LadyWYT said:

I've never seen higher than Decent for Chromite.

I've had multiple hits on Poor readings for Chromite, I've yet to find a decent area myself.

I've usually found it between 65 and 30, but that doesn't mean it can't spawn higher/lower.

[DrCopper]

Well today I brought more ladders 

That shaft was indeed empty though, so I moved some 100 blocks west, across a small decrease and subsequent re-increase in chromite density, and dug another shaft down at a point where the propick was reading 1.85‰. And then I found it! At about y=40.

And then I realized I need steel to mine it 

 

[Professor Dragon]

1 hour ago, DrCopper said:

Well today I brought more ladders 

That shaft was indeed empty though, so I moved some 100 blocks west, across a small decrease and subsequent re-increase in chromite density, and dug another shaft down at a point where the propick was reading 1.85‰. And then I found it! At about y=40.

And then I realized I need steel to mine it 

 

Good job. And yes, that story is repeated across Vintage Story for all players for different items. I've looked at the Handbook entry for a Sturdy Backpack many times myself, only to drill down into the ingredients and find that you need to be at the top of the tech. tree to get it.

For anyone with a similar question about ore spawning, the Wiki is your friend (if you allow yourself an occasional luxury):
https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Ore_Deposits

You didn't mention the rock type, but the page shows that a Decent reading is the maximum in Basalt or Peridotite, and Medium in Andesite or Granite.
Also that it spawns between rock level 0 - 44 (standard world height) - which is bang on where you found it.
And finally that you need Tier 5 tools to mine it. Yup.

Professor Dragon.

[Maelstrom]

On 9/4/2025 at 3:55 PM, Professor Dragon said:

Also that it spawns between rock level 0 - 44 (standard world height) - which is bang on where you found it.

Those numbers are percentages, not blocks.   So a .1 min to .6 max is 10% of sea level up to 60% of sea level.

Surface ore generates differently - it's in absoslute blocks below the top surface block, regardless of sea level.