How do rock layers work?

[sauvojenn]

Its already first winter, and in radius of ~3k blocks around me I haven't found any limestone above ground to progress with leather and armor. So I looked in rock strata where it outlined 3 layers of rocks - Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Igneous. Metamorphic is said to contain marble with which i planned to substitute lack of limestone, however when I mined down to the mantle it was only peridotite rock. Did I misunderstand rock strata layers description or there's another way to find it?

[LadyWYT]

46 minutes ago, Michael Story said:

Its already first winter, and in radius of ~3k blocks around me I haven't found any limestone above ground to progress with leather and armor. So I looked in rock strata where it outlined 3 layers of rocks - Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Igneous. Metamorphic is said to contain marble with which i planned to substitute lack of limestone, however when I mined down to the mantle it was only peridotite rock. Did I misunderstand rock strata layers description or there's another way to find it?

Sedimentary layers will always be the very top layers, except perhaps in the case of basalt, so if you're seeing rocks like peridotite, granite, or andesite as the surface layer, you'll want to keep looking. Metamorphic rock like marble is a bit more variable as to where it can spawn, but in the case of marble specifically it needs the proper host rock--slate, if I recall correctly.

I will also note that marble is quite hard to find, so if you're after it for leatherworking, there are much better options. Limestone or chalk will be much easier to find, and both are often found alongside bauxite, another critical late game resource. Borax is better than lime when it comes to leatherworking, as well as critical for steel, and can be found in most sedimentary rock types. Lime itself can also be sourced from seashells(two per shell), or purchased from commodities or survival goods traders(assuming lore content is enabled).

[sauvojenn]

That much Im aware from reading rock strata, the problem is I cant find limestone for an entire year and I have traveled in a radius of ~3k blocks around my base without result. I was hoping for a tip or which type of biome to look for (even though it says it spaws limestone randomly regardless of biome). Because right now I have a huge stockpile of iron ingots and no way to craft armor or any gear upgrade because limestone is not there.

[Ryilo]

Remember that you can also use chalk instead of limestone. The problem is that if you spawn in a granite or andesite area, that area is probably going to be very big and you'll have to travel further than 3k blocks (and this is not as big a distance as it may seem, it's less than 2 miles: it's just that in block games the world doesn't scale very well.).

Are you looking at the rocks in the surface? If you find chalk rocks on top, dig under the soil.

If you haven't put too many hours in the world, try generating new ones until you have at least limestone or chalk near spawn.

There's also a mod, "Absolute prospecting" that has a rock search function, but I never tried it, so I don't know if it lists all kind of rocks or not.

[sauvojenn]

1 hour ago, Ryilo said:

Remember that you can also use chalk instead of limestone. The problem is that if you spawn in a granite or andesite area, that area is probably going to be very big and you'll have to travel further than 3k blocks (and this is not as big a distance as it may seem, it's less than 2 miles: it's just that in block games the world doesn't scale very well.).

Are you looking at the rocks in the surface? If you find chalk rocks on top, dig under the soil.

If you haven't put too many hours in the world, try generating new ones until you have at least limestone or chalk near spawn.

There's also a mod, "Absolute prospecting" that has a rock search function, but I never tried it, so I don't know if it lists all kind of rocks or not.

I am a whole year in this world, have a stack of iron ingots, tools etc. so starting new world is off the table. My spawn is peridotite rock for the most part. I have not found any chalk rocks on surface. I even explored to archives and have not found anything on the way there and I have no idea how to progress if the game simply does not create even 1 of 4 blocks (lime chalk marble or borax) I appreciate the tip on the mod, I might download it if I wont find anything by the end of winter.

[Ryilo]

1 hour ago, Michael Story said:

I am a whole year in this world, have a stack of iron ingots, tools etc. so starting new world is off the table. My spawn is peridotite rock for the most part. I have not found any chalk rocks on surface. I even explored to archives and have not found anything on the way there and I have no idea how to progress if the game simply does not create even 1 of 4 blocks (lime chalk marble or borax) I appreciate the tip on the mod, I might download it if I wont find anything by the end of winter.

Remember that you can also crush seashells to get lime! It's not much, 2 per seashell, but it's a start.

[Professor Dragon]

2 hours ago, Michael Story said:

I am a whole year in this world, have a stack of iron ingots, tools etc. so starting new world is off the table. My spawn is peridotite rock for the most part. I have not found any chalk rocks on surface. I even explored to archives and have not found anything on the way there and I have no idea how to progress if the game simply does not create even 1 of 4 blocks (lime chalk marble or borax) I appreciate the tip on the mod, I might download it if I wont find anything by the end of winter.

I understand the frustration. Every Vintage Story player is going to encounter SOMETHING like this. Some weird bottleneck or trick of spawn. It is not insurmountable though.

Suggestions:

• Switch to the old colour world map, not the now default sepia map, and look at it for white squares next to water (not during winter due to ice!).
  This is a chalk beach.
  
• Find a Commodities or Survival Goods Trader and buy some lime to tide you over. Traders are a key part of the game.
  https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Trading#Commodities
  https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Trading#Survival_Goods
  (Possibly also a Building Materials Trader for "Chalk rock (Polished)" and break it up. Not recommended.)
   
• Travel more. You'll eventually stumble over a chalk beach or cliff, distinguishable by their bright white.
  As a side note - things are slower in this game. 3,000 blocks seems far, but isn't. A year seems a long time, but isn't.
   
• See this thread on hunting for it:
• Switch to Creative Mode, and fly around a bit for spotting. Then back to Survival.
   
• Install the Mod Block Overlay and look for it. You'll probably find it closer than you thought.
  https://mods.vintagestory.at/xray
   
• As others have mentioned, forget aiming to find Marble if you just want to get into leather working. It is one of the harder resources to find. Go look for chalk.
   
• Switch to Creative Mode and gift yourself enough chalk to get through the initial bottleneck, while you (a) continue your search next year or (b) play other parts of the game

Professor Dragon.

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2025 by Professor Dragon

[LadyWYT]

7 hours ago, Michael Story said:

That much Im aware from reading rock strata, the problem is I cant find limestone for an entire year and I have traveled in a radius of ~3k blocks around my base without result. I was hoping for a tip or which type of biome to look for (even though it says it spaws limestone randomly regardless of biome). Because right now I have a huge stockpile of iron ingots and no way to craft armor or any gear upgrade because limestone is not there.

Like I and others here have noted, there are other ways to get material for leatherworking outside of limestone. Chalk will grind into lime, as will marble and seashells; marble isn't worth the effort of searching for due though due to its rarity. If you can't find chalk or limestone, but can find other sediment rock, borax is a more efficient replacement for lime in the leatherworking process, as well as being a requirement for working metals better than iron.

Last but not least, never discount the power of trading. It's easy to buy enough lime from commodities/survival goods traders for a couple batches of leather, though this depends on lore content being enabled. If you're playing Homo Sapiens, or otherwise playing with lore disabled, trading won't be an option.

[sauvojenn]

17 hours ago, Professor Dragon said:

I understand the frustration. Every Vintage Story player is going to encounter SOMETHING like this. Some weird bottleneck or trick of spawn. It is not insurmountable though.

Suggestions:

• Switch to the old colour world map, not the now default sepia map, and look at it for white squares next to water (not during winter due to ice!).
  This is a chalk beach.
  
• Find a Commodities or Survival Goods Trader and buy some lime to tide you over. Traders are a key part of the game.
  https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Trading#Commodities
  https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Trading#Survival_Goods
  (Possibly also a Building Materials Trader for "Chalk rock (Polished)" and break it up. Not recommended.)
   
• Travel more. You'll eventually stumble over a chalk beach or cliff, distinguishable by their bright white.
  As a side note - things are slower in this game. 3,000 blocks seems far, but isn't. A year seems a long time, but isn't.
   
• See this thread on hunting for it:
• Switch to Creative Mode, and fly around a bit for spotting. Then back to Survival.
   
• Install the Mod Block Overlay and look for it. You'll probably find it closer than you thought.
  https://mods.vintagestory.at/xray
   
• As others have mentioned, forget aiming to find Marble if you just want to get into leather working. It is one of the harder resources to find. Go look for chalk.
   
• Switch to Creative Mode and gift yourself enough chalk to get through the initial bottleneck, while you (a) continue your search next year or (b) play other parts of the game

Professor Dragon.

 

 

 

I definitely will try out map color method once the winter is over, and I will explore location where propick found traces of halite as the guide mentions there is a high chance of limestone nearby. I wont use creative or mods that give me ability to instantly locate resources as the struggle is what gives meaning to the ends meet and I dont want to deprive myself of elation once I finally find it. Thank you Professor Dragon it was insightful and now at least I know that this is not as uncommon issue as I thought it was.

Edited September 15, 2025 by Michael Story