Dark Iron ore farming
In order to mine this ore, you will need a mining skill of at least 230. Dark Iron ore can be a great bridge between Mithril and small Thorium Veins, which sit at 175 and 245 respectively. One downside is that, this ore only spawns in two zones: Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. Apart from the dungeons and raids inside the Blackrock Mountain, of course, which also have this ore.
Burning Steppes – Dark Iron ore farming
Of the two zones that contain this ore, the Burning Steppes has the most spawns. In addition to that, while it is a bit larger, one could argue that it is a lot easier to traverse. This is because of the lack of The Cauldron, which has its home in the Searing Gorge. One more advantage of farming dark iron ore here is that if you also have Herbalism, you can gather Black Lotus here as well.
The Searing Gorge
While this is clearly the inferior zone for Dark Iron farming, the monsters here are not as high level. This makes it easier for lower level players (47+) to farm here. Also, there is more Mithril instead of Thorium here, making it the perfect zone to level up your mining skill. Do this until you reach 245, at which point I would recommend switching to a zone with more Thorium.
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What Dark Iron ore is used for
The primary use for Dark Iron Bars, which are smelted from Dark Iron Ore, is as a material for fire resistance gear. The recipes for these items can be obtained from the Thorium Brotherhood faction, in the Searing Gorge. You can also get some other useful items here apart from the resistance gear. Here’s a list of items that use Dark Iron 🙂