Coal comes from near-black, rough-surfaced coal rocks in caves, the desert, the snowfields and Sakurajima; you need any pickaxe and a Pal with Mining Lv3 to work them at a base. The only coal cluster published with coordinates is the Sealed Realm of the Winged Tyrant at (-159, -91), where 9 nodes sit inside one base circle.
Base at (-159, -91). Staff it with Mining Lv3+ Pals. Coal cannot be bought or crafted. Blazamut drops 10 per kill if you would rather hunt.
Coal at a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight (per unit) | 5 |
| Max stack | 9,999 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Mining suitability for coal rocks | Lv3 |
| Tool required | Any pickaxe (Stone Pickaxe or better) |
| Buyable from merchants? | No |
| Craftable? | No |
In-game description: "Coal often found in caves and other places. Required to create high quality metal."
Coal locations
The one cluster with published coordinates
| Location | Coordinates | Nodes | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sealed Realm of the Winged Tyrant | (-159, -91) — open on map | 9 | Palpagos Islands |
No community reference publishes a complete coal-node map — the main ore-node listing is explicitly marked work-in-progress. Rather than copy coordinates we cannot verify, this guide lists the one cluster that is documented and describes the rest by region below.
Regions where coal rocks spawn
Coal is confirmed present in these areas, from the item description, the loot-zone tables and the expedition list. Node counts and exact coordinates are not listed by primary sources.
| Area | Region | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Caves and dungeons | All | Item description names caves directly |
| Desert biome | Palpagos Islands | Desert loot zone; Desert and Desert Hard expeditions return Coal |
| Snow biome | Palpagos Islands | Snow loot zone contains Coal |
| Sakurajima | Sakurajima | Sakurajima loot zone contains Coal |
| Forest | Palpagos Islands | Forest Hard expedition returns Coal |
How to recognise a coal rock
Coal nodes are the same shape and size as ore nodes but a dark charcoal, near-black colour with a rough textured surface — no metallic sheen and no sparkle. If a rock in the desert looks like ore but reads flat black, it is coal, and a Mining Lv2 Pal will refuse to touch it.
Pals that drop Coal
| Pal | Quantity | Rate | Corroboration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blazamut | 10 | 100% | Both sources |
| Blazamut Ryu | 10 | 100% | Both sources |
| Menasting | 10 | 100% | Single source |
| Pierdon | 4–5 | 100% | Both sources |
Alpha versions drop the same amounts. One source additionally lists Lv.80 Awakened Blazamut and Blazamut Ryu entries at 10 Coal, which are higher-level spawner rows for the same Pals rather than separate drops.
One source lists Menasting (and Alpha Menasting) as a 10-Coal dropper. The other's Coal listing does not include Menasting at all. We have flagged it rather than picking a side.
Expeditions that return Coal
Expeditions are the best hands-off coal source before you can afford a Coal Quarry, because they cost nothing but Pal time.
| Expedition | Coal | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Blacksmith in Training | 30–40 | 100% |
| Desert | 20–40 | 100% |
| Forest Hard | 10–20 | 100% |
| Desert Hard | 10–20 | 100% |
The Coal Quarry: farming Coal without nodes
The Coal Quarry generates coal anywhere, so you can put it at your main base instead of living next to a cave.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Technology level | 42 (Ancient technology) |
| Materials | 70 Stone, 100 Coal, 30 Paldium Fragment, 10 Ancient Civilization Parts |
| Build workload | 30,000 |
| Work suitability | Mining Lv1 |
| Workload per 1 Coal | 8,000 |
| SAN impact | -0.15 |
8,000 workload per single unit of coal is enormous. The suitability level is a speed multiplier here, not a gate, so a Mining Lv7 Astegon or Knocklem is worth several Cattivas. Note the chicken-and-egg: you need 100 Coal mined by hand before you can build it.
Some references list this structure under the name Coal Mine, while others call it Coal Quarry. It is the same building; the in-game English name is Coal Quarry.
Best Pals to staff a coal base
You need Mining Lv3 minimum to touch a coal rock. These are worth the Pal slot, ordered by Mining suitability.
| Pal | Mining Lv | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Aegidron | 8 | Highest Mining suitability in the game |
| Blazamut | 7 | Also drops 10 Coal if you fight it instead |
| Astegon | 7 | Partner skill also boosts your own ore mining |
| Knocklem | 7 | Mining Lv7 plus Transporting Lv7 — hauls its own output |
| Anubis | 6 | Handiwork Lv6 as well; good all-rounder |
| Digtoise | 4 | Cheapest reliable option; obtainable early in the desert |
| Tombat | 3 | Bare minimum that still works on coal |
What Coal is for
| Product | Coal cost | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Refined Ingot | 2 Coal + 2 Ore | Gates most mid-game weapons, armour and the Refined Metal Pickaxe |
| Carbon Fiber | 2 Coal + 1 Flame Organ | Feeds later tech and ammunition |
| Coralum Ingot | Listed as a Coal recipe | See the Coralum guide |
| Thermal Core | Listed as a Coal recipe | Temperature-control structures |
| Coal Quarry | 100 Coal | One-off cost to automate coal forever |
Refined Ingots are the reason coal demand spikes so sharply around Technology level 30. Budget roughly one coal per one ore for every refined ingot you plan to make, then double it, because armour sets eat them in tens.
What to do next
- Pair your coal base with an ore base — Refined Ingots need both, in equal amounts.
- Start banking Ancient Civilization Parts; the Coal Quarry needs 10.
- If you are in the volcano for coal anyway, grab Sulfur on the same run — it needs only Mining Lv2.