NOTE: This mod was made for the VSC server for the specific purpose of increasing the difficulty of obtaining steel. Later updates may include configurable options to suit other playstyles. :)

Steel Yourself

Dependency: Requires the Expanded Matter mod.

Steel Yourself makes steelmaking in Vintage Story a true industrial process. Instead of jumping straight from iron to steel, players must now forge a complex intermediate alloy and refine it through multiple realistic stages.

How It Works

1. Start with Iron Ingots.
   Craft or smelt regular iron ingots as usual.

2. Chisel into Bits.
   Use the chisel to break iron ingots into iron bits suitable for alloying.

3. Smelt the Alloy.
   In a crucible, combine:

   • Iron bits (85–92%)

   • Nickel (6–10%)

   • Manganese (2–5%, obtained from rhodochrosite)
     Use coke as the fuel source.
     This produces Nickel-Iron-Manganese Ingots — your new pre-steel alloy.

4. Carburize to Steel.
   Place these ingots into a steel furnace and carburize them into Blistered Steel Ingots — completing the process.

Summary

Steel is no longer easy. Every step—from chiseling and alloying to carburizing—must be earned through further metallurgy.
Steel Yourself brings challenge to the heart of Vintage Story’s metal progression.