The Rock Bottom smelter is the second step in the four-step "Mine. Smelt. Upgrade. Repeat." loop. You feed it raw ore that you mined inside the cave, and it turns that ore into bars, which are the universal currency the permanent skill tree consumes. Specific ore-to-bar ratios are not announced as of 2026-07-14, but Dev Blog #1 previews a separate post-release system called The Foundry that combines two different bars into alloys.

What the Rock Bottom Smelter Does

The Steam store page for Rock Bottom (AppID 4297840) describes the smelter in one sentence: "Transform raw ore into bars using a smelter." The smelter sits between mining and upgrading in the four-step loop, and its job is to convert the messy, biome-specific resources you swing out of the cave into the universal currency that the skill tree spends.

In practice:

  • Input. Raw ore carried out of a cave. The demo biomes drop gold ore (Sunken Canopy), cobalt ore (Spore-Light Caverns), and iron plus gold ore (Static Peaks). The post-release Crystal Caverns biome will add crystal ore.
  • Output. Bars. The Steam store copy refers to bars as the resource you "invest" into the skill tree.
  • Role. The smelter is the only path from ore to permanent upgrades. If you skip it, your inventory stays as raw ore that the skill tree cannot spend directly.

What to Feed the Smelter

Feed the Rock Bottom smelter whatever ore the layer you are mining drops. Each demo biome has a primary resource, and most biomes also drop a secondary resource alongside it. The Dev Blog names:

  • Sunken Canopy. Gold ore.
  • Spore-Light Caverns. Cobalt ore.
  • Static Peaks. Iron ore and gold ore.
  • Crystal Caverns (post-release preview). Crystal ore.

If you only want to confirm the loop works, smelting gold from Sunken Canopy is the cleanest first test. If you want to maximize bar flow, Static Peaks offers two ores in one biome.

What Is Not Announced About the Smelter

Several practical smelter details are not announced as of 2026-07-14. This page treats them as honest gaps rather than guessing:

  • Ore-to-bar ratios. Not announced as of 2026-07-14. The Steam store copy confirms the ore-to-bar conversion exists, but no specific number of ore per bar has been published.
  • Smelt time. Not announced as of 2026-07-14. The store copy does not describe a duration, queue size, or batch size.
  • Smelter upgrades. Not announced as of 2026-07-14. There is no published perk tier that improves smelter throughput.
  • Bar cost per skill tree perk. Not announced as of 2026-07-14. The Steam copy confirms bars fund the skill tree; the price list is not public.

What would change this list:

  • A new Dev Blog post that publishes ore-to-bar ratios or smelt timing.
  • A Steam store update that lists a "Transform raw ore into bars" rate or perk.
  • A release-day patch note on July 14, 2026 that introduces smelter upgrades.
  • A post-release roadmap that pairs The Foundry with a specific date.

How The Foundry Changes the Pipeline

Dev Blog #1 also previews a separate post-release system called The Foundry. The Foundry is introduced at the second orc base, allows the player to combine two different bars into alloys, and unlocks new automation advances and technology. The Foundry is not the smelter, and it is not in the day-one demo. When it ships, the Rock Bottom smelter will remain the source of single bars, while The Foundry becomes the path to alloys and the new tech those alloys unlock.

Sources

  • Rock Bottom on Steam - official/store - checked 2026-07-14 - "Transform raw ore into bars using a smelter", skill tree as the destination for bars
  • Rock Bottom Steam Community Hub - official/store - checked 2026-07-14 - Dev Blog #1 preview of The Foundry, ore types per demo biome

FAQ

What does the Rock Bottom smelter do?

It converts raw ore into bars. Bars are the resource the permanent skill tree consumes, so the smelter is the bridge between mining and upgrading.

What should I feed the Rock Bottom smelter?

Whatever ore the current biome drops. The demo biomes give you gold, cobalt, and iron; the post-release Crystal Caverns biome will add crystal ore.

Are ore-to-bar ratios announced?

No. Specific ore-to-bar ratios are not announced as of 2026-07-14.

Is The Foundry the same as the smelter?

No. The smelter turns raw ore into bars. The Foundry, previewed in Dev Blog #1, combines two different bars into alloys and is a post-release addition.

Rock Bottom Game: Logan Games' Incremental Mining Loop on SteamRock Bottom game is a single-player incremental mining title developed and published by Logan Games on Steam (AppID 4297840). The planned release date is July 14, 2026, and a free three-biome demo is already available on the Steam store. Players swing a pickaxe through procedurally generated caves, smelt ore into bars, and spend bars on a permanent skill tree that pushes them deeper through eight layers.Rock Bottom Gameplay: The Mine, Smelt, Upgrade, Repeat LoopRock Bottom gameplay follows a four-step loop: swing the pickaxe in a procedurally generated cave, smelt the raw ore into bars, spend those bars on a permanent skill tree, then use the resulting power to descend into the next layer. The full release ships eight unique layers, the demo covers three of them, and every upgrade you buy is kept forever across runs.Rock Bottom Skill Tree: How the Permanent Upgrade System WorksThe Rock Bottom skill tree is a sprawling set of permanent upgrades funded by bars that you produce at the smelter. Every upgrade you buy sticks with you across runs, so progress never resets. Specific perk tiers, exact bar costs, and named "best early upgrades" picks are not announced as of 2026-07-14; the developer's confirmed rule is that the tree is permanent and that bars are the only resource you spend on it.