How to unlock crafting recipes in LotR Return to Moria

Unlocking new crafting recipes is tricky when first starting out in Return to Moria. The game doesn't explain the process nor goes into great detail.

How to unlock crafting recipes in Return to Moria

To unlock crafting recipes in Return to Moria, you must find and repair various Damaged Statues. You can find these statues by exploring rooms and tunnels. Before you can repair a statue, you need at least an iron hammer. You can make an iron hammer using two iron ingots and four wood scraps.

Related: Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria – Release Date, Gameplay, Platforms, & more!

You can find stone and iron by exploring Moria's various tunnels and rooms. Shown below is an example of an iron ore deposit that can also grant stone blocks:

Once you have all the required materials, you can make an iron hammer via the Field Crafting Menu. You can open the Field Crafting Menu by pressing the ESC key and selecting the menu icon shown below:

After you make an iron hammer, you can repair any damaged statue you find using ten stone blocks as shown below:

To repair the statue, press the E key and wait. Repairing the damaged statue unlocks one random crafting recipe. Search for more damaged statues and repair them to unlock complete crafting recipes. Other statues will require a different hammer, such as a steel hammer for those found in the Elven quarters.

How to craft weapons and armor in Return to Moria

To craft weapons and armor in Return to Moria, you must build a furnace using 20 stone blocks as shown in the Buildings Plans Menu below: 

After making a Furnace, place a Forge down by melting down iron ingots using the Furnace. You need over five iron ingots to build the Forge via the Building Plans Menu. Once you build and place a Forge, you can craft both weapons and armor via the armor and weapons tab inside the Forge. 

For more on Lord of the Rings Return to Moria we at PGG have you covered with guides like Will LotR Return to Moria be on Steam? and How to repair items in Lord of the Rings Return to Moria.