Permafrost Flint: Where to Find It and What It's For
Updated:
Quick answer: mine flint boulders with any pickaxe — the basic stone pickaxe works. The first reliable spot is the bone cave you visit during the dog-rescue quest, and loose flint also lies on the ground in rocky areas. Each flint boulder yields 4–5 flint (game files), and flint stacks to 50.
How to get flint
- Craft a stone pickaxe by hand (inventory craft menu,
TAB/I; reported recipe 2 stone + 4 wood). No workbench needed. - Find flint boulders — distinct rock nodes; your crosshair shows an interaction dot when one is in range. Flint nodes need a pickaxe, not an axe.
- Mine. If you see a red crossed-out tool icon, the tool tier is too low or you're holding the wrong tool — for plain flint boulders the stone pickaxe is enough.
Where to look
- Bone cave — the first guaranteed source, on the main-quest route. Stock up while you're there for the dog.
- Loose flint on the ground in rocky areas — free, no tools.
- Rocky slopes of the Woods and cave systems generally.
- Community map data reports clusters at Shallow Rift and around Sonnenberg's Clinic.
You pass the bone cave early in the story, so there's no need to grind flint before then.
What flint is used for
Flint is the backbone of the second tool tier:
| Item | Recipe (reported) | Station |
|---|---|---|
| Flint pickaxe | 2 flint + 4 wood | Workbench |
| Flint axe / flint shiv | flint + wood | Workbench |
| Refined flint tools | flint + cloth | Workbench |
| Repair bench | 10 flint + 10 wood | Build menu |
The flint pickaxe is the important one: it's what unlocks copper, coal and sulfur mining. The repair bench matters more than it looks — repairs cost a matching material and are instant, while a tool that hits zero durability is destroyed outright.
Tips
- Tools lose durability fast when skinning and prying locks; carry a spare shiv.
- Don't spend everything at once — later stations compete for the same early materials.
- Mining levels your pickaxe skill, which adds damage and speeds up later mining.
- Flint is heavy on your time, not your pack: inventory is slot-based with no weight limit.
FAQ
Do flint boulders respawn? Unconfirmed in the current build — don't count on it either way.
Can I mine flint with an axe? No — boulder nodes require a pickaxe.
Related: Copper: mining and smelting · Flint pickaxe · Workbench
Related guides
- Permafrost Flint Pickaxe: Recipe and Pickaxe TiersCraft the flint pickaxe at a workbench (2 flint + 4 wood) to unlock copper, coal and sulfur mining. Here is the whole pickaxe ladder.
- Permafrost Copper: Mining, Smelting and WireCopper boulders need a flint pickaxe. Smelt 3 ore + 5 coal into an ingot, turn ingots into wire, and build the radio station to progress the story.
- Permafrost Workbench: How to Build and Use ItBuild a workbench for 10 wood under a roof. It crafts flint tools, wire, bandages and heaters — but items land on the bench and chests don't count.
- Permafrost Beginner Guide: Survive Your First DaysA practical opening route: pick a background, craft stone tools, master campfire discipline, rescue your dog, build a first cabin, and learn how blueprint points and saving actually work.