How to really get Black Diamonds in Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

In Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, you’ll need black diamonds as soon as you step into your first camp. But as you keep progressing, you may find that you never come across one.

The need for black diamonds only gets stronger as you explore the Western Mines, as the First Age Pickaxe needs one. Here’s how to get black diamonds in Return to Moria.

Getting Black Diamonds in Return to Moria

In Return to Moria, the game only subtly hints toward one of the ways of getting Black Diamonds, but most players will miss this. The description for black diamonds, and some other entries in the game, mentions that the Orcs horde and take black diamonds and store them away. This may create the impression that all Orc Chests have a chance to contain the stuff, and that it may be a drop from Orcs.

At least that’s what I thought, but upon trying to get some, I found it very difficult. Technically both of the above is true, but not completely.

There is an extremely small chance of Orcs dropping black diamonds upon death, but this isn’t a viable way to get them. Black diamonds seem to only be found in Orc Chests in Orc Towns and settlements. You won’t find any in the Elven Quarter, and won’t find any in the smaller hotspots of Orcs and Goblins around the Mines of Moria.

The Orc Chests in the Orc Town in the Mines of Moria contained 2 black diamonds each.

Related: Are resources finite in Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria?

Finding the Orc Town in Return to Moria

To find the Orc Town in the Mines of Moria, you’ll need to do a little exploring. Each Moria is procedurally generated, so I can’t tell you exactly where to go. In the Mines of Moria, all you must do is explore. You will soon come across a giant wooden palisade, the entrance to Orc Town.

This may be coincidental, but upon opening the chest in the Mines of Moria camp, I received a coordinate on my map that points in the general direction of a fragment of Durin’s Axe. Following the objective marker and trying to locate this fragment led me directly to Orc Town. So if you haven’t already, try that.

I hope this has been of help, fellow survivor, and that you’ll be knee-deep in all the black diamonds you want before long. If you want more help in Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, look no further than PC Invasion.