You're deep into the Mountains area of Outbound when your camper van grinds to a halt at the base of a near-vertical incline. Your current engine simply can't handle the grade. The fix is Motor Upgrade III, and that upgrade needs Adamant Metal, which itself comes from Chrome Ore you've probably never noticed. The good news: there's a concentrated farming spot nearby that most players walk straight past. This guide covers exactly where to find Chrome Ore, how to process it, and what you need to research and craft the final engine upgrade.
Where to find Chrome Ore in Outbound
Chrome Ore spawns primarily at Silvermist Springs, a geothermal sub-area in the Mountains, the fourth and final region of the game. You can occasionally find small amounts in supply boxes and landmark crates from earlier areas, but those quantities won't get you far. Silvermist Springs is where you want to be.
How to reach Silvermist Springs
Drive your van toward the final steep climb. Just before the base of the hill, you'll cross a wooden bridge over a river. Once you're across, look immediately to your left. A small path marked by weathered stone steps leads upward to a series of steaming hot springs. That's Silvermist Springs.
It's easy to miss the left-hand turning after the bridge if you're focused on the hill ahead. Slow down after crossing the water and scan the left side before continuing.
The area sits just north of the final climb, according to the GameRant guide by Chris Jecks. Plenty of players (including, apparently, the guide's own author) drive straight past it without a second look.
How many Chrome Ore nodes are there?
Silvermist Springs contains roughly 10 to 12 silver-colored ore nodes scattered around the cliffside and near the water's edge. Each node yields 3 Chrome Ore when mined, so harvesting all 10 minimum nodes gives you 30 Chrome Ore total. That's exactly the amount you need for both the research and crafting phases of Motor Upgrade III combined, so mine every node you can see.
Chrome Ore does eventually respawn, but it takes several in-game days. If you're short after clearing Silvermist Springs, check supply boxes at nearby landmarks or break large boulders along the mountain passes, which can drop small amounts as secondary loot.
Chrome Ore nodes at Silvermist Springs
How to make Adamant Metal in Outbound
Once you've mined your Chrome Ore, the process is straightforward. Head back to your camper van and load the ore into your Metal Smelter. The conversion rate is 1:1, meaning 30 Chrome Ore produces 30 Adamant Metal. Each piece takes about 30 seconds to smelt, and the Smelter holds a maximum of 20 items at once.
The smart move is to fill the Smelter to its 20-item cap immediately after returning from Silvermist Springs, then go handle other tasks (like gathering Rose Minerals) while the batch processes. This is the same workflow used for Hardened Metal and Coarse Metal in earlier areas, so the system should feel familiar by this point.
How to get Rose Minerals
Motor Upgrade III requires Rose Minerals alongside Adamant Metal. Rose Minerals come from placing Quartz Rock into your Smasher. Quartz Rock is common throughout the Mountains area, and if you've already been breaking the large boulders that block mountain paths, your inventory likely has a decent stockpile already.
You need a total of 60 Rose Minerals across both the research and crafting steps, so keep picking up any small white crystalline rocks you spot on the ground.
Large Quartz Rock boulders that require the final Hammer upgrade to break will be unavoidable on your path to the final climb, so you should have plenty of raw material without going out of your way.
How to research and craft Motor Upgrade III
With Adamant Metal smelted and Rose Minerals processed, here's what the upgrade actually costs:
How to Research Motor Upgrade III
Go to your Vehicle Research Station inside the van. Open the skill tree and navigate to the top of the first tree on the left-hand side. Select Motor Upgrade III and confirm the research cost: 20 Adamant Metal and 40 Rose Minerals. Hit research to unlock the blueprint.
Motor Upgrade III only appears in the research tree after you've already researched and installed Motor Upgrade II. The tree is linear, so there are no shortcuts.
How to Craft Motor Upgrade III
With the blueprint unlocked, walk to the Workbench at the rear of your van. Motor Upgrade III will appear in the crafting menu. The crafting cost is 10 Adamant Metal and 20 Rose Minerals. Start the craft and complete the short timed wrench minigame to finalize the installation.
What if you don't have enough Chrome Ore?
If Silvermist Springs has been cleared and you're still a few pieces short, a couple of secondary sources can fill the gap. Supply boxes at landmarks in the third and fourth areas occasionally contain 1 to 2 Chrome Ore each. Large boulders along the mountain passes can also drop Chrome Ore as rare secondary loot when shattered. Neither source is reliable enough to farm from scratch, but they work as a top-up.
For more walkthroughs across every area, browse the full Outbound guides collection.