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[smokingwreckage]

On my most recent embark. SIGH. Time to try again, I guess.

[celem]

I've done a couple of embarks without iron recently and its not been too bad. (not as bad as i thought)

Helps a bit if you are playing a mod that adds some hostile races, im getting enough iron from goblinite to keep me happy.  I just had to spend the first 2 years using copper menacing spikes till I had collected enough goblinite to start armouring up my guys.

Mods like genesis provide even more options as they have alternative metals you can try (i turned a big pile of gold into sun gold (iron equivelant) through alchemy workshop)

If all else fails you could always try a beach embark.  Theres often iron ores under lakes/oceans (perfectly logical place to find a sedimentary layer).  Volcanos are not a good thing when it comes to iron (generally, you can generate worlds where volcanos are small enough spots that they can be embedded in sedimentary layers.)

[Farmerbob]

If you have flux, no problem.  Goblinite and import all the iron and iron items you can from humans and dwarves.  Melt anything you don't want to use.

If you don't have flux, you can still make good iron gear, and import flux for when your armorer hits legendary.  Buy the steel items and melt them as well.

[celem]

Oh, anvils...

Request iron and steel anvils from the dwarves in addition to the relevant ores (under stone) and bars.  Its probably the cheapest per bar way to get them by melting.  Buying weapons and armor to melt gets really expensive really fast.  Not that finding something to trade is ever a problem but it skyrockets your imported wealth until you get it all melted.

[smokingwreckage]

I'm thinking of trying a mod, and mining goblinite.

[lanceleoghauni]

It's not like Iron is more important than any other metal, sure it makes better armor, but copper seems more common, by a longshot, and so Bronze armor may be a possibility. For Magma Safe stuff there's usually plenty of stones that will work.

[Pan]

I used to wait or train a legendary armor/weaponsmith before working the blue stuff, but recently I've discovered that anything from 'well crafted' to 'exceptional' quality armor and weapons all give the same 2* bonus, and since adamantine already is the strongest metal.

So on iron-less maps, I find adamantine asap. You really don't need anything more than a pair of proficient armorsmith and weaponsmith (two of them mixed with other skills) from embark to make stuff from the adamantine. The useless haulers extract the strands and smelt it.

Adamantine is safe to mine if you understand how the pillar works, and the top bit (not surrounded by magma) is usually safe to mine. The other layers are OK if you smooth and carve out fortifications before mining it. (although I just mine out the top layer, which is enough for about two or maybe even three dwarves in full cotton candy)

[Tanelorn]

Iron is plentiful on most embarks. You just need to get it off dead goblins.

Mods like genesis provide even more options as they have alternative metals you can try (i turned a big pile of gold into sun gold (iron equivelant) through alchemy workshop)

Genesis also has the rock grinder, which makes iron and copper available on all maps. The yield is horrendous, but hey, it will keep you dwarves busy: no more idlers !