Guide to Mining

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Revision as of 18:50, 23 July 2017 by Studenterhue (talk | contribs) (Reclaimer->Portable material processor, plus some additional notes for syreline, cobyl, and viscerite)
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Mining can be dangerous, tedious, and boring. However no reward is without its risks. This guide provides the information you need to work as quickly and effectively as possible.

Ore

Ore is your main objective. You can send any unprocessed ore to the quartermaster to sell, and certain ores will also be useful to the roboticist and to yourself to upgrade your equipment. The arc smelter also requires a steady stream of raw materials. Each ore carries a basic toughness that corresponds to the tool needed to mine it. Certain ores are dangerous and require special care. If you plan to sell them, remember that raw ore (i.e. not a block or ingot) is often more valuable than processed alloys.

Note: The majority of ore and gems won't be usable in the mining fabricator unless you process them with the material processor or its portable version first.

Name Image Classification Toughness Description
Cobryl
AsteroidCobryl5.png
Metal
2
Space silver! Decent money maker, but no real practical use. If you're a straggler stuck with nothing but a pick and barren fabricators, this is your breadwinner. Hand it to Cargo for some decent cash.
Syreline
AsteroidSyreline5.png
Metal
4
Space platinum! Very difficult to mine without explosives and practically useless, but worth a king's ransom on the market. Give it to the Quartermaster!
Pharosium
AsteroidPharosium4.png
Metal, Conductor
1
Space copper! Very useful for roboticists and makes up half of a mining charge. If you like bombing rocks, this will be the first mineral to run out.
Mauxite
AsteroidMauxite4.png
Sturdy Metal
1
Space steel! The roboticist makes his friends out of this stuff, so he'll go through a lot. Makes up one quarter of a mining charge.
Molitz
AsteroidMolitz2.png
Crystal
1
Space glass! Another useful material for the roboticist. Makes up the last quarter of a mining charge.
Bohrum
AsteroidBohrum3.png
Dense Metal, Dense Matter
3
Space adamantium! The backbone of higher tier mining equipment, you'll want a lot of this in your fabricator to make anything worthwhile.
Cerenkite
AsteroidCerenkite4.png
Metal, Power Source
3
Space asbestos! Horribly radioactive, digging in without a heavy hazard suit is a slow suicide. Occupies the same fabricator niche as plasmastone, but specializes in very desirable cyborg power cells instead of high-yield bombs.
Plasmastone
AsteroidPlasmastone4.png
Crystal, Power Source
2
Space fuel! Explodes violently if shocked by mining charge, so stick to drills. A few top-shelf mining goodies want this, but it's most useful refined into extra fuel in the engineering gas extractor or stuffed inside pipebombs.
Claretine
AsteroidClaretine4.png
High Energy Conductor
3
Space MgB²! Required in bulk for all high-performance digging gear and industrial armor, the two most desirable things on a miner's wish list.
Gold
AsteroidGold2.png
High Density Matter
4
Space gold! As you'd imagine, the QMs would love to get their hands on a shipment. Curiously, unlike other ores, gold is sold to the market as ingots, not its raw ore form.
Koshmarite
AsteroidKoshmarite2.png
Metal, High Density Matter
2
Eldritch granite! A magical substitute for uqill, and a very sturdy one at that.
Viscerite
AsteroidViscerite2.png
Not construction-grade material
2
Martian meat! Can be used as raw material for the cloning apparatus, an Organic substance in the Nano-Fab, or as cloth material for fabricators, once processed.
Char
AsteroidChar4.png
Not construction-grade material
-1
Space coal! Prime furnace fuel and secondary trade good for the quartermaster.
Ice
AsteroidIce2.png
Not construction-grade material
-2
Space water ice! Also completely worthless. Will melt when you are holding it in your hand for too long.
Rock
AsteroidNothing2.png
Not construction-grade material
1
Space dirt! Completely worthless unless you're a rock worm. However, rock worms are known to frequent the trading circles, so the QM probably won't mind if a few lumps end up in your latest cobryl dispatch.

Gems

Gems are rare and valuable. A mined rock may contain only 1 gem at a time. Use your geological scanner to find gems quickly. If you plan to sell them, remember that raw gems are often more valuable than processed alloys.

Name Image Classification Description
Gemstone
Cytine.png
Crystal Space jewels that come in three tiers (level 1 being the hardest and most valuable). Regardless of type, they're primarily good for money only. Slip them inside cash ore shipments.

Tier 1: diamond, ruby, topaz, emerald, sapphire, amethyst
Tier 2: jasper, garnet, peridot, malachite, lapis lazuli, alexandrite
Tier 3: onyx, rose quartz, citrine, jade, aquamarine, iolite
Telecrystal
Telecrystal.gif
Crystal, High Energy Power Source Shiny cones that let you break the laws of physics. Can be used in some machinery, for cyborg upgrades and be sold off for a good sum. No, you can't use them to get more Syndicate gear.
Fibrilith
Fibrilith3.png
Not construction-grade material Space silk. Can be processed into fabric with an auto-loom or used in the arc smelter. Raw lumps of the stuff fetch a good price on the open market, though.
Uqill
Uqill.png
High Density Matter Crystallized scifi magic. Required for high-end mining gear, certain upgrades at robotics, always sells well at the cargo bay, and can be used to make replacement ammo for the RCD.
Miracle Matter
Miraclematter3.png
Anomalous Mineral wild card. Can be used as a stand-in for certain other materials, e.g. uqill, mauxite or claretine. Can morph into different substances at welder-level temperatures. Makes excellent decor.

Special Rocks

Certain rocks may have special conditions on them. Using your geological scanner will give specific information and spit out symbols denoting these conditions.

Type Symbol Description
Icy
AsteroidIcy.png
Always contains chunks of water ice in addition to other materials.
Super Dense
AsteroidSuperDense.png
Has a hardness rating of 10 and is extremely difficult to break through. Super-dense asteroids tend to have a significant quantity of gems at their core, so the effort can be justified.
Weak
Weakrock.png
Rock has -1 toughness.
Dense
Denserock.png
Rock has +1 toughness.
Hazardous
Dangerrock.png
Rock contains either radioactive or volatile ore. Radioactive rock will glow blueish once exposed. Volatile ore will glow red when struck, giving you only a few moments to escape.
Foreign Object
Embedrock.png
Contains a smuggler stash, an artifact or a sleeping rock worm. Poke it with the scanner to find out what.
Gem
Gemrock.png
Rock contains a gem. No reason not to crack it open.

Other materials

These materials can't be found in asteroids, but you may encounter them when working with the arc smelter or a material processor.

Name Image Classification Description
Erebite
Erebite.gif
Power Source The Devil's plasmastone. As dangerous as it is rare, it makes a menacing pipebomb or an extremely fast-charging cyborg cell. Only available in very rare asteroids located through the Quantum Telescope and through the QM shipping market.
Starstone
Starstone.png
Crystal Extremely valuable, but it's unlikely you'll find one except after a meteor shower has hit the station or the quantum telescope discovers am extremely rare starstone asteroid. Sell them to certain merchants to become an instant millionaire! Can also be used to infuse certain chemicals into metals and alloys.
Slag
SlagLump.png SlagBar.png
Metal, Sturdy Metal By-product of smelting and a low-quality substitute for mauxite.
Steel
SteelBar.png
Metal, Sturdy Metal The processed equivalent of mauxite.
Glass
GlassBlock.png
Crystal The processed equivalent of molitz.

Equipment

Most equipment can be manufactured at the mining fabricator. This includes your basic beginning gear if you lose it or show up late and all of it is gone.

Note: The majority of ore and gems won't be usable in the mining fabricator unless you process them with the material processor or its portable version first.

Starting Equipment

Item Image Description Cost
Engineering Space Suit Set
Space suit.png
See Engineering Objects. 3 Fabric, 3 Metal, 2 Crystal
Jetpack
Jetpack.png
See Engineering Objects. 2 Dense Metal, 10 Conductive Material
Mining Belt
MiningBelt.png
Holds most of the gear and equipment you will need to mine. N/A
Geological Scanner
GeologicalScanner.png
Use the scanner in your active hand to scan all rocks in view. The scanner will spit out a report and put symbols on rocks with something out of the ordinary in them. Using it on a piece of asteroid will tell you specifically what ore is present, its toughness, any danger conditions, and the presence of any foreign items. 1 Metal, 1 Conductive Material, 1 Crystal
Ore Satchel
Satchel.png
Holds up to 30 units of ore. To quickly pick up ore, click and drag one piece onto the satchel and you will automatically begin grabbing all ore of that type in every space surrounding you. Clicking the satchel in your active hand will dump its contents onto the ground. Use it on a fabricator or crate to empty it into that container. 5 Fabric
Ore Scoop
OreScoop.png
This very useful utensil allows you to collect ore by merely walking over it. Simply insert an ore satchel, hold the scoop in your active hand and you're good to go. Click on the scoop to unload the satchel, or anywhere else to dump the ore on the floor. N/A
Meson Goggles
Mesons.png
See Engineering Objects. Also allows you to see the composition of asteroids. 3 Crystal, 2 Conductive Material
Breath Mask
Breathmask.png
See Clothing. Required for full spacesuit gear. 1 Fabric

Advanced Equipment

Item Image Description Cost
Industrial Space Armor Set
IndustrialArmour.png
Replaces the standard spacesuit and helmet. Mediocre melee and bullet resistance but provides excellent protection against radiation and explosions, as well zero movement slowdown. 15 Dense Metal, 7 High Energy Conductor, 3 High Density Matter
Mechanized Boots
MechanizedBoots.png
Gives the wearer a permanent speed boost, both in space and indoors. Moving around quickly will also deplete the contents of your jetpack faster, so be careful. 15 Sturdy Metal, 7 High Energy Conductor, 3 Power Source
Large Ore Satchel
Satchel.png
Like a regular satchel, but holds 75 ore instead of 30. 25 Fabric, 3 Dense Metal
Cargo Transporter
Cargotransporter.png
Sends stuff to a cargo pad. Use it in your active hand to pick a destination, then click on the target to teleport it. Has 10 uses before it must be recharged.

Compatible objects: crates, closets/lockers, gas canisters, large tanks and artifacts.
N/A
Flashlight
Flashlight.png
See General Objects. Provides additional light if you opt to go exploring derelicts and other foreboding parts of space, but useless for mining. 1 Metal, 1 Conductive Material, 1 Crystal
Material Analyzer
MaterialAnalyzerV2-32x32.png
Shows the properties of raw as well as processed ore. N/A
Slag Shovel
SlagShovel.png
Used to remove slag from the arc smelter. N/A

Tools

The greater the difference between tool strength and rock hardness, the more difficult it is to tunnel through the asteroid. Equipment with a strength at least equal to the rock's hardness rating is guaranteed to work on the first try.

Item Image Toughness Notes Cost
Pickaxe
Pickaxe.png
1
You get this when your powered pickaxe runs out of juice. Utterly useless. 1 Sturdy Metal
Powered Pickaxe
Powerpickaxe.png
2
Starting equipment. Has 30 uses before it must be recharged. 2 Sturdy Metal, 5 Conductive Material
Laser Drill
Laserdrill2.png
3
Has infinite charge. 15 Sturdy Metal, 7 Dense Metal, 10 High Energy Conductor
Power Hammer
Powerhammer2.png
4
Holds 30 charges. Also available from the quartermaster. 1 High Density Matter, 8 Conductive Material
Concussive Gauntlets
ConcussionGauntlets.png
4
Worn on your hands and allows you to simply punch rocks with an empty hand. Infinite charges. Also increase your basic punching damage a bit. 15 Dense Metal, 15 High Energy Conductor, 2 Power Source
Low-Yield Mining Explosives
MiningCharge32.png
N/A
Plant on an asteroid to produce a small concussive blast. Will break nearby rocks and weaken rocks at the edge of its blast. Has a 5 second countdown. Starting equipment and can be made in the fabricator in sets of 5. 3 Metal, 3 Crystal, 7 Conductive Material
Mining Explosive
MiningCharge32.png
N/A
A stronger variant of the mining explosive, also in packs of 5. 7 Metal, 7 Crystal, 15 Conductive Material

In addition to these tools, you also design your own mining equipment using parts from the Mining Nanofabricator. These custom-made tools never run out of charge and most will hit multiple rocks at a time, but, depending on the material used in the tool head, will require a few hits to break rocks.

Item Notes Cost
Mining Tool A tool for mining asteroids. Type of tool depends on components used. Optional modifier slot. (10) Metal, (1) Mining Tool Head, (1) Optional Tool Mod
Tool head (Drill) A Drill head. Goes 3 tiles forward and can break down rock in a couple of hits, depending on the material used. (5) Material
Tool head (Hammer) A Hammer head. Goes 3 tiles wide and can break down rock in a couple of hits, depending on the material used. (5) Material
Tool head (Blaster) A Blaster head. Goes 2 tiles forward in a T-shape, but takes a lot of hits to break a rock. (5) Material
Tool head (Pcik) A Pick head. Hits only one tile, but can break rock in just one or two hits, even with softer materials. (5) Material
Tool mod (Concussive) A mod for mining tools that increases Area of Effect. Concussive drills will hit a 3x4 tile area forward, concussive hammers will hit 5x4 area roughly centered on the wielder, and concussive blasters will hit in a 5x5 orb. (45) Radioactive Material, (1) Explosive Charge

Machinery

Large mining machines can be used to harvest or process great deals of ore.

Item Image Description Cost
Mining Magnet
MineralMagnetSmall.png
This large, immobile magnet pulls in asteroid you can mine. For further information, see Miner. N/A
Mining Magnet Replacement Parts
ElectronicProject.png
Required to repair the mineral magnet in case of catastrophic damage. Use it on the chassis. 5 High Density Matter, 30 Dense Metal, 30 High Energy Conductor
Arc Smelter
ArcSmelter2.png
Ore can also be processed into alloys with various properties. For more information, refer to Ore Processing. N/A
Mining Pod
Miningpod.png
Provided they've been upgraded with the right gear, pods can be a great asset for the miners. Please see Space Pod for more information. N/A
Conclave A-1984 Sensor System
PodSensors.png
Like standard pod sensors, but with optical mason scanners and geological scanner for mining asteroids. 1 Power Source, 5 Crystal, 2 High Energy Conductor
Ore Scoop/Hold
CargoHold.png
Heavy-duty version of the ore scroop for pods, with a maximum capacity of 300 pieces of ore. Install and activate the system, fly over ore to collect it, drag & drop the pod onto an adjacent tile to empty out the hold when necessary. This component spawns near the mining pods. N/A
Plasma Cutter System
PodPlasmaCutter.png
Shoots bolts of plasma that dig up asteroids. 10 Power Source, 10 Dense Metal
Mineral Accumulator
File:MineralAccumulator.png
Allows you to send large quantities of ore to a cargo pad. To use, select a destination first, drag the accumulator to the desired location and then turn it on. Any loose ore within an eight-tile radius will be pulled to the device and teleported to the cargo pad. Must be turned off before it can be moved again. The accumulator cannot be picked up, only dragged around.

The miners get one accumulator for free at the start of the shift.
25 Sturdy Metal, 15 High Energy Conductor, 2 High Density Matter
Power Cell
PowerCell.png
See Engineering Objects. 4 Metal, 4 Conductive Material, 4 Any Material
Cerenkite Power Cell
CerenkitePowerCell.png
A self-recharging power cell that any cyborg would be glad to have. Capacity is 15000. 4 Metal, 4 Any Material, 2 Cerenkite
Erebite Power Cell
ErebitePowerCell.png
Self-recharges more quickly than the cerenkite cell, but is also highly volatile. Capacity is 15000. 4 Metal, 4 Any Material, 2 Erebite

Interesting Finds

In addition to ore and gems, you may unearth a variety of interesting objects and critters.

Rock Worms

Harmless creatures that will move around, eating up rocks, ore, and gems. If you can manage to kill one, you might get a surprise.

Abandoned Crates

AbandonedCrates.png

Abandoned crates contain a large variety of goodies not otherwise available on the station. There are two types of locking mechanisms and generally speaking, high-security crates (military supplies for instance) are more difficult to open. A failed attempt will usually reset the code and trigger the anti-theft system (if any), potentially injuring you. Be advised, however, that certain security measures will destroy the crate's contents instead.

  • Deca-Code Lock: Will prompt you to enter a number between 1 and 10, and you are allowed 3 guesses. To improve your odds of success, you can use a multitool on the crate and it will tell you whether the last code entered was too high or too low.
  • Password Lock: As the name implies, you'll have to find the password. Enter one letter at a time to attempt to reveal part of it. A multitool is essential here, as it allows you to see the exact length of the password and keep track of the known characters.

If you don't feel like opening the crate yourself, check to see if any departments back on the station will be willing to receive it.

Alien Artifacts

Large items of unknown origin and purpose. Can be sent to the research wing for artifact research or to the cargo bay for sale.

Other

Easter eggs, combat drones, stockings, smuggler's caches... go around and explore!

Objects and Items
Equipment
by Department
Box2.png General · MopNew.png Janitor · Glovesy.png Engineering · PowerPickV2.png Mining · DefibrillatorV2-32x32.png Medical · PortASci.png Science · Handcuffs.png Security
Machinery MiniPutt.png Pods · ClownCar.png Vehicles · ThinkDOSPCV2-32x32.gif Computers · Fabricator.png Fabricators & Manufacturers · GenericPDAV3-32x32.png PDAs · Implanter2.png Implants
Clothing JumpsuitRanks.gif Clothing
Catering WateringCanV2-32x32.png Plants & Hydro Equipment · THE MONSTER V2.png Foods & Drinks
Weapons CyalumeSaberV4.gif Syndicate Items · RevolverV2.png Guns · ChemGrenadeCompleteV2.png Grenades · TransferTankValveBomb.png Bombs