Every hull in the Reach starts as rock somebody cut. Mining is simple: slip to a belt, lock an asteroid, run a mining laser until your hold is full, then dock and sell. Refining the ore into minerals first pays about half again as much. Richer ore lies in more dangerous space.
Steps
- Fit a Vorr Pick-2 Mining Laser. Your starter ships carry them. Show mePlay to try this
- Slip to a belt. In the Scope, the Mining tab lists belts and asteroids.
- Hold Ctrl and click an asteroid to lock it. Get within your laser's range.
- Activate the laser from the module rack. Ore lands in your hold at the end of each cycle.
- When the hold is full, dock and refine or sell. Dock at the nearest stationPlay to try this
Lasers and skills
The Pick-2 fits any hull. It needs Mining, which every new pilot starts with. Each level of Mining adds 5 % yield.
The Rend-5 Strip Laser is the medium laser, for cruisers, industrials and barges. It needs Strip Mining, which in turn needs Mining IV.
A laser mines one locked asteroid at a time. Fit two and lock two rocks, or point both at the same one.
Ores by band
| Ore | Where | Refines into |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrox | Core | Mostly Ferrium, some Silvane |
| Silvanite | Core | Ferrium and Silvane |
| Pyrrhite | Frontier | Ferrium and Cobaltium |
| Voidstone | Void | Cobaltium, Zyrium and a little Noctite |
The deeper the band, the more each unit is worth, and the more likely someone is waiting at the belt. A belt that's mined out refills after 30 minutes.
A full hold
A full hold stops your lasers with Cargo hold full. A frigate's hold fills fast. When mining becomes your trade:
- Miner fit: a Wren with two Pick-2 lasers, an afterburner and a shield extender. Wren · Miner
- Dray industrial: a far bigger hold, one high slot for a Rend-5. Needs Industrial.
- Prospector mining barge: three high slots, a large hold and +50 % mining laser yield. Needs Mining Barge.
Refining and selling
Dock and open the Refinery at the station to turn ore into minerals. Refining works in batches, and anything less than a batch stays as ore. Base yield is 70 %. Refining and Refinery Efficiency raise it, up to 85 %.
Every station's market has standing NPC buy orders for ore and minerals, so you can always sell where you dock. Minerals fetch a better share of their value than raw ore, which is why refining pays. You can also hand ore in for a mining quota contract at the station that posted it.
Who else is at the belt
Mining isn't an act of aggression, and the Wardens ignore it. Pirates don't. Cartel groups roam some Core belts and most Frontier ones, and the Choir holds every belt in the Void. They start at the edge of the belt and drift from rock to rock, so watch the Scope's Combat tab and leave before they reach you.