Introduction to Mining

Mining in SC has evolved into an engaging and complex gameplay loop with an accessible learning curve! By beginning with FPS mining and working your way up to ground vehicle mining, then finally ship mining, each step along the way will teach you various aspects of the mining process and prepare you well for the next. The contents of this guide were written across various SC versions, with many screenshots from older versions, but very much still applicable. To get started, acquire the necessary gear as outlined below, then head over to the corresponding guide for step-by-step instructions, including other things you may want to bring along for the journey. May prosperity find you!

NOTE: Mineables now have an associated quality (ranging from 0-1000, higher is better), which is retained when refining. This quality directly affects the stats of your crafted items (new in 4.7), so keep an eye out for higher quality material :D

FPS Mining Tools

• Greycat multi tool with OreBit Mining attachment installed

• ARGO GEO - can press a button to reduce the power to FPS mining levels

Mining Ground Vehicles

Greycat ROC

• 1x S0 Mining Laser - swappable | 1.2 SCU of storage in 1x bag

• Greycat ROC DS (need a friend to operate with you)

  • 1x S0 Mining Laser - swappable | 3.4 SCU of storage in 1x bag

ARGO GEO 

• 1x S0 Mining Laser - swappable | 10 cSCU of storage in 1x 1/8 SCU sized box

• Will also need a ship that can fit whichever one you choose^

Mining Ships

Drake Golem (solo mining starter)

• 1x S1 Mining Laser - not swappable | 32 SCU of storage in 2x pods

MISC Prospector (solo mining)

• 1x S1 Mining Laser - swappable | 32 SCU of storage in 4x pods

ARGO MOLE (small group mining, 2-3 people)

• 3x S2 Mining Lasers - swappable | 96 SCU of storage in 8x pods

You may also want a cargo ship - after you refine your minerals you will want to take the finished goods somewhere to sell, or to consolidate your materials wherever your item fabricator is for crafting :)

P.S. - This mining guide was written by Wolfbrother84. If you like it enough to feel like supporting the author, and haven't pledged to SC yet, sign up for SC using their referral link: robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-NCZ2-LJMN