So, you want to get into mining, eh? Well, first thing's first - What type of mining are you looking for?
Mining in Elite can be complex, with 2 different ways to mine depending on the asteroid you are looking to pick apart;
1. Laser Mining
2. Core Mining
I'll go through each of these the best I can, but to start, never forget these crucial components no matter what form of mining you are going to partake in.
Refinery - This is what turns those bits of ore into sellable units of material. Higher grade refineries are able to process more types of ore at once, allowing you to more effectively get all the types of material available where you are mining.
Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS) - This device allows you to shoot probes at a planet while in Supercruise, this is great for Explorers but also allows Miners to fire them at rings on ringed planets, telling you what the ring is made of and also highlighting "Hotspots", where there are much higher densities of one material. This is great if you are looking for something specific to sell.
Pulse Wave Analyser - This Utility slot item is used to send out a "pulse" that highlights asteroids with subsurface deposits or that may be able to be cored. Great for all forms of mining, as these 'roids tend to have higher material density for Laser mining as well.
Collector Limpet Controller - This device on your Optional Internal gives you the ability to launch programmable drones called 'limpets', the ones launched by this will automatically collect items from the space around you.
Prospector Limpet Controller - Like the Collector Limpet controller, this device allows you to program 'limpets', these ones you launch at an asteroid and lock onto it. Doing so will tell you what the asteroid has, as well as highlight Sub-Surface Deposits, Fissures, and Surface Deposits!
Shield - A good shield is necessary, especially if core mining. Not only will it protect you if you blast an asteroid to bits, but also if you get stopped by pirates on your way to sell. I recommend Bi-Weaves (Class C), as their faster recharge and relative ease to acquire can be a lifesaver when you are likely already heavily loaded down with loot.
Fuel Scoop - This is needed if you plan on getting into really high profit mining, as often times the best sell points are 12-15 jumps from the best point to mine the product. I recommend Fuel Scoops no matter what type of content you are doing - You do not want to be stuck without fuel floating in the black. (If you do end up running out of fuel, remember to contact the Fuel Rats. They will bring you fuel no matter where you are, and are great people.) Fuel Scoops allow you to fly close to a star's "exclusion zone" (the point where you emergency drop out of supercruise) and get fuel from the star's gasses, if the star is scoopable (Star classes O, B, A, F, K, G, and M can be scooped) This will also save you on the refuelling bill when you get to a station.
Storage - Bring LOTS of Cargo Racks. I recommend anything you aren't using for Hull or Module reinforcement, Fuel Scoop, Shield, Limpet Controllers, and Refinery being Cargo Racks. This way you can carry more loot back to the station!
Limpets - These can be found in the Advanced Maintenace tab at ANY station, I recommend bringing enough to use half of your available storage space - These guys are cheap, so don't be afraid to drop some if you are running out of cargo space while mining!
General Tip - Do not go for Resource Extraction Sites. These have a higher number of NPCs, and in Open Play can be camped by Player Pirates looking to steal your loot when you get out of the zone.
Ring Types - Another thing to note is the Ring Type you want to go for. There are four main ring types, being Rocky, Metallic, Icy, and Metal-Rich. Rocky and Metal-Rich are great for core mining, but not great for laser mining, due to the low number of valuable minerals being available without going Subsurface. Icy contains valuable minerals for both Laser and Core miners, but are diluted by low-value chemicals such as Water and Bromellite. Metallic rings, meanwhile, are the best for Laser miners but often have a lower number of cores to blast.
Now for each type of mining. It is possible to kit a ship for all of them at once, and some, like the Type-9 Heavy, are even practically designed for it.
1. Laser Mining.
This is by far the easiest, simplest form of mining. The first thing you are going to want to do is get Mining Lasers. These are special tools that go on your weapon hardpoints, and allow you to mine an asteroid by just shooting it. Easy peasy, right? Your first step in Laser Mining is to find a planet with a ring type you want, usually Metallic or Icy. To do so, open the System Map and select each planet with rings around it. If the system is already explored and that planet is scanned, the planet's information will tell you what ring type it has! Once you find the ring type you want, usually Metallic or Icy, you will want to go to that planet in Supercruise. Once you get there, approach the rings with your throttle near-0, and once the rings nearly fill your screen, reduce speed as much as you can. You will then want to open your DSS, and fire a probe into the ring. Doing this will highlight the hotspots. Hotspots don't increase how much material in general is available, just how much of the Hotspot's material is there, so if you aren't looking for anything in particular, you do not need to drop into a hotspot. If you are, then enter the hotspot on low throttle in supercruise, you will autodrop inside the hotspot and close to the 'roids with your Frame Shift Drive's safety drop feature. Now, launch a prospector at a 'roid, and if it has materials you want, open your Cargo hatch and launch prospectors. Then, approach and start firing on the asteroid! This will cause chunks of material to come flying off, which your limpets will collect and tuck away in your cargo hold for you, where they will be processed into sellable material! Once you have had your fill of the loot, are out of limpets, or out of cargo space, you can go ahead and leave the ring and head to either a nearby station to sell, or you can use resources such as the ED Miner's Tool to find the best place to sell the material for the highest profit. And that's it! You are now a successful Laser miner.
2. Core Mining
Core Mining is more complex, more profitable, and far more dangerous than Laser Mining. Core mining uses 3 main mining weapons - Abrasion Blasters for Surface Deposits, Sub-Surface Displacement Mines for Sub-Surface Deposits, and Seismic Charges for Fissures. It is also recommended to run Lasers with all of this to really maximize your earnings from each 'roid you crack. Also note that unlike Laser Mining, you have limited ammo for core mining. Lasers allow you to glean a bit more profit if you run out of ammo, maximizing how much you take home.
Now to find a planet with a ring type you want, usually Rocky or Metal-Rich. To do so, open the System Map and select each planet with rings around it. If the system is already explored and that planet is scanned, the planet's information will tell you what ring type it has! Once you find the ring type you want, you will want to go to that planet in Supercruise. Once you get there, approach the rings with your throttle near-0, and once the rings nearly fill your screen, reduce speed as much as you can. You will then want to open your DSS, and fire a probe into the ring. Doing this will highlight the hotspots. Hotspots don't increase how much material in general is available, just how much of the Hotspot's material is there, so if you aren't looking for anything in particular, you do not need to drop into a hotspot. If you are, then enter the hotspot on low throttle in supercruise, you will autodrop inside the hotspot and close to the 'roids with your Frame Shift Drive's safety drop feature. Note that Hotspots do not modify how many core asteroids there are, but just how many of them are the hotspot's title material.
Once you are in the ring, fire your Pulse Wave Analyser! Any 'roids with subsurface, surface, or core deposits will light up yellow from the pulse. Once you find a 'roid you want to try to core, fire a prospector limpet at it and verify it has what you want! This Prospector will also highlight any of those juicy deposits for you, making it easier to identify and hit them with your tools. Approach the 'roid, open your cargo hatch, and deploy collectors!
If your 'roid has a core, don't go straight for the fissures! Instead, the most efficient way is to hit Sub-Surface and Surface deposits first, as well as laser mining all material in the asteroid before you go for the fissures. Sub-Surface mines will give you a timing minigame, hold down the trigger until you hit a bar and release to pump out more material! Surface deposits you just smack with your abrasion blaster to send a large chunk of material flying off.
After that, you will want to hit the fissures with your seismic charges. Note that once the first charge is placed, there will be a timer counting down! Place as many as you safely can and fly away, fast! Once the timer hits 0, the Asteroid will detonate, blasting apart into large chunks that will have new surface deposits, and several chunks of material will fly out upon it detonating. You may need to re-deploy some collectors if any were close when it detonated, and this is where your Shield will prove it's worth. DO NOT BE CLOSE TO THE ASTEROID WHEN THE TIMER HITS 0. You will see why this is dangerous very quickly. Once you have had your fill of the loot, are out of limpets, ammo, or out of cargo space, you can go ahead and leave the ring and head to either a nearby station to sell, or you can use resources such as the ED Miner's Tool to find the best place to sell the material for the highest profit. And that's it! You are now a successful core miner.
And that's all there really is to it! Some other tips are to use Point Defense utility items on the slots closest to your Cargo Hatch, to make it difficult for Pirates to hit you with hatch breakers, and to keep at least one turreted weapon for anti-pirate defense!
I wish you luck, CMDR, and hope you bring in a good haul from your mining ventures! o7
