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Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous
yan57436's avatar
yan57436

If you're getting into mining in Elite Dangerous, it's totally worth it! Start with a ship that has decent cargo space, like the Cobra Mk III, or the Python if you're more experienced. Try mining in planetary rings, especially in Pristine Metallic Rings, since you’ll find top-tier minerals like Painite and Platinum there. Use the Detailed Surface Scanner to find the best spots, and make sure to scan asteroids before you start mining. When it’s time to sell, check Inara.cz or EDDB.io for the best prices. Just don’t forget to equip shields and maybe some defensive weapons to fend off pirates, and always have enough credits to cover your ship’s insurance, just in case...

C
CMDR-ANW1RZ

To mine, pilots require three optional internal modules: a cargo scoop to collect chunks, a Refinery to refine collected resources onboard into Commodities for sale, one or more Cargo Racks to carry the refined Commodities, and 1 or more Mining Lasers, Abrasion Blasters, Sub-surface Displacement Missiles, or Seismic...

JHenckes's avatar
JHenckes

It's simple, don't need to be complex, lets go:

1 - Choose a good ship, it can be anyone, but we have some who're better, like Cobra Mk III or Asp Explorer, they're not expensive ships, it's entirely possible to get them. The best part of them is the decent cargo hold and some internal slots.

2 - Choose a mining style, we have some:

  • Laser Mining: Simple and straightforward

  • Surface/Subsurface Mining: A bit more advanced

  • Core Mining: The big leagues

3 - Find a good spot

  • Pristine Metallic Rings: These are gold mines (literally and figuratively)

  • Hotspots: In those rings, look for specific hotspots like Painite or Void Opals

4 - Go Mining! Just use what you get, it's your time now!

5 - When finished, sell your loot! Head back to a station. Check the galactic market for the best prices.

OBS: Some tips: Avoid Pirates and Practice. Core mining, in particular, takes some practice. Don’t get frustrated if you blow up an asteroid without getting the loot—just keep at it.

And that's it, just enjoy the game, mining is just one of the many possible and fun things to do!

T
Thranos

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

R
Rac

o7

Here is a small mining guide for new CMDRs in Elite.
To start mining and earning money very early, you should have at least 11-12 million credits! You can earn these quickly through trading or through very early mining.

Very early mining

Are you already in a squadron or playing with experienced friends?
Then there is often the possibility that someone will make their fleet carrier available to you and buy materials, e.g. for the BGS, at higher prices.

Such carriers are often parked directly at mining areas.
Once you have earned your first 2-3 million credits, you can start your first mining adventure with an adder.
The Mining Adder .
For 4 million credits the Cobra MKII Mining

But keep in mind that you only have a small cargo hold and therefore have to sell very often and cannot jump very far! Therefore, the sales opportunity should be in the direct neighborhood!

Mining! How? What? Where? How?

You need a ship and equipment! You absolutely need

  • Cargo hold

  • Refinery

  • Mining laser

  • Surface scanner

  • Prospector Limpet Controller

  • Collector Limpet Controller

  • Shield; recommended for beginners

  • Fuel collector; recommended for beginners

Build your mining ship via sites like Coriolis.io.

Internal (Basic)

Alloy; stay with the standard light one, everything else will make you too heavy
Power plant; depending on your energy requirements a powerful and expensive A or the light, cheap but also weaker D module
Thrusters; always the best A module, if you have any pursuers you have to get away quickly! Frame Shift Drive; you want to travel longer distances! Always the A module!

The remaining modules in the internal (base) should be enough as D modules, D modules are the lightest so that you can jump further and are quite cheap.

Internal (Optional)

Here you can play around as you like and take an example from the ship-builds, as long as you pack everything you need for mining (see above).

Hardpoints

Here you should install at least 3 mining lasers, if possible 2D. 3 mining lasers (2D) are completely enough for most laser mining, if you want you can also install a fourth one. Unfortunately, many more will have no effect.

Utility Mounts

Chaff and heat sinks or similar as required. You can find your mining ship and the individual parts quite quickly via Inara-nearest outfitting

Mining! How? What? Where?

What? and Where?

The site edtools.cc shows you what you can mine.
Simply enter your starting system and click on Painite, Lt Diamonds, Platinum or Osmium for laser mining! You will be shown hotspot systems and stations where you can sell at the highest prices. But pay attention to the LY! The distance from the station to the hotspot system.

You will often find carriers in such systems that buy materials, usually at a slightly lower price, but you don't have to travel a great distance to sell them.

Have you already found your mining location and your cargo hold is full? Search Inara for the next best sales opportunity, where carriers are also listed.

Ship builds

These are mining ships, but everyone builds them differently, this is just to help. None of the ships require an engineer.

T6 - Beginner

For around 11 million credits, small but nice.

T7 - Beginner

For around 39 million credits, more cargo space and drones but also slower!

Python - the all-rounder

For around 100 million credits, much more maneuverable and faster than the T7, with the same amount of cargo space. The best mid-range mining ship, apart from the T8.

T9 - The Elephant in the Glass Shop

For around 190 million credits you get a very large, very slow and very sluggish mining ship with a huge cargo hold.

Anaconda - the Python in large

For around 290 million credits you get the larger Python, less cargo space than the T9 but more maneuverable and faster with better module slots.

Luriant's avatar
Luriant

Fast guide to Mining.

BASIC MODULES

  1. Mining need big cargo holds, first for limpets, and next for the cargo. Size 6 or superior recommended

  2. 1A or 3A Prospectors, this give info about the rock attached (only target the limpet), and the A-rating increase the yield in surface mining.

  3. D-rated collectors limpet have low weight, more time before expiration and short range, enough for this job. Size3Operations/Mining multilimpet are 2x more working limpets than other size 3 collector modules, NEVER use the prospector, isnt A-rated and don't expire. Size 7 universall collector use one of your biggest cargo racks, ignore it.

  4. Detailed Surface Scanner, Aka DSS Probes. To find the hotspots that increase yield in surface, or chance of the correct ore in the rest. Remember thatp lanets could have 2 rings. Surface platinum exist only in Metallic rings, always the interior. Other rings have Platinum CORES, that is slow to mine.

  5. Refinery, A-rated, the extra bins will store extra ores, and act as minor cargo hold when full. Ignore everything that isnt the desired or profitable ores, 90% is low value crap for the NPCs.

  6. Pulse Wave Analyzer for everything except surface mining.

There is 3 Types of mining: Surface, Cores, and other forms of mining.

SURFACE

We need a ship with a good Distributor to feed the lasers, 2D Mining laser the best, 1D Mining laser from the human tech broker in LTT 198 megaship its 25% the stats of a 2D one, so if possible, don't bother. Other vanilla size 1D or powerplay mining laser are crap.

The distributor, if possible, engineered with Charge Enhaced/Superconduits. 2D Mining laser use 3MW per second, python and cutter can reach 9MW with the best distro, enough for 3 lasers non-stop.

Launch prospector, target, and if decent content of valuable ore (the one from the hotspot). Shoot with your lasers. The "reflection" of the laser will be the rocks, so aim with some angle that throw the rocks under your cargo hatch, ignore useless ores, and launch collectors. Repeat until full or out of limpets. The MOST profit/hour when mining, with platinum reaching 270K.

A minimum ratio is 1 Collector limpet for

Surface asteroids respawn for you after 2 hours, and don't affect other players asteroids in his instances.

CORES

Now you need Pulse Wave Analyzer to detect the valuable asteroids, with extra features. A seismic Launcher, and the abrassion blaster. And shields.

For Cores, try to find yellow asteroids (under the PWA scan), with this shapes. The ice one is called Popcorn, and the metallich and metal-rich are paleolithic axes, identify the cores save a lot of time.

Here, you need to launch the limpet, and if the correct Core ores, launch HIGH Yield bombs (press the trigger a lot), in the LOW resistance fissures. Yep, its correct, we need the maximum damage, don't try to match High with High, Low with Low, like a baby with shapes and holes, we are here to break the rock. Once the yield bar is near the blue zone, launch some LOW Yield bombs to the remain fissure until you reach the sweet spot.

Move away 1.2Km, 4 Pips shield if not sure, and wait or target one of the bombs in contacts menu to force the detonation. Once the asteroid is broken, approach it, target the deposit and shoot it with the abrassion blaster. Medium ship like python are better for this spaces. A minor bug could give excessive yield and loss ores even in the perfect blue zone, ignore it, you are doing great.

Cores respawn 6 days later. Once a player mine a core, dissapear for everybody, so miner don't share his core mining spots, and the popular ones are filled with ice or rocky dust.

OTHER FORMS OF MINING

Other rocks highlighted with the pulse wave analyzer, but the incorrect shape, have this features.

Surface deposit: The same as cores, but without need to breach it. Launch limpet to scan the asteroid, target the deposit and shoot the abrassion blaster.

SubSurface deposit: You need a Subsurface missile, a mix of rocket, drill and bomb. Target the subsurface zone, and launch the missile, mantain the trigger pressed. Once hit, the missile will start digging, pay attention to the lower bar in the bottom left corner, when a blue zone appear over the line that determine your missile position, release the trigger. The explosion will launch a bunch of rocks outside the hole. Repeat the work until no more blue lines. This is a rarely used method, but rescue of human pods in the thargoid titans reuse a variation called Sub-Surface Extraction missile, that do the same work for the titan storage chamber, with only a single blue zone to eject all the abducted human pods. Miners are very valuable in the current war.

ZONES TO MINE

Disclaimer: Pirates arent problematic, if you are near populated space, they could spawn right after you drop into the zone, scan your cargo full of limpets, blame you, and leave. Time to start mining. Also don't bother mining in the void, even for tritium that is 6x less valuable than platinum, and produce less fragments.

Asteroids cluster: Only a bunch of rocks, no hotspots, mostly ignored except for Cores, some cluster have 1 big core, if the correct one, a good place to milk every 6 days. Make a list of asteroid cluster with good cores across the bubble ;) .

Rings: The best place, hotspots improve yield, or chance to spawn the correct core. If a overlapped hotspots, you have a little better chance. The borders have less bonus than the center of the hotspot.

  • RES zones in rings: Bonus to fragments, reaching 200% in Haz RES, also pirates don't stop spawning in the center, but police help (except HazRES, no police and engineered pirates). A good place if you stay in the 20Km border, or as close as 15-10Km, that have the full bonus but is far from the dangerous drop point in the center.

BONUS: Mapped mining

Asteroids arent random, if you make a slideshow of every good asteroids, you can repeat the same path again and again, avoiding lost time launching prospectors. Use this guide for the best mining maps, after some runs you will have the asteroids memorized, and could reach the best profit hour.

SELLING

Use Inara , if you pledge to Edmund Mahon powerplay at rank 2 (200 merits is enough for 2 weeks), you will have +20% trade profit in his stationsm exchange the voucher in the contacts-administration menu. Try to find good station near Alioth, or pick a system toward the exterior of his PP zone for inara reference, so most stations are under his control.

The problem is the Bulk Tax Trade, you need a station buying at least 4x your cargo. For a 750tons cutter you need a station that demand 3000tons. Less, and the price drop. 0 Demand its like infinite demand, so don't worry. Selling less numbers don't avoid this, the station put the price for your TOTAL cargo of ores, not how many you sell.

Cores have less demand than surface ores, this limit core mining for big ships.

If you have full cargo, after selling the ore, wait some seconds until the refinery unload any excess bins, and sell again. You don't want to enter a ring, with leftover ores, and pirates nearby.

And thats all without going deep into builds. I reached 200M/hour, and bought my Fleet Carrier in 2 weeks. Now exobiology pay more with the correct tools, Spansh search for HMC worlds, and that first discovery Startum Tectonicas, but thats for another JustAboutElite. But mining is one of the great experiences of Elite, the billions of asteroids, the sound effect of breaking cores, the feeling that you are doing some space hard work. Its part of the relaxing experience in the game, put some music and start making billions.

RicZA's avatar
RicZA

Welcome to, probably, the most therapeutic part of Elite Dangerous; Mining!

Undoubtably, Mining is something all players have at some point delved into, either early on in their careers; to farm up some credits for progression or perhaps down the line, to fuel their carrier.

Where to mine:
The galaxy is rich in resources, namely from Resource Extraction Sites (Res Sites) or from the Rings of Planets, these areas will all take the form of asteroid fields/belts. It is these asteroids that you will be mining. Res Sites are system generated and make for fairly good mining but tend to have more NPC traffic including pirates. You will find plenty of these in the bubble. Planetary rings, however, can be found all over the galaxy - This will require you to scan said rings with a Surface Scanner Module, more on this in "Outfitting."

Ship Choice:
Mining's barrier to entry is almost non-existent, be it an early game Cobra or a late game Type-9, you will have easy access to both resources and riches. My recommendation to pilots new to Elite dangerous would be either the Cobra Mk III, Asp Explorer depending on your progression, moving onto the Python or Anaconda. Its worthy of mention that the Type-8 has just recently been launched, which looks to be a great contender for a mining rig!

Types of Mining:
There are 2 types of mining. Laser and Core.
- Laser Mining, by far the easiest method but mostly rewards you with common resources, these are however pretty handy for engineering - until you find more efficient methods down the line.
- Core Mining, slightly more complex with a mini-game element to it. Core mining is far more profitable than laser as you are rewarded with rare commodities, these fetch a good price but require more work.

Outfitting:
Whether Laser Mining or Core Mining, there are some base modules you will require.
*Base Modules include:
Prospector Limpet Controller - As the name suggests, gives you the make-up of the targeted asteroid.
Collector Limpet Controller - Collects the minerals that you dislodge from your targeted asteroid.
Limpets - You need to purchase these prior to your expedition from a station (advanced outfitting), I doubt there is a pilot out there that has not travelled to their location and realized they've forgotten these.
Cargo Racks - To store your bounty
*Specific Modules
Laser mining will require Mining Laser Hardpoints and a Refinery which you will need to outfit, the more lasers you have the faster you will mine your asteroid.
Core mining will require a Seismic Charge Hardpoint, as well as a Pulse Wave Analyzer Utility, this you will use you to scan the asteroids (they will glow in varying hues of orange).

Selling:
If you are looking to make maximum profit use tools like INARA - Elite:Dangerous companion, this is both useful to find mining locations as well as locations to sell your hard-earned materials.

More to consider:
You will encounter Pirates, but they can be avoided, if you are still finding your feet, avoid Haz-Res sites, they carry more risk. Should you be interdicted, throttle down to 0 and submit to their interdiction, upon dropping out, boost like your life depends on it (it literally does) and jump out as fast as you can.
If you have unlocked engineers, do some work to your thrusters and power distributers, this will make navigating the asteroids and powering your mining tools far more effective. You can also up your shields and hull if pirates are becoming an issue.

Conslusion:
Mining can be a slow process at first, but once you get the hang of it, rewarding and as mentioned above; somewhat relaxing for the less impatient. I have linked a guide below which covers the basics, Credit to @Digmbot for this guide, please give him a like and subscribe if you found it helpful.

o7 Commander

Elite Dangerous | Complete Beginner's Mining Guide (2024 Update) (youtube.com)

CMDR_M's avatar
CMDR_M

Well, mining is quite a broad topic, but here's a little video to perk your interest... LTD-Core Mining in a Type-10 :]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LLEGCn0up78?feature=oembed

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
CMDR_M

Hey CMDR_M! Thanks for entering the bounty. Is this your video? If it is, you'll need to connect your YouTube account to JA so that it gets the green 'original' border around it like DragonBlogger's entry above. If it isn't, I'm afraid we can't accept it for this bounty, but we do have plenty of bounties scheduled in which we do accept third-party video submissions.

https://justabout.com/just-about/32397/connecting-your-social-accounts-and-sharing-on-just-about

CMDR_M's avatar
CMDR_M
Alex Sinclair

Hi there Alex, so sorry for the apparent confusion - this is an older video that I had posted to my main YouTube channel, before starting the dedicated CMDR-M channel early last year - is it possible to link both accounts? Alternatively i could re-upload to the CMDR-M account if necessary - unfortunately YouTube doesn’t allow one to transfer videos between channels.

Update: have uploaded the original video to CMDR-M & relinked - this seems to be ok now? :]

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
CMDR_M

Hey CMDR_M - no apologies needed. Unfortunately, we currently only have the functionality to let members link one YouTube account at a time, so it would require a re-upload. Sorry for the inconvenience.

P.S. we're aware that linking more than one account per member would be a useful feature, and it is something we hope to implement in the future. o7

CMDR_M's avatar
CMDR_M
Alex Sinclair

Hi there, re-uploaded the video to CMDR-M a bit earlier - it's live and seems to link correctly now, with the "ORIGINAL" tag. o7 :)

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
CMDR_M

Brilliant, thanks a lot for the re-upload. I can confirm that's all worked :)

O
ottosiux

I think you'll find information on the internet about how to build a mining ship.

In my experience, the best thing would be to start with a Krait Phantom. It's cheap and very versatile. Remember to bring lots of collection drones and patience.

But the most important thing, and what many don't tell you, is to be careful when you go to some rings to look for materials because they are areas where pirates abound... and you wouldn't want to meet them once you're loaded with materials, with little shield and no weapons.

p/d: don't trust the security too much, they're as fast in an emergency as in real life.

A
Alec_Turner

Several years ago I wrote a beginners guide to core mining for Sagittarius Eye magazine. You can read that in issue 18 over at the Sagittarius Eye archive.

https://www.sagittarius-eye.com/downloads/archive/#issue18

The written guide subsequently got turned into the following video. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/k46ZAjWLK3s?feature=oembed

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Alec_Turner

Hey Alec_Turner, would you mind sharing the original written guide (or at least a link to it)?

(We do accept third-party videos for some bounties, but this one is original text or video only.)

A
Alec_Turner
Alex Sinclair

Sure, done.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Alec_Turner

Thanks a lot!

CmdrTravisRobicheaux's avatar
CmdrTravisRobicheaux

Mining in Elite Dangerous can be either highly rewarding or extremely unproductive, depending largely on one key factor: patience. You won't make millions or billions immediately when starting out in mining; it can be time-consuming if you're unsure what to look for or if you forget essential tools like a prospector limpet or a pulse wave analyzer. Forgetting crucial equipment was a common mistake for me.

Your ship needs to be equipped for mining, so ensure you have a refinery, collector limpets, cargo space, and fill up on limpets while leaving room for collected resources. A pulse wave analyzer is essential to identify the contents of each asteroid. You'll also need to decide whether to mine with lasers or explosive charges.

I've found the most success with deep core mining using explosive charges, allowing me to collect between 8 to 15 units per asteroid that contained low-temperature diamonds, void opals, alexandrite, and more. These resources sell individually for 200k to 1.2 million credits. Returning with a haul of 200 to 780 units can earn you a substantial amount of money.

Start anywhere to get the hang of things; from there, it becomes natural and highly addictive to hunt for deep cores.

-Cmdr Travis Robicheaux

X
Xpertmilk

Get yourself an Adder, slap on a few mining lasers, a few cargo racks, detailed surface scanner, 1A Refinery, 3A collector limpet controller, and a 1a prospector limpet controller.

DON'T FORGET YOUR LIMPETS

When you're ship is ready, go on https://edtools.cc/miner

Type in your current system and select Platinum

Go to the nearest destination on the list, scan the rings of the planet by using the detailed surface scanner, find the platinum overlap, fly into the middle of the overlap.

Wait for the pirates to scan you...

After they have, fire a prospector limpet at a rock, target the limpet, if the the platinum content is not on the list on the left, move on find another, when you have found a good rock, fire the mining lasers and the collector limpets, make sure to open your cargo hatch.

If you don't want anything else from a rock after you have mined it, go to your contacts and add the unwanted materials to your ignore list.

Repeat steps till cargo is full of platinum...

Now, head to the closest sell location which is next to the hotspot location on https://edtools.cc/miner.

Sell the platinum and repeat for CREDITSS

B
BZSm1th

Get a T10!!

Manoeuvres like a pig... but looks like a mining ship.

Decide what type of mining you want to do.

Scratch mining is easy and only requires mining lasers... however ' it will take longer to refine decent quantities

Core mining is great fun and can be very profitable... if you have the patience and of course Seismic launchers.

Oh and course don't forget a number of collector limpet controllers and a shed load of limpets !!

dragonblogger's avatar
dragonblogger

If you are just starting out and have a smaller ship recommend doing surface laser mining of asteroids until you can get a larger ship that can do deep core mining, I personally love using an Imperial Cutter vs a Type 10 but the Imperial Cutter requires you unlock it with imperial ranks first whereas the T-10 does not.

Collector limpets are a must to auto capture the mining fragments, and having enough materials that you can synthesize extra collection limpets on the fly if you run out is also a huge plus. If you aren't running a well defended ship then having a fighter bay with an experienced NPC fighter can help you out from the random pirates that can jump in or attack you while you haul off your cargo to sell it.

I used to love spending hours doing deep core mining for low temp diamonds, the explosion the asteroids make when you set the charges is such an experience, just make sure your ship is far enough away so it doesn't get toasted.

See my video of deep core mining explosion

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NKVoLy4-u6Q?feature=oembed

F
FireyToad

Getting into mining in Elite Dangerous can be a fun and profitable activity, whether you're new to the game or a veteran pilot. Here’s a guide to help you start your mining career:

1. Choose Your Ship and Outfit It for Mining

Mining requires specific equipment, and your ship needs to be outfitted accordingly. Here's what you need:

Essential Modules:

Mining Lasers: Used to extract resources from asteroids.

Collector Limpet Controller(s): Uses limpets to automatically collect the fragments that you mine.

Prospector Limpet Controller: Uses limpets to help identify the quality of an asteroid’s resources, which increases the yield.

Refinery: Converts collected fragments into sellable commodities.

Cargo Rack: You'll need space to store the mined materials.

Optional Modules (but recommended):

Shields: Protect your ship from pirates or accidental collisions.

Defensive Weapons: Just in case you encounter pirates in the rings or belts.

Detailed Surface Scanner: Helps find planets with rings containing valuable materials.

Best Starter Ships:

Cobra Mk III: A versatile ship that's good for starting miners.

Asp Explorer: A solid option with a balance of cargo space and range.

Type-6 Transporter: An economical choice with a focus on cargo capacity.

2. Choose a Mining Location

There are two main places where you can mine:

Planetary Rings: Look for planets with metal-rich or icy rings. Certain resources are more abundant depending on the type of ring.

Asteroid Belts: While less common than rings, asteroid belts can also be mined.

Hotspots are ideal places for mining. These are specific locations within rings where certain valuable materials are more concentrated. Use a Detailed Surface Scanner to find these.

Types of Rings:

Metallic: Rich in metals like Platinum and Painite.

Metal-Rich: Contains metals and minerals.

Icy: Good for mining materials like Tritium and Low-Temperature Diamonds.

3. Get Limpets for Mining

Limpets are expendable drones that handle tasks like prospecting and collecting fragments. You’ll need to purchase them from stations before heading out. The number you’ll need depends on your cargo space and expected time spent mining. You'll also need to have at least one collector limpet controller.

4. Head to Your Mining Site

Once you're outfitted and stocked with limpets, head to a ringed planet or an asteroid belt. Drop into a ring, and use your Prospector Limpets to scan asteroids. The prospector will tell you what materials are in the asteroid and their concentration.

5. Mining Methods

There are different types of mining in Elite Dangerous, depending on the equipment you have:

Laser Mining: The most basic and common method. Use a mining laser to break off fragments from the asteroid, then collect them using collector limpets.

Sub-Surface Mining: Target specific subsurface deposits within asteroids using a Sub-Surface Displacement Missile. This method allows you to extract additional resources.

Core Mining: For the most valuable materials, like Void Opals and Low-Temperature Diamonds. Core mining requires Seismic Charge Launchers to crack open asteroids containing these core deposits.

6. Manage Your Refinery

As you collect fragments, your refinery will process them into units of materials. You can choose to discard less valuable materials to free up refinery space for more valuable resources. You can also choose to ignore items via the contacts panel.

7. Watch Out for Pirates

Mining often attracts pirates, so be ready to defend yourself or evade combat. If you're in a high-risk area, consider hiring a wingmate or outfitting your ship for defense.

8. Sell Your Mined Goods

Once your cargo hold is full, head to a station to sell your materials. Use third-party tools like EDDB or Inara to find stations that offer the best prices for your mined resources.

Additional Tips:

Join a Mining Community: The Elite Dangerous community has active groups focused on mining. You can join them for advice, escorts, and tips.

Full Spectrum System Scanner (FSS)

The FSS helps you locate planets, moons, asteroid belts, and ringed bodies within a system. This tool is crucial for exploration, as it allows you to discover all objects in a system, even those that aren't immediately visible on your sensors.

Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS)

Once you’ve located a ringed planet or asteroid belt using the FSS, you'll need the DSS to map it.

When you use the DSS on a ringed planet, you can pinpoint hotspots within the rings. Hotspots are specific areas where certain resources (e.g., Painite, Platinum, Void Opals) are more concentrated. These areas will then be marked on your HUD, showing you the best places to mine.

Suggestions for Finding Mining Prices:

Inara.cz: This is a comprehensive site for tracking commodities, mining, ship outfitting, and more. It's a great resource to find the best stations to sell your mined materials.

EDTools.cc: This site offers valuable tools like the Commodity Finder, which helps you locate the best markets for your mined resources.

These sites are regularly updated by the community and are highly recommended for efficient trading in Elite Dangerous.

Advanced mining in Elite Dangerous requires specialized tools to extract valuable resources from asteroids. These tools allow you to access higher-value materials like Void Opals, Low-Temperature Diamonds, and other rare resources. Here's a breakdown of these advanced mining tools and their uses:

1. Pulse Wave Analyser

Purpose: This is your primary tool for finding asteroids with valuable core deposits. When activated, it sends out a pulse that highlights potential asteroids with a bright glow. The brighter and more intense the glow, the higher the chance that the asteroid contains valuable resources.

Use Case: Essential for core mining, as it helps you locate asteroids with cores that can be cracked open.

2. Abrasion Blaster

Purpose: The Abrasion Blaster is used to scrape off surface deposits from asteroids. After using a Prospector Limpet to identify an asteroid with surface deposits, you'll target these deposits and use the Abrasion Blaster to break them off, allowing them to be collected.

Use Case: Ideal for surface mining. This tool is crucial when targeting specific minerals that are embedded on the surface of asteroids.

3. Sub-Surface Displacement Missile

Purpose: This tool is used to extract materials that are lodged within the subsurface layers of asteroids. After identifying subsurface deposits with a Prospector Limpet, you fire the missile into the asteroid at the right depth to dislodge the deposits. Timing and depth control are key to maximizing your yield.

Use Case: Perfect for sub-surface mining when you want to extract valuable resources that aren’t visible on the surface.

4. Seismic Charge Launcher

Purpose: The Seismic Charge Launcher is used to crack open asteroids with core deposits. After using the Pulse Wave Analyser to find a core asteroid, you'll place seismic charges in fissures that appear on the surface. By placing charges in the right spots and controlling the detonation strength, you can split the asteroid open, revealing its core materials.

Use Case: Core mining is the most advanced and lucrative form of mining. This tool is critical for extracting high-value resources like Void Opals, Alexandrite, and Serendibite.

Mining Workflow for Advanced Mining:

Scan with the Pulse Wave Analyser: Identify potential asteroids with valuable cores or subsurface deposits.

Deploy Prospector Limpets: Use these limpets to scan asteroids and determine their composition and deposit types.

Use the Appropriate Mining Tool:

If there are surface deposits, use the Abrasion Blaster.

If there are subsurface deposits, use the Sub-Surface Displacement Missile.

If the asteroid has a core, use the Seismic Charge Launcher to crack it open.

Collect the Fragments: Use Collector Limpets to gather the extracted materials.

With this advanced setup, you'll be able to efficiently target the most valuable resources in the galaxy and maximize your profits from mining.

With the right equipment and location, mining can be one of the most profitable activities in Elite Dangerous. Happy mining, Commander!

Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas

Here's one for me to watch!

Boomer's avatar
BoomerMod
Wadd Enderas

Let's gooo!

S
Simbad

As a new player, I got picked up on another CMDR's Fleet Carrier and before I knew what happened, I was put to work mining in a metallic ring for the owner. He took us far out enough that I could not return home and he promised to secure my passage if I worked hard, which he never did.

But then, the Simbad player group rescued me ! I am now happily working in Simbad slave mines!

Stormseeker's avatar
Stormseeker
https://www.youtube.com/embed/g43u4Q0bioU?feature=oembed

Spanish guide about mining, the gear you need and best ships to do it.

holy nuggie's avatar
holy nuggie

Don't do exobio instead

N
Nojg

bought random mining laser and drones , i installed them on my python and boom (from experience i can say it is very bad) , it was just to get sulfur for enginering

OneNutPunch's avatar
OneNutPunch
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GKvNva7u0xc?feature=oembed

If you're trying to learn how to deep core mine trying to obtain all those Goodies from the big floaty rocks. Then this video will help in talking about Mining Modules Needed to Mine and what to do.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
OneNutPunch

Hey OneNutPunch! This looks ideal. That said, for original video entries, we require entrants to connect their video accounts, YouTube in your case. It's how we prove authenticity. Once connected, all your future video uploads will appear with the green 'Original' banner, as seen in dragonblogger's entry above. It just takes a few clicks and you only need to do it once. Any time between now and the bounty's end date will do the trick. Lmk if you have any questions.

Q
Q_GT70

I am not fond of actual mining but, first you have to build a ship for mining.

not a starter job.

there are many mining missions at stations.

many of the items they want mined can be bought at other stations. These are the easiest ways to become wealthy in the game.Beware they come with interdictions.

This is actually how I generate my billions and get my bounty hunting done.

a cmdr needs to know this so you can pick what cannot be bought.

start small because it is going to take time to get hundreds of tons.

or do it for the engineers that need mining done.

any ship will work, but bigger is better.

Python is a great miner.

you need to read the info in systems, find out where you can get what you want to mine.

there is a lot to learn.

The fastest is to do 500 tons of anything for an engineer unlock..

then just fly to any ring and start mining everything.

not going to explain the ship or more on what you have to learn. As mentioned, it is NOT a starter job.

I do mining missions, I do not mine. I can and I have, and I own many mining ships but it bores me so I don't mine unless I have to.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Q_GT70

Hey Q_GT70 - just another heads up that this is a reply rather than a submission, do hit the 'submit' button and re-enter if you'd like to be considered for a prize. If you're just sharing for the joy of sharing, no problem :)

B
Bonoc

Contestants should record their best dogfight videos from PVP encounters. $10 to the best video.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Bonoc
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