It might not have the glamour of a pirate’s life, but mining is an equally - perhaps more - important activity in EVE Online, not to mention a great way to make some ISK. Efficiency is the name of the game if you want to maximise your returns, and that means you need the best EVE Online mining fits. Having the right build lets you mine more resources, store more ore, and - speaking of those pirates - survive attacks from anyone trying to pry you apart from your precious cargo.
If you don't know what a good mining build would be, the Just About EVE Online community has you covered. Our community is composed of real, veteran players, with hundreds of thousands of hours of hands-on game time between them, so when we asked them for their favourite mining fits, they delivered big time - below, you’ll find builds for stealth mining, gas harvesting (or huffing), and even a mining build for EVE newbies. For relevant advice on how to use these builds, check out our EVE Online gas huffing tips and ninja huffing tips.
With no further ado, onto the mining fits:
Basic Venture mining fit: the beginner-friendly miner
"The Venture's massive 5,000m3-capacity hold makes it a great ship for new players, enabling them to head out into the fields of ore and rocks and mine ‘til it's full, head back quickly, reload, and hit it again."
The Venture is EVE’s classic entry-level mining ship. Advanced players can skip ahead to the more efficient or specialised builds on this list, but you’ve got to start somewhere, which is why FirestormGamingTeam has submitted a beginner-friendly mining fit that won't cost too much and requires no training - perfect for getting started on those asteroids in Highsec.
The fit:
[Venture, T1 Venture mining fit]
Mining Laser Upgrade I
1MN Afterburner I
Survey Scanner I
Medium Shield Extender I
Miner I
Miner I
Salvager I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small EM Shield Reinforcer I
Covetor mining fit
"I present to you an all-time classic and the backbone of the EVE economy – the Covetor!"
Ready to step it up to the next level? The Covetor is a mining barge that excels at pure yield, albeit at the expense of cargo capacity, and Sturmer fit leans into those strengths. It's a powerful miner, able to extract up to 4,000m3 of ore every 2.25 minutes - rising to 7,500m3 with boosts - but because it can’t store as much as others, it’s best used in groups like a public mining fleet, a bunch of corp buddies, or simply as a duo if your partner is running a hauler - especially if you can link up with “compression services like an Orca or Porpoise” (more on that in the next fit).
As well as the fit, Sturmer has provided a bit of advice for any wannabe miners to stay safe on your expeditions:
"Pro tip: gankers are people too, and they can be lazy. Stay away from trade hubs where they can easily restock or gates where they earn ISKs. They are highly unlikely to travel 15 jumps to a dead-end system where only a few pilots are mining."
The fit:
[Covetor, Ore-nom-nom]
Mining Laser Upgrade II
Mining Laser Upgrade II
Mining Laser Upgrade II
ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner
Medium Shield Extender II
Modulated Strip Miner II
Modulated Strip Miner II
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Processor Overclocking Unit I
Hornet II x5
Mining Drone I x5
Simple Asteroid Mining Crystal Type A II x6
Orca compression fit
"Become the Most Desirable Ally: nearly double your fleet's yield with free compression! New players and miners will love you, and you will always have someone around to chitchat."
Also known as the friendship machine, Limal has come up with an Orca build that’s designed to make use of a compressor: a high-slot module that can compress a type of ore, and which only the Porpoise, Orca, and Rorqual can fit. That means you can store much more ore than most other fits, so much so that you can store some on others’ behalf, meaning that - as Sturmer was just saying - any cooperative mining fleet will be able to make way more ISK on any expedition. It’s a great way to help out other players, especially new ones, and make friends.
That’s not to say there’s no upside for solo players, though; it may not have the raw throughput of Sturmer’s Covetor, but Limal says you can mine semi-AFK for two or three days without docking before you’ll run out of space.
The fit:
[Compressor Orca, Limal's Friendship Machine]
Reinforced Bulkheads II
Damage Control II
Drone Navigation Computer II
Drone Navigation Computer II
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Pith X-Type Thermal Shield Hardener
Pith X-Type Kinetic Shield Hardener
Large Industrial Core II
Large Asteroid Ore Compressor I
Mining Foreman Burst II, Mining Laser Optimisation Charge
Shield Command Burst II, Shield Extension Charge
Mining Foreman Burst II, Mining Laser Field Enhancement Charge
Small Tractor Beam II
Large Drone Mining Augmentor II
Large Drone Mining Augmentor II
Large Drone Mining Augmentor I
'Augmented' Mining Drone x5
Mining Drone II x5
Inherent Implants 'Noble' Mechanic MC-805
Mining Foreman Mindlink
Ninja mining fit
Pirates are a constant threat to mining expeditions. The question is how to counteract the threat without giving up so much space in your fit that you’ve no room for your cargo, and hiding from danger can often be more efficient in this regard than fighting it or fleeing from it. The community has a term for this kind of sneaky, stealthy mining: ninja mining.
"I present to you the stealthiest mining fit!" If you're looking to mine minerals in the riskier parts of space, and want a decent shot at staying hidden from any would-be attackers, then TheGreatestBanana12 ninja mining build might be just what you're looking for. Using the Prospect, a variant of the Venture, it’s able to warp while cloaked, enabling it to sneak around Nullsec and Lowsec while you mine in peace.
The fit:
[Prospect, ninja miner]
Mining Laser Upgrade II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Power Diagnostic System II
Mining Laser Upgrade II
Small C5-L Compact Shield Booster
Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Miner II
Miner II
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Capacitor Control Circuit II
Small Capacitor Control Circuit II
Gas huffing Gnosis fit
"This ship is a good niche pick for when you want to huff gas clouds as a fleet but don't need to use all the bells and whistles of a Porpoise, as it can also huff a substantial amount of gas on its own."
Here’s a fun one to finish off from Nth Dimensional. Gas harvesting - or ‘huffing’ in EVE’s lexicon - is a popular and profitable form of mining that requires different equipment to conventional mineral mining. It makes use of the Gnosis, which is a battlecruiser - but it’s one of the most versatile ships out there. For more gas huffing fits, check out our specialist EVE Online gas huffing guide.
The fit:
[Gnosis, Nth Dimensional's Gas Command Ship]
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Burst Jammer II
ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner
Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener
Medium Micro Jump Drive
Mining Foreman Burst II
Gas Cloud Scoop II
Gas Cloud Scoop II
Gas Cloud Scoop II
Gas Cloud Scoop II
Gas Cloud Scoop II
Medium Processor Overclocking Unit I
Medium Cargohold Optimization II
Medium Cargohold Optimization I
Vespa EC-600 x7
Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16
Mining Laser Optimization Charge x1095
Warp Core Stabilizer II x1
Improved Cloaking Device II x1
Sisters Core Probe Launcher x1
50MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive x1
'Yurt' Mobile Depot x1
Are you going to try any of these fits? Would you amend any of them, or recommend a different one? Or are there any ship fits you would like to see in an upcoming bounty? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and if you’re looking for more EVE Online ship fits for other purposes, check out the best brawler fits and the best cruiser and battlecruiser fits!
Some text has been edited for brevity, clarity, or spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You can find the original wording here. Image credits: CCP Games, Sturmer and Limal
Created at . Page last updated at .