The Complete TEST Squadron Mining Guide - V3.7.2

[Black Sunder]

The TEST Squadron Mining Guide (Thanks to @Printimus for editing this)

Getting Started with Mining - The Prospector

The Prospector is the starting ship for ship mining gameplay. It is a small but rugged ship capable of mining small boulders or small asteroids and is meant for the solo miner. For defense, it comes with a small shield generator and a pair of S1 distortion repeaters, but it is not meant for combat. For extracting precious ore, it carries a variable energy mining laser and has 32 SCU of storage. Later on, additional functionality will be added such as detachable saddlebags and an on-board filter system.

The General Scanner

The scanning system is commonly accessed, like any other ship, using the ‘Tab’ Key while using a mouse and keyboard. Upon entering Scan mode, the flight interface completely disappears, so be aware of current ship velocity. Press and hold down the RMB to charge the scanner and upon getting to 100%, release the button. A blue wave effect(a ping) will originate from the ship and spread outwards, looking for radar contacts. Any mineable materials within range will show up in large blue box and in the center have a distance to the material. This effect is short lived and may require additional pings to narrow the location down. The scanner can be tuned to scan sharper angles(diagonal arrow in pic above) and scan further(horizontal arrow) by scrolling the mouse wheel up or down to set the angle. This is most useful on the surface where omnidirectional scanning is not particularly necessary. Upon moving in for a closer examination, a rock icon will appear on the HUD. Once the Prospector is close enough, an outline will appear around the rock. Hold LMB while the cursor is over the rock to actively scan the contents within. This will display the relevant data on the rock.

The scanner will then display a number of items, most of which are also available automatically through the ‘Mining Mode’ detailed below in this guide.

1. On the left is general rock information: Mass, Instability, Power Transfer Resistance, and Optimal Power Window.
   A) Mass - How ‘big’ a mineable rock is.
   B) Instability- How volatile the rock is in relation to input energy. Higher instability rocks are harder to mine.
   C) Power Transfer Resistance - How resistant the rock is to energy transferred.
   D) Optimal Power Window - The ‘Green Zone’ Range for rock fracture.
2. On the right: Contents - The names and rough percentages of the contents of the rock.
3. Centered: Ship signature data - For when scanning other ships, not relevant for mining purposes.

For Contents, the scanner will break the minerals down into two percentages. The left hand number is the mineral concentration and the right hand number is how much of the rock that mineral is present in. To illustrate using the picture above, Tungsten is present in 39.93% of the rock at a concentration of 1.70% while Corundum is present within 60.07% of the rock at a concentration of 2.56%. This rock overall is very poor in value and is mainly inert material. For simplicity’s sake, the higher concentration a percentage is, the better.

There are some drawbacks of the general scanner, however. First of all, it does consume power and charging it increases ship signature. Secondly, charging to less than 100% can lead to shortened scan range. Lastly, a ping will also dramatically increases ship signature on radar to anyone nearby, which may attract unwanted attention.


Finding The Goods

General Locations to Mine
Space mineables can be found anywhere in the ‘Verse, mostly in clusters, where asteroid fields exist. Look for them around moons, rest stops, and orbiting around planets. On the surfaces of most planets and moons, look for clusters around already existing mining sites and scattered randomly along the surface of the planetoid. There is no guaranteed way to find a high value rock, it just takes a lot of searching and patience.

Determining Value and General Compositions
It’s good practice to extract the highest concentrations of the rarest elements that can be found. Depending on playtime availability, mining higher concentrations of lower value minerals may be more profitable in the long run than time consuming searches for the rarer elements. As a dynamic economy evolves within the ‘Verse, selling to the highest buyer is the best practice to maximizing profitability.

Fracturing & Extraction

The Mining Interface: What does it Mean?

Pulling up the Mining Interface using the ‘M’ key on mouse & keyboard presents an entirely new UI to the user and extends the Mining Laser forward. The first thing to note is that the interface is divided into three areas from left to right. Starting from the left:

1. The Energy Transfer Graph visually shows how the rock is reacting to input energy.
2. Instability is how volatile the rock can be. High instability will require frequent and careful adjustments to the Laser Throttle to prevent overload. Resistance is a % of how much input energy the rock can immediately absorb without reacting.
3. Laser Throttle is the energy input into the rock. This is adjusted in 1/10 increments via the scroll wheel on the mouse.
4. Rock Energy Level shows how the rock is reacting to the input energy in order to fracture it. The Blue Zone means it is not reacting at all. The Green Zone is the sweet spot and will allow for fracturing. This is where the rock is reacting and fracturing safely. The Red Zone is the danger zone and the rock will build overcharge while in the red, which is discussed in 11.
5. Rock Type. This classification varies between asteroids and surface rocks.
6. The cursor: gives relative indication on ship’s proximity to rock.
7. Mode: Fracture or Extraction. The cursor will outline mineable rocks. Gold/Orange means the rock needs to be fractured. A purple outline means that the rock is ready for extraction.
8. Mass of the rock and composition.
9. Cargo Capacity and how full it is.
10. The Fracturing Sensor tells how close the rock is to splitting apart. When it reaches 100% it will fracture apart into smaller rocks which can either be fractured further or extracted. The Fracture Sensor % will decay quickly if not maintained in the Green Zone.
11. The Overcharge Sensor indicates how much excess energy is being dumped into the rock and is leading toward an explosive reaction. The Overcharge Sensor in contrast to the Fracturing Sensor bleeds off energy very slowly. This means that even if a rock is successfully fractured, but has acquired any overcharge, then the fragments will be more inclined to fly away (potentially violently) from each other. If the rock is Overcharged then a % of the ore is lost even if a successful fracture occurs later. Repeated breaches into the Red Zone will result in a cumulative percentage loss of valued elements.

Mining Laser Power Factors

There are four major factors that can impede or amplify a laser’s energy input into a rock:

1. Laser Throttle% - The throttle is the most important factor which allows the most control over the entire sequence of mining. The more energy applied, the more likely the rock will fracture, assuming the fracture meter was kept in the Green Zone. This is the easiest factor to judge because there is immediate feedback to the user when looking at the Rock Energy Level. Rocks generally require a lot of input from the laser to begin the fracturing process, however, once the Rock Energy Level is in the Green Zone, much less input energy is required to maintain optimal levels. Monitor and adjust the input depending on how the rock reacts for a successful fracture.
2. Distance - Distance from the rock is the second most important factor and the second easiest to adjust. The further away from the rock the ship is, the more energy the laser dissipates and is unable to transfer to the targeted rock. When the ship is within a few meters from the rock, minimal energy is lost. The optimal distance can usually be attained by making sure the targeted rock fills up the circular display on the HUD in mining mode. Judge the distance wisely, for if the ship is too close, the rock may cause damage upon fracture, too far away and the laser will struggle to make any impact.
3. Rock Resistance - The resistance of a rock, is relative to the amount of energy it can absorb. More power is needed on high Resistance rocks and vice versa on lower resistances. High resistance rocks may require two or more mining lasers to break apart. Resistance can also be a good factor in judging what distance is necessary in order to mine the rock.
4. Rock Mass - Rocks vary in mass, from the large to the small. The greater the mass, the more energy will be needed to begin a reaction for a fracture. This also means that rocks with a high mass, see their Rock Energy levels rise very slowly unless they have a high Instability factor. Already fractured pieces will have lower mass and thus will require less energy input to fracture a second time, regardless if Resistance was high initially.

Fracturing The Rock

First, find the optimal distance, generally where the ship has a view of the entire rock and then turn the laser on after scanning it. For keyboard and mouse, this will be the left mouse button. Clicking it again will immediately turn the laser off, KEEP THIS IN MIND. Start increasing power to the Laser Throttle via the scroll wheel on the mouse until the Rock Energy Level meter starts to rise and enters the Green Zone. During fracturing, distance adjustment may be necessary to mitigate laser energy loss or possible damage to the ship.

As you approach the Green Zone on the Rock Energy Level meter, start dialing the Laser Throttle back to ease into and maintain the Green Zone. If the Red Zone is breached, immediately decrease power, turn the laser away from the asteroid, or cut power all-together completely and restart again. Keep in mind that going into the Red Zone not only destroys the contents of the rock but also increases the explosive potential of the rock, if fractured while having an Overcharge Level. While in the Red Zone, the asteroid will act similar to a nuclear reaction, building potential energy and very quickly, until an explosive end. At a high enough level, cutting power will do nothing and the reaction will be self sustaining, causing an explosion when Overcharge reaches its limit.

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The X Factor: Instability

The instability of the rock varies depending on rock content and the percentage concentration of each element present in the rock. Instability determines the severity of fluctuation in the Rock Energy Level meter. It will cause Rock Energy Levels to move erratically, which will require fast and careful adjustment to the Laser Throttle and/or Distance. High Instability means greatly increased mining difficulty. Low instability means the rock will be predictable and relatively easy to fracture.
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Once mastery of the Green Zone is attained, the only thing left to do is wait until the Fracturing Sensor fills up and the rock breaks apart the first time. This fracturing process will need to be repeated on any desirable rock still outlined in gold/yellow to finally break it down enough for extraction(purple outline). Please note that rocks small enough for extraction can not be broken down further and attempting to do so will cause them to be destroyed in the process.

Extraction & Selling

To change Modes right click the mouse to enter Extraction Mode, from Fracturing Mode. In Extraction Mode, the Mining Scanner is still available to get precise measurements of rock composition. Any rock can be extracted into the cargo hold so long as it is outlined in purple and there is cargo space available on the ship. Hover the cursor over each rock and inspect them for desired elements.To activate the extraction process, left click the mouse. When a rock is fully extracted, the process will power off automatically. Fractured rocks have a variable percentage composition of what the original rock contained. Although rare, it is possible that fracturing will yield a 100% pure rock. Generally, the more pure a rock is, the less mass it will have. High concentrations and uncommon elements in unrefined ore sells better. It is up to the miner to decide personal thresholds and how much time one is willing to commit to the hunt.

After finishing the last extraction and a cargo hold full of valuable ores is acquired, it is time to sell. All of the major landing zones currently purchase extracted ore.The terminals for them vary but are always near the Admin desk. Go up to the terminal and select the ship with a full cargo-hold and sell the ore. A listing of what percentage of each mineral will be displayed. Inert Materials sell for practically no profit while the other entries bring various amounts as determined by their sell price and % in the cargo-hold.



Continued below.

 

[Black Sunder]

Strategies for Hard Rocks

The vast majority of small, common rocks will be easy enough for a new person to fracture and extract. Other, more difficult rocks, will require additional strategy or possibly a second person to help.

Case 1: Very High Instability Rocks:

Strategy 1 - Double Team

In this scenario a second Prospector is needed. One person will put their Laser Throttle up to a point where the Rock Energy level stays in the Blue Zone just below the Green. The second person will then turn their laser on and slowly increase the Throttle. They are adding a very small amount of power in order to make the Rock Energy Level hit the Green Zone. Because they are dealing with such a small power set, it will be easy to maintain a certain level for fracture with little chance of going into the Red Zone. In case of potential overcharge build-up, the second miner should cut power to their laser completely should they reach the Red Zone.This strategy will need good communication between both miners to work effectively.

Strategy 2 - The Start and Stop

This scenario involves pushing the Rock Energy Level into the Green Zone as quickly as possible and then completely shutting the mining laser off to prevent it from going into the Red Zone. As the Rock Energy Level decreases, turn the laser back on and ramp up the level just before it exits the Green Zone. Repeat as required until fracture attained.The point of this is an attempt to prevent the rock’s high instability from becoming too much of a factor since the rock will not have time to react to the energy input while keeping the rock in the Green Zone. This method is not foolproof, but through some surveying, this strategy works more often than not, even with an instability of 5+.

Case 2: Rock with High Resistance and High Mass

In this scenario rocks are found to have extremely high Resistance and Mass. Get as close to the rock as possible and turn the laser on full power. Overclocking the laser might even be necessary. The rock should slowly begin to show a change in its Rock Energy Level. Keep at it until the Green Zone is acquired. When it gets close to fracturing, back the ship away to avoid any damage. If this does not work, then the rock requires more power than a single mining laser can give. See the Double Team strategy above. Patience will pay off in the long run.

Case 3: Surface Rocks cling together upon fracture

In this scenario, a rock is on the surface of a moon or planet and has been fractured but stubbornly refuses to come apart after fracture, making it very difficult to inspect each fragment. To rectify this problem, purposefully overload one of the fragments to explode it, preferably a fragment with no elements within. Before turning the laser on, increase the throttle to 100% and then aim it at the unwanted rock. Once it begins to overload, immediately back the ship off in reverse at full speed to a safe distance. Keep the laser pointed at the fragment before turning the laser off. This explosion should have spread the other fragments allowing further inspection and fracture with ease. If a piece has flown too far away, use the General Scanner to locate the stray rock. Be aware that different gravities on different surfaces affect the distance the fragments may travel upon explosion.

Other Tips & Tricks

Saving Fuel while Surface Mining - To save fuel while skimming the surface of a moon or planet simply go into VTOL mode(press the ‘J’ key). This engages your VTOL which uses far less fuel than your main engines.

 

[Black Sunder]

First Person Mining

Introduction to FPM

FPM was introduced with Alpha 3.7. This gave new and old players alike a new way to explore the game. The whole process requires less up-front investment than ship mining due to the fact that caves offer many opportunities for FPM. For finding hand mineables on moon surfaces or in asteroid belts the player will require a ship that can scan for them. At this time, the only ship that can do that accurately is the Prospector though the Terrapin, Reliant Sen and Reclaimer are supposed to be able to as well.

The Tools of the Trade

There are three basic tools needed to get started with FPM. The first item that is required is the Pyro RYT Multi-Tool. The second is an attachment to the Multi-Tool called the OreBit Mining Attachment. Third is the MacFlex “Rucksack” Core torso armor. These items can usually be found at the major landing zones in the game with the exception of Port Olisar which does not have the Multi-Tool. Optionally, a player can buy and equip the QuikFlare, which can be used to illuminate caves or other dark places. This flare can be turned on and then carried in hand, dropped on the ground, picked up again, or carried on-person providing extra lighting in addition to the helmet mounted flashlight.

Where to find Hand Mineables?

Hand Mineables can be found on the surface of planetary moons, inside caves, and even on some mineable asteroids. They can be identified on the ship scanner by a diamond icon on the HUD as opposed to the more general rock icon for ship mineable rocks. Hand Mineables on asteroids provide an additional monetary opportunity, but can be more difficult when it comes to collecting the extracted gems due to zero gravity. Hand Mineables inside caves can be hard to spot but are abundant in quantity. On moons, expect to find clusters of the same rock type together between groupings of ship mineable rocks. When checking to see if a rock is a Hand Mineable, check to see if it has a colored vein running over its surface. If it does, then proceed to the next step which is fracturing the rock.

Fracturing and Extraction of Hand Mineables

The Multi-Tool interface. What does it mean?

Once a hand mineable is found, press the ‘4’ key to bring out the Multi-Tool. RMB will bring up the Multi-Tool’s interface. The interface is a simplified version of the same one that a ship mining laser uses. It is divided into three main sections. Upon getting within half a meter of a rock, the Multi-Tool will begin to scan it and after a complete scan, will show the rock data.

1. Rock Energy Level - Shows how the rock is reacting to the input energy from the Multi-tool.
2. Integrated Fracturing Meter/Green Zone - When the Rock Energy Level has vertically reached the Green Zone, the Integrated Fracture Meter will then move horizontally from right to left within the Green Zone to indicate fracture progress.
3. Multi-Tool battery power - In the future the Multi-Tool will require its battery to be changed when it is depleted.
4. Laser Throttle - This works exactly like ship mining. All of the Mining Laser Power Factors(see above) that affect the ships are applicable with hand mining.
5. Multi-Tool Aiming Sights
6. Multi-Tool Status - The tool will either be Scanning or Charging a rock.
7. Hardness - Works much like the Resistance of a normal rock.
8. Instability - How wildly the Rock Energy Level will fluctuate.
9. Gem Count - The number of Gems that will break out upon a successful fracture. 0.10 means ten gems will spawn. 0.09 means nine and so forth.
10. Rock Type - Indicates what element is within.

Fracturing the Rock

First, find a comfortable distance from the rock not exceeding 0.5m(the range of the Multi-Tool). Crouching down to get close enough may be necessary. Once a good distance has been established turn the Multi-Tool on. LMB for keyboard and mouse users will turn the laser on and off and should be kept in mind. Start increasing power to the Laser Throttle via the scroll wheel on the mouse until the Rock Energy Level meter moves into the Green Zone. One can usually go max power to begin with and then adjust down from there, but for new players it is recommended to start slow. During fracturing, distance adjustment may be necessary to mitigate laser energy loss or possible damage to the player.

Once the Green Zone has been attained, start dialing the Laser Throttle back to maintain the Rock Energy Level. The Integrated Fracturing Meter will begin to fill up from right to left as a green bar. If the player is successful at filling this up, the rock will fracture and it’s gems can be collected. If the Red Zone is breached, immediately decrease power, turn the laser away from the rock, or cut power all-together and restart again after the overcharge energy has bled off completely. Keep in mind that going into the Red Zone increases the explosive potential of the rock and could easily kill the player. At this time, breaching the red zone does not seem to have the same cumulative damage effect to the contents as it does with the ship mineable rocks.

Picking up the Pieces & Personal Inventory

Once a successful fracture occurs, gems can be collected. There are two ways to collect the gems by hand. The first method is to put the multi-tool away by holding ‘R’ and then double tapping the ‘F’ key. The second method is to stop aiming down the sights of the Multi-Tool with RMB and double tap ‘F’ to collect by hand.The Rucksack can hold up to 120 collectables.

The Personal Inventory can be accessed by pressing ‘I’ on the keyboard. This will bring up a new UI screen which shows all of the harvestables grouped together into their own tabs and the quantity of each.

While the Rucksack can only hold 120 collectables at a time, that does not mean the player must stop and go sell their haul immediately. Once the inventory HUD is brought up, the player may choose to drop or store all of a specific type of harvestable into a storage box. The UI will ask for confirmation before placing or dropping said harvestables. In order to drop items into a storage box, the player must be within a physics grid of a ship. This is not the same as a cargo grid for a cargo-type ship. In order for these boxes to register as sellable on the ship via kiosk, they must be hand placed and not dropped or thrown. As a note, placeable storage boxes can be stacked upon one another.

Selling Hand Mineables

After picking up all those gems and storing them in the Rucksack or in a box, it is time to sell them. All of the major landing zones and Rest Stops currently purchase these gems. The terminals for them vary but are always near an Admin desk. Go up to the kiosk and either select the ship carrying the boxes or personal inventory. A listing of what is contained in each will appear and can be selected for selling.

Miscellaneous Hand Mining Tips

1. Never turn a ship’s mining laser onto a Hand Mineable. It will instantly explode.
2. Some rocks may explode, scattering the gems and hurting the player even if the player has stayed in the Green Zone the whole time. This is a bug.
3. Gems sliding down hill and landing hundreds of meters away is also a bug.
4. Cooperative mining of hand minables is possible and may be required for some FPM rocks. See “Strategies for Hard to Crack Rocks” above for ideas.
5. The number of rocks in a FPM cluster has been observed so far to be as high as 14.
6. Caves offer many hand mineables in a confined location, but the rocks inside may be extremely difficult to find and pose a risk to the player.

Miscellaneous Items

The following sections do not fit anywhere else in the Guide but are necessary to make the Guide whole.

FPM Rock Cluster Farming

If a large cluster of FPM rocks are found the player may be inclined to try to farm them. This is accomplished by using the ship’s bed log out mechanic. Resources in the game regenerate after a set time, and after waiting or trying a different region server, can be mined again. Upon logging back in, the cluster and ship should still be in the same spot.

Final Thoughts

Mining is not an easy task. It is not a simple point-and-click, easy-money mechanic as many games are. It can be frustrating, but also highly rewarding, depending on the effort put into the task. It will require a lot of practice to make the payoff worth it. Go out and mine a variety of rocks to get a good handle on how they react. For first timers, failure is almost inevitable with those very high instability rocks, or those with miniscule Green Zones. Learning from mistakes through practice will make these failures fewer and farther between. Even experienced miners continue this learning process as they mine each new rock in an effort to expand their experience, as well as padding their bank accounts.

CIG has just begun to tap the potential of this game mechanic. Coming in 3.8, the game will introduce different mining laser heads that can be equipped to mining ships along with consumables to aid with difficult rocks. All of these have different effects so the player can tailor their approach while also encouraging group activity, Not every mining laser will be a good fit for all rocks. FPM will also certainly continue to evolve. It is just a matter of time. This isn’t even counting the awaited Aaron Halo Asteroid Belt that rings the Stanton System or the coming of the Orion which will fundamentally transform how industrial groups coordinate and operate. The truth is, Mining as a profession will be complex enough for experienced players and simple enough for newer ones to keep everyone interested and occupied for years to come.

With the coming of the ARGO Mole multi-crew mining vessel, co-operative gameplay will begin to emerge as players team up to tackle harder rocks and sweep the asteroid belts clean. This new play style will allow ship-owners and ship-wanters to both work in tandem in order to benefit one another in their own unique aspirations, which most of the time is profit. Good luck and have fun out there, miners!

Thank you for reading.

Signed, @Black Sunder & @Printimus

 

[Black Sunder]

Reserved for future

 

[Printimus]

Reserved for present

 

[CosmicTrader]

Great Guide
Laid out in an Easy-to Follow manner with excellent infomation.
Although I have done lots of mining (testing of course), I found this guide to be quite helpful.
Thanks for taking the time to share with us TESTies.

Rock Raiders --- well ROCKS.
*** This needs to be PINNED for Future use *** @SeungRyul

 

[xATLASx]

Great guide thank you! I will be getting a prospector soon. I plan to do A LOT of mining to increase my funds within game.

 

[GameFleek]

Reserved for beer.

 

[Pug76]

Reserved for asking Questions as i've just bought a Prospector in the sale and thanks to a tip from Blind Owl , it even has LTI

 

[Black Sunder]

Reserved for asking Questions as i've just bought a Prospector in the sale and thanks to a tip from Blind Owl , it even has LTI

Congratulations on the Prospector. Now go make epic cash!

 

[Deroth]

Awesome!
I look forward to your future salvage guide (hoping.)

 

[Black Sunder]

Awesome!
I look forward to your future salvage guide (hoping.)

Definitely going to be making a salvage guide.

 

[VFV]

Strategies for Hard to Crack Rocks

The vast majority of small, common rocks will be easy enough for a new person to fracture and extract. Other, more difficult rocks, will require additional strategy or possibly a second person to help.

Case 1: Very High Instability Rocks:

Strategy 1 - Single Person

In this scenario, get close to the rock for more control over the energy input. Keep the Laser Throttle at a level in the middle or low end of the Green Zone. Constant adjustment to the Laser Throttle to stay ahead of the fluctuations will be necessary. When Rock Energy level goes down, increase power. When it jumps up, decrease power and so forth. This will take a lot of practice to get a feel for it. The only 2 sensors to be watching are Laser Throttle and Rock Energy level. Keep at it until it breaks. If the rock goes into the Red Zone and begins to Overload, it is ok as long as it only blips the sensor. If it starts overloading significantly, then cut power and immediately back the ship away from the rock. This rock likely won’t have anything significantly worth mining in it afterwards. Cut losses and move on.

Strategy 2 - Double Team

In this scenario a second Prospector is needed. One person will put their laser Throttle up to a point where the Rock Energy level stays in the Blue Zone just below the green. The second person will then turn their laser on and slowly increase the throttle. They are adding a very small amount of power in order to make the Rock Energy Level hit the Green Zone. Because they are dealing with such a small power set, it will be easy to maintain a certain level for fracture with little chance of going into the Red Zone. At worst, the second person cuts power completely to stop energy from reaching the Red Zone causing Rock Power Level to decrease and maintain at a lower level allowing for another try. This strategy will need good communication between both miners to work effectively, but is much safer than Strategy 1.

Strategy 3 - The Start and Stop

This scenario involves pushing the Rock Energy Level into the Green Zone as quickly as possible and then completely shutting the mining laser off to prevent it from going into the Red Zone. Then, just as quickly, the mining laser is turned back on and the Laser Throttle is ramped back up to a level that keeps the Rock Energy level in the Green Zone before deactivating it again, starting the process over. The point of this is an attempt to prevent the rock’s high instability from becoming too much of a factor since the rock will not have time to react to the energy input while keeping the rock in the Green Zone. This method is not foolproof, but through some surveying, this strategy works more often than not, even with an instability of 5+.

Case 2: Rock with High Resistance and High Mass

In this scenario rocks are found to have extremely high Resistance and Mass. Simply put: have patience. Get as close to the rock as possible turn the laser on full power. Overclocking the laser might even be necessary. The rock should slowly begin to show a change in its Rock Energy level. Keep at it until the Green Zone is hit and then keep the energy at the desired level for fracturing. When it gets close to fracturing, back off to avoid damage. If this does not work, then the rock requires more power than a single Prospector can give. See the Double Team strategy above.

Case 3: Surface Rocks cling together upon fracture

In this scenario, a rock is on the surface of a moon or planet and has been fractured but stubbornly refuses to come apart after initial fracture, making it very difficult to inspect each fragment. Solution: purposefully overload one of the fragments to explode it. To do so, first find the lowest concentration fragment that is not wanted, secondly, before turning the laser on, increase the throttle to 100%, then aim it at the unwanted rock and turn it on. Once it begins to overload, immediately back the ship off in reverse at full speed to a safe distance while keeping the laser pointed at the fragment before turning the laser off. Wait for the fragment to explode before going back. This explosion should have spread the other fragments around a bit allowing further inspection and fracture with ease. If a piece has flown too far away, use the General Scanner to passively check for anything within 700 meters or so and back the ship up to a higher altitude. Be aware that gravity on different surfaces affects the distance the fragments may travel upon explosion.

Other Tips & Tricks

Good Mining Locations - Look for large clustered asteroids that have nebula-like dust clouds inside them such as those around Grim Hex to find a significant number of asteroids to mine. On the surface of moons/planets check around any Mining Outposts or canyons and crevices as well.

Getting back to Lorville fast - When entering the atmosphere above Lorville cut your engine power and freefall until you're about 30km from the surface before flying normally to the landing zone. This is approximately 4 times faster than flying down under power.

If you have questions, comments, tips, tricks, please post them and they may be integrated into the Guide.

Yessssss thank you.

 

[Tihor]

Awesome Guide!

 

[ShakyWater]

I almost forked up the cash for a prospector yesterday, but then I went outside and did a bunch of chores that needed doing.

 

[Max Caliber]

Man I would love to play with this mechanic some day soon. I don't have the funds to drop on a prospector right now. If anyone has one they don't use often they wouldn't mind loaning out please let me know!

 

[Black Sunder]

Added a little trick to save fuel while on a moon surface that I just learned.

 

[Pug76]

Managed to fill the ship with ore of some kind , got to port olisar and the ship got blown up............arse

 

[Pug76]

Ok so managed to fill the bloody mining Ship again got too Port Olisar can't sell it W.T.F ??? Tried Levski same result

 

[Cump]

Ok so managed to fill the bloody mining Ship again got too Port Olisar can't sell it W.T.F ??? Tried Levski same result

Try Storing the ship by calling up another in your fleet. Then reload the prospector and should be able to sell the items. I was encountering this yesterday as well.