Getting Into Mining

SilentMage

SilentMage
Hello! o7

It's been awhile since I've played Elite: Dangerous. That said, I intend to jump back into the fray!

The last thing I was doing was being a ferry for luxury passengers - a surprisingly fun endeavor, but I'd like to change things up quite a bit - namely by getting into mining, something I haven't really participated in while playing.

I have just over 99mil credits in the bank. What ship and collection of components should I invest in to get started? Also, are there any particular regions of space where you'd recommend I venture to for some decent mining runs or experiences?

Any feedback would be appreciated! And I'm glad to be back!

Sincerely,

SilentMage (Vince Willis in-game)
 

Pville_Piper

Pville_Piper
It depends on what you want to do... And how long you want to do it. I like to spend about an hour or so mining. Much longer than that it gets tedious.

I've mined in wide variety or ships, you don't need to engineer anything, but it helps. Believe it or not, the Federal Dropship actually makes a decent miner In a pinch. Medium ships are great for laser mining, the AspX works well and both the Python and Krait II are excellent. My favorite is the T10, it carries enough weapons and a fighter while still giving me plenty of capacity for cargo that I can fill in just over an hour and make a good profit.

Carry at least 5 collector limpet controllers an I like to have 2 prospectors limpets as well. Fill up your hold about 2/3 to 3/4 full with limpets, it depends on how you are mining as to how many you need. I like to run a out 2 to 3 laseri and upgrading the power distribution capacity is very important for shortening the sessions.

For deep core mining I use a Keelie with 1 prospector, a size 4 refinery and no collectors. With the Dirty Drive 5 thrusters she is quite responsive and it's a blast to scoop the fragments. I usually make around 20 million in just over an hour. It's fun to mine that way.
 

Darrack

Darrack
GroG79 said:
Python.. Cant go wrong

Want the most fun/challenge? Go core mining.
Want fast credits? Laser Mine Platinum in Metallic rings. Algol has great views
Click to expand...
👆
If you have the money get a Python, best multi ship in the game and can land at outposts for often better payouts.
Then just save for an Anaconda which will then make you a fortune.

O7
 

Weps

Weps
SilentMage said:
The last thing I was doing was being a ferry for luxury passengers
Click to expand...
Sounds like me - I also took a long break somewhere at the start of Beyond and missed the core mining mechanic introduction. Never got around to learning it. I used to do a lot of laser mining back in the day in my first Type-6, but put an abrasion blaster on my ship and I'm probably gonna shoot one of my legs off...

Anyway, I'm starting to be a bit concerned about the possible upcoming Thargoid content... what if it requires core mining experience and muscle memory..?
 

Mrc_NorthEast

Mrc_NorthEast
AspX or Python should be a good miner for you with the $$$ you have. I like the Python better. Laser mining for Platinum as mentioned above is worth your time.

Sub surface mining and core mining are other options and perhaps not as quick and easy. Good Luck
 

SilentMage

SilentMage
Thank you, everyone, for your detailed and prompt responses!

It looks like there are trending ships and components across everyone here, which I appreciate - it'll make shopping at Jameson Memorial a lot easier.

Regarding the laser mining vs core mining, I'll definitely try both and see how I feel.
Zador said:
This is the basic Python mining build I use before engineering
Does a good job mining platinum. I used https://edtools.cc/miner to find a pristine metalling ring with a platinum hotspot (although hotspot not really needed), in my case GCRV 1568 AB 1, A ring (very thin ring inside much bigger B ring). Mined 200T platinum in 45 minutes.
Click to expand...
Big thanks for the coriolis.io link! I'm always a fan of recommendations, and if this ship was your go-to pre-engineering, I'll run with this as well to start. And it fits my budget perfectly (total cost looks to be ~77mil before the Jameson discount).
 

Ship Puppet

Ship Puppet
Pythongs are nice for cargo. But, they are dog slow compared to the Krait II kitted with A thrusters for 383+ boost. I prefer the Krait II both for core hunting and for fleeing from gankers when interdicted. I can usually win interdictions against small ships, and almost all the big ships are too slow to stay in weapons range before the FSD kicks in.
 

WeComeInPeace

WeComeInPeace
If you play the game for entertainment, not being to much in a hurry to get all the shiny things like me, try core mining for the fun of it. It can become quite relaxing and slightly meditative, once you get the hang of it. And as a bonus you get to blow up giant rotating rocks, being somewhat good combat training as well. What's not to like?

Any ship will do (almost), but I like a core mining ship to be agile, and I prefer more active limpets than cargo space. A welly engineered Python is a very good core miner, but I tried to core mine in a FDL once, just to see what it would be like (nah). An AspX is also a great little mining ship, and in VR, the excellent view from the bridge makes it easier to spot the juicy rocks. A decent shield will also make everything a lot less stressful, because you can scrape your nose against the rock when it cracks without taking damage.

If you play in solo, either save your cargo, keep focus on your mission being selling those minerals. Just run and don't fight and you won't loose you precious cargo.

Or, consider bringing guns to kill the pirates you will meet. Then you can scoop up their remains using a limpet, and go engineer some more. You might loose a cargo once in a while, but it's quite fun defending your hard earned property.

All in all core mining has been my favorite thing to do in ED. Good luck :alien:
 

Schmack

Schmack
I liked mining also, but everything in its time I suppose. I tried again recently but the payout isn't worth the search time and the new slower limpet speeds don't help. It's not all about payout, I just lost some motivation to mine things the stations don't seem to want that bad. I did mine platinum during the last CG, even though buying and selling gold was exponentially more profitable. I just like to know what I am digging for is worth something.
 

Ship Puppet

Ship Puppet
Schmack said:
I liked mining also, but everything in its time I suppose. I tried again recently but the payout isn't worth the search time and the new slower limpet speeds don't help. It's not all about payout, I just lost some motivation to mine things the stations don't seem to want that bad. I did mine platinum during the last CG, even though buying and selling gold was exponentially more profitable. I just like to know what I am digging for is worth something.
Click to expand...
Doing the math, I earned about 25 million/hour from:
Ship Puppet said:
Or 125 million credits from minerals
🤑
View attachment 366667
Click to expand...
I don't know how long it takes to fill up on platinum, but I hear metals mining can get 30 million per run. If it's around an hour, then they're comparable.
 

Schmack

Schmack
Ship Puppet said:
Doing the math, I earned about 25 million/hour from:

I don't know how long it takes to fill up on platinum, but I hear metals mining can get 30 million per run. If it's around an hour, then they're comparable.
Click to expand...
Platinum was selling for much more during the CG (artificial, senseless demand but hey). Otherwise it's not so lucrative. The musgravite and a few others are pretty much top shelf for mining profit/hr.
 

Zador

Z
With the Python and location I linked above my first run netted over 200T of platinum and a few other metals in less that an hour which I sold for around 55MCr. With the round trip for selling that was about 60MCr/hour which seems pretty good for an unengineered ship which pays for itself in two runs.
 

Ship Puppet

Ship Puppet
Zador said:
With the Python and location I linked above my first run netted over 200T of platinum and a few other metals in less that an hour which I sold for around 55MCr. With the round trip for selling that was about 60MCr/hour which seems pretty good for an unengineered ship which pays for itself in two runs.
Click to expand...
Much better than my core mining run. But, did you see the 1.7 million credit/LTD sub-surface mining videos?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom