Obtaining Selenium from regular laser mining

[Scoob]

Hey all,

Realised I was low an many low-level Raw materials this eve, so broke out The Mining Barge (T9). While shooting an asteroid I was surprised to see the message "Collected Elements: Selenium" pop up in the upper right panel. I didn't think this was possible. However, after mining numerous other asteroids - both those with Materials: High and Materials: Medium - I've gained several lots of Selenium.

Perhaps I've missed a change, I've not asteroid mined for a while, but I've never gotten anything but the most basic Iron, Nickel, Sulphur, Magnesium and the like when asteroid mining.

Anyway, perhaps this is very old news, but it's the first time I've seen it. Grateful for this, as I really need some Selenium and an hour Asteroid mining has yielded over 3x the amount as an hour of surface prospecting did.

 

[metatheurgist]

No change. Selenium has always been a low grade raw pretending to be a high grade. Which again makes me laugh when people claim it's hard to get.

 

[goemon]

a few years ago there was a thread listing rings and their materials. it's fixed per ring, so simply bookmark the ring you are at. as @metatheurgist pointed out, selenium isn't a high grade material of the original 3-2-1 rule, which is also the reason why it can't be found in crystal shards.

 

[goemon]

found the old thread https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/testing-of-mining-for-materials.337796/

 

[Scoob]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I'm aware that - for whatever reason - Selenium appears to be categorised as if it's a low-tier material when it comes to where it spawns for some reason. However, after many many hours of Laser mining (a lot pre-Fleet Carriers, raising the funds for one) I've never actually gained any Selenium via that method before. I'm fairly confident of this as I used to keep a log (just notepad) of key Materials I was short on and not once did I have more Selenium than I'd noted, only gaining more when explicitly surface prospecting.

As gaining raw materials is slightly different in Odyssey, I did wonder if perhaps there had been some change as I'd never gained any by this method before.

I've never really struggled with Selenium. Sure, I run out from time to time and go and get some more, usually just by regular surface prospecting. However, I'd not really done a large Raw materials hunt in Odyssey, though when I did I experienced a bug with the DSS not working properly - I posted another thread on the subject. Anyway, after swapping modules, fiddling around changing key bindings and jump around, it suddenly started working again just as I'd given up. With it now working, I went surface prospecting and didn't do so well, I guess I still need to learn exactly what the colour gradients mean.

Could fly out to that HIP site with (chances of) good raw material spawns, but an hour just waiting for the FC to arrive is time I'd rather be doing something else. Might head out there again one day though, last time I just flew out there in a DBX.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

My impression is that Selenium is more common on the elements list for cooler planets, which will tend not to be the ones with metallic rings that get laser-mined.

 

[Scoob]

My impression is that Selenium is more common on the elements list for cooler planets, which will tend not to be the ones with metallic rings that get laser-mined.

Very good point. I wasn't going to one of the prior "double hot-spot" type places I'd been to before to mine. Rather I'd just popped to the local Platinum single spot that happens to be near my carrier. Actually got ZERO platinum from many asteroids visited, not one had any trace of it - odd (unless bugged) for a hot-spot.

So, yeah, I was in an icy ring, where I'd not usually mine, so I suspect you're correct.

 

[goemon]

My impression is that Selenium is more common on the elements list for cooler planets, which will tend not to be the ones with metallic rings that get laser-mined.

there is no relation between materials found in rings of planets and materials found on planets with rings - see aboves linked thread.

 

[Scoob]

there is no relation between materials found in rings of planets and materials found on planets with rings - see aboves linked thread.

Ah, it made good sense why I'd never before collected Selenium via laser mining, back to pure RNG luck it is then lol.

 

[Chaparral]

There should be raw material hotspots.

 

[Scoob]

There should be raw material hotspots.

Yeah, it would be nice if there were something like this. Being able to gain higher-tier raw materials in additional ways would be useful. I've just been gathering mostly lower-tier stuff - for all three material categories - and trading up and a huge loss. It may be wasteful, but I struggle to engage with the grind to get the higher-tier stuff - other than being opportunistic if I spot a decent USS.