So I decided that I am gonna give Deep Core mining a try and I have a few questions....

Pffft!

If I'm mining it's because I want to go mining.
Flying a ship that doesn't make me want to go mining is the most counter-productive thing I could do.
Well.... sticking your hand in a wood chipper would be worse. Sorry, I am a smartass. My wife tells me that a lot......
 
It doesn't take a big ship:
132937
 
Made roughly 2.5 bn from Void Opal mining, here are my findings;

  • It doesn't matter if the ring is pristine or not. You can still find the same amount of Void Opals.
  • There's no need to jump into hot spots, go somewhere else near the hotspot but not inside the circle. Higher chance to avoid pirates and also lower chance to come across depleted asteroids. Hotspots are only indicators, doesn't increase the chance of finding Void Opals.
  • Fill all your cargo with limpets. Both prospecting and collecting need limpets. They don't cost a dime, you can jettison anytime, better have plenty than less.
  • Collect first, decide later. Get a big refinery and gather different stuff as well. When you're out of space, dump the least valuable ones. This way, you can leave anytime you like or keep on focusing on single sort of element.
Last but not least; don't overexert yourself, have fun!
 
I mined VOs in AspX, I still got that miner but nowadays I prefer hitting overlappinng Painite hotspots in a T9 because of the steady inflow vs the VO hit-and-miss game.

Setting charges in FAoff is fun and it feels good when you discover a motherload, but the search for core roids can be frustrating at times.

I would personally never mine VO in anything clumsier than my AspX (with dirty/drag drives). So T9 is definitely out! Space cows are only good for sitting in front of a rock with the laser churning and a dozen collectors carrying in a steady stream of fragments.

Turns out I can only mine either way in roughly equally paying 100mil sessions without going insane of boredom. I just find Painite mining to be more predictable so I recommend giving it a shot at least. But hey, as long as you're feeling lucky, ride it out while it lasts!
 
There's no need to jump into hot spots, go somewhere else near the hotspot but not inside the circle. Higher chance to avoid pirates and also lower chance to come across depleted asteroids. Hotspots are only indicators, doesn't increase the chance of finding Void Opals.

FWIW, my preference is to head for somewhere near an edge of the hotspot.
That way I can just target the hotspot and fly toward it and know I'm not going around in circles and I'm probably not in an area where anybody else has been before.

Also, I've mined one specific hotspot, from one specific direction, enough to have noticeably reduced the amount of core roids to be found.
As a result of that, I've taken to deliberately entering the hotspot from different directions to minimise the chance of me covering the same ground before the area refreshes.
 
+1 for Python, although I am now messing around with smaller ship builds to get a little more maneuverability (and fun) out of the process.
Don't get me wrong, the Python is a fine miner (200t cargo=2.7-3.2 hundred mil per trip), but after hitting some ridiculous profit and Elite trader yesterday after my first 3 or 4 trips Deep Core mining (and getting that nagging feeling that I've broken the game for myself) I might well downsize to something a bit more manageable time wise i.e it can get a little dull flying around looking at 'roids for 3 hours in a slightly sluggish rig, although ymmv.

Advice? Max your cargo, find a local home station, swap in a fuel scoop and/or extra fuel tank when you need to go sell. Don't stop for anything.

And congrats on the not-so-exclusive-and-easily-attainable Elite Trader rank in the very very near future.

#brokengamedesign
;)
 
Okay I can't tell if I just hit the motherload or I am just getting obscenely lucky at this system I just found. I have nothing to measure it against.

74 VO's and 14 Alexandrite in 45 mins.
 
Limpets are odd, until you've got the hang of spotting the core roids you'll need a few prospectors to identify them.

If you're core mining you don't need a huge refinery as you'll be focussing on the single "drops".

Python would work if you have one, but remember the price means you don't need many tons of cargo to get a good return.
 
Few observations:
A refinery bigger than 2A is a waste of cargo space. A 2A refinery has 6 slots and you can fill it with 6 void opals, that's 2 more than a similar sized cargo rack.
Regarding pristine rings - i noticed that in a pristine ring an optimal yield generally gives 15 fragments. In a non-pristine ring i get mostly 9-12 fragment
 
Few observations:
A refinery bigger than 2A is a waste of cargo space. A 2A refinery has 6 slots and you can fill it with 6 void opals, that's 2 more than a similar sized cargo rack.
Regarding pristine rings - i noticed that in a pristine ring an optimal yield generally gives 15 fragments. In a non-pristine ring i get mostly 9-12 fragment

Meh.

If you're flying an AspX, sure. A 2A Refinery will work fine.
If you're flying a Krait or Python (or anything bigger) you can probably fit a 4A Refinery without compromising your build significantly, so why not?
Heading to market with another 10 bins filled is another Cr16m in your pocket, if nothing else. :p

Not sure about the difference in fragments.
As a rule I just expect at least 15 fragments from each core roid, wherever I'm mining, and I don't recall ever being consistantly disappointed.

Obviously, though, I suppose that depends on proficiency with the seizmic charges to generate the optimal yield.

On which note, pro-tip for the OP::-

2 maximum-yield charges set into low-strength fissures will often give you the perfect charge.
If it doesn't, "top up" the charge by firing a couple of low-yield charges into high-strength fissures.

You can, sometimes top-up the charge perfectly by firing one low-yield charge into a medium-strength fissure but that can sometimes be overkill (forcing you to disarm the charge and try again elsewhere) so it's probably safer to top-up the charge with 1 or 2 low-yield charges in high-strength fissures instead.
 
Meh.

If you're flying an AspX, sure. A 2A Refinery will work fine.
If you're flying a Krait or Python (or anything bigger) you can probably fit a 4A Refinery without compromising your build significantly, so why not?
Heading to market with another 10 bins filled is another Cr16m in your pocket, if nothing else.

Well, if you fit a 2A refinery you can sqeeze 6t of void opals in the space otherwise occupied by a 4t cargo rack. +2 void opals for me.
A 4A refinery has only 10 bins, compare that with a size 4 cargo rack that can hold 16t of void opals. + 6 void opals for me
Who's richer now? 🤑

Not sure about the difference in fragments.
As a rule I just expect at least 15 fragments from each core roid, wherever I'm mining, and I don't recall ever being consistantly disappointed.

Obviously, though, I suppose that depends on proficiency with the seizmic charges to generate the optimal yield.

On which note, pro-tip for the OP::-

2 maximum-yield charges set into low-strength fissures will often give you the perfect charge.
If it doesn't, "top up" the charge by firing a couple of low-yield charges into high-strength fissures.

You can, sometimes top-up the charge perfectly by firing one low-yield charge into a medium-strength fissure but that can sometimes be overkill (forcing you to disarm the charge and try again elsewhere) so it's probably safer to top-up the charge with 1 or 2 low-yield charges in high-strength fissures instead.

I spotted this in numerous occasions. And i do aim to minimize charges usage, so whenever is possible i try to use only 2 charges per asteroid and i never blow one with non-optimal charges.
 
No, you start by using a high yield charge in a low strength fissure. Then you see the effect and decide if you put another high charge in another low strength fissure or in a medium strength.
Asteroids are not the same and sometimes 2 high in 2 low is enough, sometime 2 high in 1 low and 1 medium is enough and some other time you need to add a 3rd charge.
 
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