Mine hole and prospecting

[Maychi]

So since world 1-2-3 mining changed alot. I've read wiki (and wikia too) , but one question is still unclear:
We don't have kewl rustroot extract to search around the world for rich spot right now. But it seems like in world 4 you can build a minehole anywhere , even near your village , get to 2nd layer and just dig until you find something or get decent extract to scan.
Question: May i just build and hope to find something near us or it's still better to run around surface layer and spam "Prospect" like good ol' days?
Second Question: Prospecting now can be done underground too , right? So , for ex. we are building minehole , diggin diggin , got nothing , but still can hope that extract (like downsing rod) will point to vein. Amirite?
Third: Not rly important , but: is different veins with different metal type (soft like silver , tin or strong like iron...and iron) got same str*tool requirement?

p.s. I DO take in account that building a minehole in a village is risky , and it should be closed in (at least) palisade so noone will ninja us from behind.

[Mashadar]

In theory, you could buy a minehole right in your village and dig into random directions until you hit a vein.
Depending on your luck, that might take a while of digging through stone, though.
Instead of building a mine hole, you could just look for the nearest unclaimed cave entrance and dig along the walls.
Usually, you can find at least 2-3 veins per cave this way.

And yes, you can prospect underground, but it will look for veins in the layer below you.
If you want to find veins on the first underground layer, you'll have to prospect on the surface.

[Maychi]

In theory, you could buy a minehole right in your village and dig into random directions until you hit a vein.
Depending on your luck, that might take a while of digging through stone, though.
Instead of building a mine hole, you could just look for the nearest unclaimed cave entrance and dig along the walls.
Usually, you can find at least 2-3 veins per cave this way.

And yes, you can prospect underground, but it will look for veins in the layer below you.
If you want to find veins on the first underground layer, you'll have to prospect on the surface.

Don't care about time , I'm not in a hurry to make steel etc.
Nearest unclaimed cave my gf found was way too far , but will give it a try and hope for some luck.

So there is 2nd mine layer or it's not available for mortals? Any info how "infinite" are they? (just curious , cuz this new mining system looks much better than old one...except cave claiming ofc)

Thanks for tips in advance

edit: ah , I remember now. Cave ins. So to start a minehole it's better to have some metal stored already so nothing will bust us while digging.

[Goddess]

There are ways to abuse the current mining system - look at some russian raiding threads.
You can mine that way without cave ins.

Otherwise a few pieces of ore -> 1 Metal Bar - is already enough for 5 Mine Supports ( supporting a 9x9 area each )

[Mashadar]

So there is 2nd mine layer or it's not available for mortals? Any info how "infinite" are they? (just curious , cuz this new mining system looks much better than old one...except cave claiming ofc)

I believe there are five layers, however the stone becomes increasingly harder to mine the deeper you go.
Until you have a lot of strength, you might want to stay clear of the lower layers, especially since trolls are more likely to spawn there.

[TeckXKnight]

Rustroot extract always prospects the layer below you. So prospecting the surface prospects layer 1, prospecting layer 1 reveals metal ore on layer 2, etc..
I have heard repeatedly that there are 10 layers, though I have yet to dig that far down.
Stone hardness is variable and based off of "Hardness" nodes. You can find stone that requires 10str and a q10 stone axe to mine. You can also find stone you can't mine with 200str and a q80 stone axe.
Ore is far from unlimited now and veins are easy to mine out completely after just a day or two.

[Sevenless]

I don't think this was mentioned: To access lower levels of a mine you build a mine shaft inside the cave you create.

It's also worthwhile to point out that noobs shouldn't have access to nearby caves. They should have started off deep in a pine forest well away from water. The further you are from any easy access resources (caves, rivers, etc) the better to avoid high traffic and possible griefers/raiders.