How should I approach mining?

[Alrom]

I went on a cave and blindly mined until I found a vein of chalcopyrite (8% copper, 4% iron).

After using some rustroot extracts the best I've found without digging more into the caves was a vein of iron ochre (12% iron) on the level below.

I don't know what should be my next step. I really would like to get some iron tools and maybe a melee weapon.


Should I just keep digging at the chalcopyrite veins I found and hope to get iron? Should I try to find other ore veins? There are a couple of spots that are slightly too hard for me to dig (33 str, 23q axe). Or maybe I should build a mining hole and go to the next level ?



And while on the topic of mining holes, how do most player deal with multi-level mining?

Do they prospect a good ore vein, build the hole, dig all that was in that vein and leave it or they prospect more and try to find the next ore vein another level below?

Thanks for the help.

[Lordtimo]

I also started with chalcopyrite. I managed to get a pickaxe and other metal tools quite fast. Without pickaxe you should not even try to go to level 2.
Would recommend to stay on level 1 and just search for other veins / use the chalcopyrite.

If you can find veins on the next level, which are close to each other you can just dig there without building a new minehole.
Also I would say that once you hit level 2 you will search for a level 3 vein and not go back to level 1 and search for another vein on level 2.

[Granger]

I would suggest to get the related skills to increase the yield from the ore you mine first, they'll pay out quickly.
Then explore the cave layer and prospect it from the surface using rustroot, covering a wider area most likely gives you access to copper, tin and iron.

Meanwhile raise some trees to get better quality blocks, together with higher quality stones you can spiral stone axes (make better one than you have, in case the old one capped your stones use the new to mine better ones, split fresh block to get better branch, repeat). Keep in mind that mined quality is capped by both your masonry and your tool.

For mineholes an idea is to put it near a vein you prospected from the underground layer above (to not destroy ore tiles) and preferably so that it intersects the wall of a cave (located with 'no minerals below' when prospecting) in the lower layer, so should the tiles the be to hard for you there would be the option to move through the natural cave system to locate softer places (where you might find better stone to make a better axe).

Tin is great for supports for the beginning (as yield is high), you should aim for an anvil, hammer and metal axe first (quality dosn't matter) to get more blocks from your quality trees (more sticks and more coal from tar kiln).

Mining without supports is possible, but only do it with full health (and have some snow at hand when breaking random cave wall tiles), never ever take a horse with you when mining (a spawning troll would instantly attack in case it sees one).

[Thedrah]

for me? get decent str and a few of the mining skills to increase yield to start. i haven't done 2nd level and is overdue
if completely hermit, i suggest leaving mining for when you actually run out of other stuff to do. metal only really gives gives you better combat equipment and a few decent symbel things

right now, get some foraging stuff like tons of blueberries and trade for a decent pickaxe

[Sevenless]

for me? get decent str and a few of the mining skills to increase yield to start. i haven't done 2nd level and is overdue
if completely hermit, i suggest leaving mining for when you actually run out of other stuff to do. metal only really gives gives you better combat equipment and a few decent symbel things

right now, get some foraging stuff like tons of blueberries and trade for a decent pickaxe

Ant queens are the way to go for generating currency with endgame players

[tigerlrg245]

Ant queens are the way to go for generating currency with endgame players

Whats so special about queens? and at what q level

[NOOBY93]

Ant queens are the way to go for generating currency with endgame players

Whats so special about queens? and at what q level

The special thing is everyone needs them, Q basically doesn't matter (Q10+), and noobs can easily get them. People want them because they're a crafting material in one of the best endgame curios, ant farm.

Ant queens + blueberries is the way to go when it comes to generating currency. Pick every blueberry while actively looking for anthills and raiding each one. Should find yourself having a solid amount of coins in no time if traded in the community fair

[Sevenless]

Also notably, Ant queens are difficult to bot. This means that your value/hour isn't being compared to a computer running 24/7.