What are you mining tips & tricks?

[Barbamaus]

Hello!
The guy that usually plays miner with us is not going to play this world, so I decided to give it a try. But I do know very little about it (I'm aware of how the dust minesweeper system works), especially I don't really know how to get started.
The few times I did some mining was way later into the world, so I had already higher stats and pickaxes.

If you guys have any tips for someone starting, I'd appreciate it. Especially anything that matters the very first few days, since we got a fresh world coming up!

[Sevenless]

Not an inclusive list:

Low Q rustroot extract (Q20 max) is useful for looking at metal the level below caves. Any higher Q, and you find veins that are way too far out to conveniently mine to.

Grug alts are very useful: A throwaway alt for hitting walls on cave level to avoid blind caving in on your main miner and putting it out of commission in the first couple days.

Stack furnace only needs to be pumped until you see the extra fire, it stays boosted indefinitely.

[Audiosmurf]

Stack furnace only needs to be pumped until you see the extra fire, it stays boosted indefinitely.

Last I checked, a couple months ago, pumping stack furnace only covered half the duration of a smelt before needed to be pumped again. Did this change?

[Barbamaus]

Low Q rustroot extract (Q20 max) is useful for looking at metal the level below caves. Any higher Q, and you find veins that are way too far out to conveniently mine to.

That's a good point!

Grug alts are very useful: A throwaway alt for hitting walls on cave level to avoid blind caving in on your main miner and putting it out of commission in the first couple days.

I hadn't thought of that risk! I'll definitely need an alt for that! How much STR does the alt need?



Also, should I raise just STR, or CON too?

[Sevenless]

Stack furnace only needs to be pumped until you see the extra fire, it stays boosted indefinitely.

Last I checked, a couple months ago, pumping stack furnace only covered half the duration of a smelt before needed to be pumped again. Did this change?

This was what loftar told us directly about stack furnaces when they came out, but he has been wrong in the past about his own mechanics lol.

[WowGain]

Stack furnace only needs to be pumped until you see the extra fire, it stays boosted indefinitely.

Last I checked, a couple months ago, pumping stack furnace only covered half the duration of a smelt before needed to be pumped again. Did this change?

This was what loftar told us directly about stack furnaces when they came out, but he has been wrong in the past about his own mechanics lol.

I timed them during the world, stack furnaces remain lit after pumping them up for around 45 minutes

[Jalpha]

Wall tapping L1 cave walls is a pro Strat. Metal on day one...

Strength requirements are highly variable and I haven't done this in a while but I've successfully found metal nodes with less than 50 strength in the past. Getting a high quality stone for a high quality stone axe is more important imo.

Finding coal is much more difficult and one of the first things you should build if you plan to mine early is a tar kiln.

I don't usually use rustroot to get my first anvil and pick because it has a fairly high per*exp requirement.

(I've never been a dedicated miner.)

[The_Lich_King]

Before you even start mining build a tar kiln. You should build a Tar Kiln on day one, usually right after you find your permanent settlement. Doesn't matter the quality, doesn't matter where you put it but having coal burning from day one is essential because the first roadblock you will run into mining is when its time to start smelting iron and you have no coal.

[Sevenless]

Before you even start mining build a tar kiln. You should build a Tar Kiln on day one, usually right after you find your permanent settlement. Doesn't matter the quality, doesn't matter where you put it but having coal burning from day one is essential because the first roadblock you will run into mining is when its time to start smelting iron and you have no coal.

Absolutely forgot this. Don't just build one, or two. Build like 5.

They aren't really that much work to make (hunger alts are fine to use), but if you don't have them life sucks bad.

[The_Lich_King]

Before you even start mining build a tar kiln. You should build a Tar Kiln on day one, usually right after you find your permanent settlement. Doesn't matter the quality, doesn't matter where you put it but having coal burning from day one is essential because the first roadblock you will run into mining is when its time to start smelting iron and you have no coal.

Absolutely forgot this. Don't just build one, or two. Build like 5.

They aren't really that much work to make (hunger alts are fine to use), but if you don't have them life sucks bad.

Yup first thing i did this world, was found an island where i wouldn't be trolled or disturbed and filled the shoreline with tar kilns (not for metal, i wanted my first week Snekkja)