1. What Are Drill Nodes?
Drill Nodes are autonomous mining platforms you deploy on asteroid deposits. Once placed, they continuously extract ore without player input — no mining laser, no manual hauling, no nothing. They are the single most important technology for transitioning from manual mining (Phase 1) to automated income (Phase 2).
Key stats per Drill Node (Mk I): Extraction rate: 5 ore/min | Power: Self-contained (solar) | Durability: 500 HP | Cargo capacity: 50 units | Deployment cost: 8,000 credits
2. How to Unlock
- Research Drill Node Technology in the Tech Tree — 1,500 RP
- Build Drill Node modules at any Shipyard (8,000 credits each)
- Transport them in your cargo hold to the deployment site
- Deploy on a scanned asteroid deposit (press G while targeting the deposit)
💡 Research Priority
Drill Nodes should be your #1 research priority after the tutorial. Every hour you delay is ~3,000 credits of passive income lost forever. Research it as soon as you have 1,500 RP.
3. Deployment & Placement Strategy
Where to place Drill Nodes (priority order):
- Orange/Purple deposit asteroids — highest value ores (Neodymium, Yttrium, Platinum). 1 Node on a rare deposit = 3 Nodes on common iron
- Asteroid belt clusters — multiple deposits within 2km. One hauler can service 3-4 Nodes in a cluster
- Safe zones — within 15km of Reclamation 9 where alien activity is minimal
- Avoid hostile zones — marked red on your map. Nodes placed there will be destroyed within 30 minutes
Don't place Nodes: Too close together (under 500m — reduces efficiency by 20% due to interference), on grey (common) deposits unless you have no choice, in direct line-of-sight of alien patrol routes.
4. Hauler Routing
A Drill Node without a hauler is just a storage container that fills up and stops. Set up the Drill Node → Hauler → Refinery chain:
- Deploy 3-4 Drill Nodes in a cluster
- Build a dedicated hauler ship (see Mule build in Starter Ships)
- Install Hauler AI module (1,500 RP)
- Set route: Node Cluster → Your Refinery Station
- Set cargo trigger: depart when 70% full (not 100% — avoids idle Nodes)
Hauler math: 1 hauler can service 3-4 Nodes if the refinery is within 10km. For 8+ Nodes, add a second hauler on a staggered schedule.
5. Efficiency & Upgrades
| Upgrade | RP Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Drill Node Efficiency I | 1,000 | +25% extraction rate (5 → 6.25 ore/min) |
| Drill Node Efficiency II | 2,500 | +50% extraction rate (6.25 → 7.5 ore/min) |
| Drill Node Durability | 1,500 | +200 HP (survives longer if attacked) |
| Drill Node Cargo Expansion | 2,000 | +25 cargo capacity (50 → 75 units) |
| Hauler AI Optimization | 2,000 | Haulers choose optimal route (30% faster trips) |
6. ROI: When Do Drill Nodes Pay Off?
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Drill Node research | 1,500 RP |
| 1× Drill Node | 8,000 credits |
| 1× Hauler ship (Mule) | ~12,700 credits |
| Total setup (3 Nodes + 1 Hauler) | ~36,700 credits |
Income per Node: 5 ore/min × 60 min × average ore value (20 credits refined) = ~6,000 credits/hour. 3 Nodes = 18,000 credits/hour. Payback time: ~2 hours. After that, pure profit. Over a 20-hour playthrough, 3 Nodes generate ~360,000 credits — a 10× return.
7. Scaling to Industrial Levels
Late-game Drill Node network: 12-16 Nodes across 2-3 systems, 4-5 haulers on optimized routes, 2 refinery stations processing ore, 1 trade station near Reclamation 9 for selling. Passive income: 150,000+ credits/hour. At this point, you stop mining manually entirely — you're a CEO, not a miner.
Related: Hauler Logistics · Money Making · Progression Roadmap