1. The Mining Workflow
Mining in Starminer follows a six-step process. Master this loop before automating anything:
- Outfit Your Rig — Equip Mining Lasers, Scanners, Haulers, Metal Storages, and Crew.
- Find an Asteroid — Navigate to a star system. Different shapes and sizes indicate different resources. Ice asteroids yield H₂O.
- Scan — Use your Scanner Module. Blue patches = Silicates (Si). Green patches = Primary resource (Iron, Cobalt, Thorium, Eonite, or H₂O).
- Mine with Lasers — Point at colored patches. Advanced lasers mine faster and from further away, but use more energy and generate more heat.
- Transport with Haulers — Small automated vessels carry ore chunks back to your station. Stay close while they work!
- Refine — Feed ore into your Refinery Module to produce usable metals.
⚠️ Common Mistake: Flying Away Too Early
If you move away from the asteroid while haulers are working, they abandon the job and the ore chunks are lost. Stay within range until all chunks are collected.
2. Mining Lasers
Your primary tool for breaking ore off asteroids. Higher-tier lasers have better range and speed but cost more energy and heat:
| Laser Tier | Range | Speed | Energy Draw | Heat Generated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Mining Laser | Short | Slow | Low | Low |
| Advanced Mining Laser | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Heavy Mining Laser | Long | Fast | High | High |
| Industrial Mining Array | Very Long | Very Fast | Very High | Very High |
3. Refinery Tiers
The Refinery is the heart of your operation. Higher tiers process more chunks simultaneously and unlock new resources:
| Tier | Capacity | Can Process | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 1 chunk | Iron, Silicates, Cobalt | Mobile mining ships, early game |
| T2 | 3 chunks | Above + Thorium | ⭐ Priority upgrade. Non-mobile stations. |
| T3 | 5 chunks | Above + Eonite | Permanent stations. Required for interstellar Link Gates. |
💡 Rush T2 Refinery
The T2 Refinery is the single most impactful early upgrade. It triples your processing capacity AND unlocks Thorium — which powers nuclear reactors and sells for 360 credits/unit.
4. Complete Resource Database
| Resource | Sell Price | Found In | Primary Use | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron (Fe) | 12 credits | Common asteroids | Basic construction | 🟢 Keep |
| Silicates (Si) | 8 credits | Blue patches (all asteroids) | Construction + repairs | 🟢 Keep (always!) |
| Cobalt (Co) | 72 credits | Debris fields, specific asteroids | Construction, early money | 🟡 Sell surplus |
| Thorium (Th) | 360 credits | C-class asteroids | Nuclear reactors, advanced modules | 🟡 Sell surplus |
| Eonite (Eo) | Very High | Rare deep-space asteroids | Link Gates (interstellar travel) | 🔴 Hoard |
| H₂O (Water) | Low | Ice asteroids | Colonist survival, habitats | 🟢 Keep |
5. Drill Nodes: Automated Mining
Drill Nodes are your first step toward a fully automated mining operation:
- Build on large asteroids — the node automatically extracts resources over time.
- Towing capability — attach a Drill Node to a small asteroid and it becomes a mobile mining platform you can drag to your station.
- Passive income — once placed, Drill Nodes generate resources without player input. Check back periodically to collect.
- Multiple nodes stack — you can have Drill Nodes on multiple asteroids feeding one central processing hub.
6. Scanning & Asteroid Types
Not all asteroids are equal. Learn to identify high-value targets:
| Asteroid Type | Visual Clues | Common Resources | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Rock | Small, irregular, gray-brown | Iron, Silicates | Low |
| Debris Field | Scattered small fragments | Cobalt (often), Iron | Medium |
| C-Class | Large, dark, cratered surface | Thorium (common), Iron | High |
| Ice Asteroid | White-blue, crystalline surface | H₂O (primary) | Essential |
| Rare Deep-Space | Glowing veins, unusual shape | Eonite, Thorium | Very High |
7. Selling & Trading
To sell resources, fly to Reclamation 9 (the large Governance ship):
- Approach the ship and stop at the green arrows (trading lane markers).
- Open the trade UI to see your stored metals and current market prices.
- Sell surplus Cobalt and Thorium for credits. Keep Iron and Silicates.
- Use a T2 Metal Storage module to hold more inventory between selling trips.
Credits are used for: buying colonists (100 each), research costs, module purchases, and paying off your debt (top-left menu).
💡 Best Early Money Route
Target debris fields for Cobalt (72 credits/unit) and C-class asteroids for Thorium (360 credits/unit). One good C-class asteroid can fund your early expansion entirely.
8. Crew & Colonists
- Colonists cost 100 credits each and are auto-generated in habitats when you have credits + free space.
- Crew members operate your modules — refineries, research labs, weapons. More crew = faster operation.
- Keep H₂O supplies stocked. Without water, colonists die.
- Each habitat has a colonist cap. Build more habitats to support a larger workforce.