Introduction to Mining Three of the most common activities in the Entropia Universe are hunting, mining, and crafting. Historically, mining has been more difficult than hunting to take up as an initial activity, but since the cheaper "Rookie" mining equipment was introduced, new players can choose to start mining as early and easily as hunting. Mining consists of searching for various types of ore and energy matter in the ground, and then extracting the finds. Colonists who spend a portion of their time mining are called miners ("Miner" is also the name of a Profession, which is related to only a part of the mining system; note that this guide will use the term miner to refer to a colonist who mines). Pleasantly note that you will never be forced to select one activity for your avatar; it is possible for a single colonist to be a hunter, a miner, a crafter, and much more, simply by taking part in each associated activity. This guide contains basic information to help you to start mining. Preparing to Mine for the First Time You will need three types of items to mine; a finder, probes or bombs, and an excavator. A finder is used to release (drop) probes or bombs onto the ground. After each drop, the screen on the finder will let you know whether a resource is buried near the location where the probe or bomb was dropped. The finder may be able to identify the size and type of resource, or the size and type may be unknown. Either a Claim Marker or a Drill Tower will appear above the resource. A Drill Tower only appears if the Trade Terminal value of the buried resource is very large. It comes equipped with an automatic extracting mechanism, and can store a large portion of your find in a buffer area, which can be emptied out into your carried Inventory once every twenty-four hours. A Claim Marker is used to extract smaller finds, and appears much more frequently. Finds beneath a Claim Marker are extracted manually, with an excavator. The first step is acquiring the mining equipment. You will need to decide whether you wish to mine for ore, or for energy matter. In the long run, it will cost significantly more (per attempt) to mine for ore than energy matter, but ore finds will generally be larger. However, this is not the case at the start, when using Rookie mining equipment. You will need to acquire either an ore finder, bombs, and an ore excavator, or an energy matter finder, probes, and an energy matter excavator. You can purchase these items at the Trade Terminal. Probes cost 50 PEC each, and bombs cost 1 PED each, but Rookie probes and bombs cost only 10 PEC each. Because a probe or bomb is spent during each mining attempt, it is much cheaper to mine with Rookie mining equipment. Of course, the finds will also be smaller when using Rookie mining equipment, but it allows you to mine for much longer on limited funds. The next step is equipping your finder. There are a number of ways to equip an item; perhaps the simplest method is to right-click the item in your carried Inventory and select "Equip." At some point soon, you will learn to create keyboard or on-screen shortcuts. When you decide that taking the time to do so is worthwhile, you will be able to equip items more quickly, which will be quite useful for mining, especially if you switch between your finder and excavator each time you find a resource. The next step is using your finder. As is the case with equipping, there are a number of ways to use an item. One possible technique is to right-click any part of the screen and select "Use Tool." If you enable Aim Mode (toggled by pressing the Space Bar while Aim Mode is enabled in the Options menu), you can drop a probe or bomb using left-click, without the use of a popup menu as the first technique required. Alternatively, you can use your finder with the same keyboard or on-screen shortcut used to equip it. It is possible to use your finder in both first-person view and third-person view; the choice is a matter of preference. The final step depends upon the result of using your finder. If the finder reveals that there are no resources in the area, simply use it again in a different location. If a resource is found, you will receive a resource deed (occasionally, you will also receive an additional item at this time, described in the Main Chat as "something out of the ordinary"). The information on the resource deed, the screen on the finder, and markings on your map may all be used to pinpoint the location of your find. If the find is beneath a Claim Marker, aim your excavator at the Claim Marker, and use it via one of the same techniques available to use a finder, listed above. It will extract the resource from the ground, which is then yours to keep. You may also find it useful to acquire an ore refiner or energy matter refiner, which will convert the resources you earn into refined resources. Resources must be refined before being used for their intended purposes. Refined resources also weigh less than unrefined resources, so you can hold more in your carried Inventory, while maintaining a reasonable running speed, if you refine them. Mining Skills Because the Entropia Universe is centered around its real cash economy, it is not possible for every miner to consistently find valuable resources that outweigh the costs of mining. The successful miner must find a way to set himself or herself apart from the group. One of the most important ways to become cost efficient as a miner is gaining mining skills. Ultimately, mining skills cause your finders to search deeper into the ground (which may yield different resources), and allow them to drop probes or bombs at a faster rate. Excavators are also affected by mining skills. They will be able to extract larger chunks of a find per use, and the rate at which they can be used will increase, as your mining skills grow. Advanced finders and excavators require higher Profession levels to use effectively. To determine the minimum levels you should reach before using a particular finder or excavator, click "Show Detailed Information," and note the recommend levels for each related Profession. The most significant parameter affected by skills is the depth of your finders. Having the ability to mine at different depths allows one to intentionally search in places where useful or valuable resources are found, since each type of ore and energy matter is found at a different depth. Improving Your Finder or Excavator A finder may be connected to an attachment called an amplifier. To do so, simply click and drag the amplifier onto the finder in your carried Inventory. Mining with an amplifier is more costly, as the attached amplifier will decay each time you drop a probe or bomb, but it will also enlarge the size of each find proportionally, while attached. Finders and excavators are also candidates for the tiering and enhancing system. Therefore, it is possible to improve your finder's or excavator's capabilities using enhancers, instead of upgrading to a new finder or excavator. Final Thoughts Mining is often considered to be more profitable than hunting overall. The market value of ore and energy matter is usually higher than the market value of hunting loot. However, due to the very large size of some finds, the Trade Terminal value of the resources returned from a mining trip can be quite unpredictable. Dropping the same number of probes or bombs twice may yield two very different results. This means that it is necessary to drop a large number of probes or bombs in order to achieve consistent results. If you acquire an ore finder, bombs, an ore excavator, an energy matter finder, probes, and an energy matter excavator, you can even alternate between the finders such that you are mining for ore, and for energy matter, in parallel. 101011010010001000100101010010100101001001111110010010100 B.E.A.C.O.N. - A legendary robot device with metaphysical pow... B.E.A.C... Transmission error_code 0xA17C0994... Receiving... We h1ve found the 1ncient t1blets which tell of the legend1ry B.E.1... The fin1l t1blet is still legible. It re1ds: "1ges 1go, there w1s once 1 time when m1nkind w1s free. The binding forces of our Pl1net C1lypso's 1tmosphere could be...unlocked. Only miners held the key. The key to freedom. It w1s the miner of yesterd1y th1t 1llowed the scientific rese1rch necess1ry for our present d1y sol1r system to be colonized 1s we know it. **CK***pi1, Nex* ****nd, *rk**i1 - none of them would be so much 1s N1MED, let 1lone explored, if it w1sn't for the miner of yesterd1y! 1nd now, it h1s been 1ll but forgotten! HOW? How does 1 world sh1ped so dr1stic1lly by it tre1t it 1s 1 mere myth!? How h1ve you 1ll but forgotten the wondrous B.E.1... It will return...the key to freedom. Truth c1nnot be discovered from within. We 1re depend1nt on it, no m1tter how little we c1re to 1dmit so. I 1w1it the B.E.1... M1rk my words: The B.E.1... It will return...
