Look around few pages back. People have already posted ore locations and other stuff. Or you can use flcompanion map. It's all about motivation and not waiting to be given things on silver plate.
Alright, two cans of Monster, ADHD meds, and more time than I probably should have spent later. I have updated all of this to the best of my abilities with the resources I have available. I certainly hope that this is at least somewhat helpful to others / any one working on updating this guide.
Discovery Mining Guide - Part I
Introduction
Welcome to the wonderful world of mining within the Discovery Mod. This guide serves as the latest version of the tutorial designed to inform new and existing players about the changes made by Cannon’s Mining Mod implemented in March of 2011. Many changes were made from 4.8.77 to 4.88.1 and then, even more, changes were made to where we are now - 4.91.0 Patch 8
This tutorial was made to help newer or even older players. If something seems off post a message here or below.
- Ship which can mount a Mining Laser (Listed Below)
- An ID That can Mine (Listed Below)
- Caution: Only mining turrets are effective for mining. Other weapons are useless for mining operations.
Setup
Each Faction can only mine with certain ships, it is important to make sure that the ID you choose is compatible with the ship in order to guarantee mining.
As of Patch 5.0:
(09-16-2023, 09:10 PM)Haste Wrote: Mining Arrays:
Arrays will now be mounted in a ship’s cruise disruptor slot, meaning you retain a full set of weapons while mining. This does mean you will only receive drops for one array hitting rocks at a time, and we are reevaluating field drop rates accordingly.
Deployable Mining Container:
The mining container is a commodity that can be purchased from most stations. Dropping it while in a mining field will deploy a storage depot. Mining with the depot selected will store up to 2,500 volume of mined goods inside it; if this is exceeded, the goods will be jettisoned into space.
In this sense, the depot primarily works to reduce clutter by consolidating dropped ore, considerably reducing strain on the server. Destroying the depot will drop the Mining Container commodity, and any items still stored inside it. The depot will despawn on its own if you leave the system or log off.
As a result of this change, if a player has dropped more than 25 free-floating containers of cargo in space, they will begin to despawn every 7 minutes. This is intended to further limit strain on the server.
Mining IDs are specific IDs that allow you to mine. Some companies specialize in mining. Finally, some quasi-lawful and unlawful groups have the ability to mine select ores. All IDs must be used in tandem with their matching IFF, except in the case of the Freelancer ID, which may use any IFF (or none at all). Here is a run-down of all the factions available:
A Bretonian mining company that runs most of Bretonia's mining. Specializes in Beryllium, Gold, Uncut Diamonds and Niobium. They have operations in Cambridge, Manchester, Omega-3 and formerly Dublin. BMM can mine the following commodities: Silver Ore, Gold Ore, Niobium Ore and Uncut Diamonds
While not a competitor to other mining and resource extraction corporations, Planetform has developed specialized technology to extract useful terraforming materials from asteroids and other sources. Planetform can mine the following commodities: Copper Ore
A Rheinland company. Specializes in Uncut Diamonds. They have operations in Omega-11 and Sigma-15. Daumann can mine the following commodities: Uncut Diamonds, Silver Ore and Aluminum Ore
A Rheinland mining company who is in conflict with Daumann Heavy Construction to be the primary Mining Corporation in Rheinland. Their operations are centralized on Omega-7 and its Silver however they often attempt to steal resources from Daumann claims in Omega-11 and Sigma-15 as well as GMG Claims in Sigma-13. Kruger can mine the following commodities: Silver Ore, Uncut Diamonds, Aluminium Ore, Helium-3.
A Gallic company specializing in Oil and Machinery production as well as localized industrial clean-up: Military Salvage.
Tournez, Courbe, Plier, Aurochs, Rock Badger.
Gallic Metal Service
A Gallic company with a wide range of operations though they primarily extract Molybdenum in Zurich. GMS can mine the following commodities: Molybdenum Ore, Niobium Ore, Military Salvage.
Tournez, Courbe, Plier, Aurochs, Rock Badger.
Samura Industries
One of the two great Kusari keiretsu, they are in a shadow-conflict with their main competitor; Kishiro Technologies as well as The Gas Miners Guild. Samura can mine the following commodities: Helium-3, Platinum Ore, Niobium Ore.
One of the two great Kusari keiretsu, they work closely with The Gas Miners Guild. Kishiro Technologies can mine the following commodities: Helium-3.
Drone, Kin, Garanchou, Kamome
Gas Miners Guild
The Gas Miners Guild considers themselves a micro-house. They claim Okinawa, Sigma-13, Sigma- 15, Sigma-17, Sigma-19, Sigma-21 and Sigma-59. The GMG can mine the following commodities: Helium-3.
Drone, Kin, Garanchou, Kamome
Independent Miners Guild
A Sirius wide mining organization they actively compete with BMM, DHC, and Kruger for access to raw materials with in the Taus and Omegas. Ore bonuses are generally lower than house companies. Specializes in Niobium. IMG can mine: Silver Ore, Gold Ore, Niobium Ore and Uncut Diamonds, Platinum Ore.
Liberty unlawful faction, The Xenos are a loosely affiliated terrorist organization opposed to any trade or other interaction with foreign entities. Can mine the following commodities: Copper Ore.
A large Rheinland unlawful faction in active rebellion against Rheinland, they steal Diamonds from DHC to fund their rebellion. Can mine the following commodities: Uncut Diamonds.
Rheinland unlawful faction, The Unioners are an outlaw group composed of dispossessed Rheinland shipyard workers who engage in brutal reprisals chiefly against Republican Shipping. Can mine the following commodities: Military Salvage.
Bretonian unlawful faction, they harass BMM and try to use stolen gold to fund a secession movement from Bretonia. Can mine the following commodities: Gold Ore.
Not affiliated with any house. Specializes in scrap mining. Operations in: Most of Sirius except Kusari. Can mine the following commodities: Military Salvage.
The Zoners are a diverse group of individuals who, for various reasons, have decided to live in the wild and unregulated systems outside of House control. Can mine the following commodities: Iridium Ore and Alien Organisms.
The Order is a powerful covert organization that controls several remote Omicron systems. Can mine the following commodities: Iridium Ore, Azurite Gas and Alien Organisms.
The Core is a private military company operating mainly within the Edge Worlds. Can mine the following commodities: Iridium Ore, Azurite Gas and Alien Organisms.
Most AIs descend from Planet Gammu, where environmental conditions caused human settlement to fail, leaving only sentient machines behind, who then continued to evolve. These AIs are fully self-aware and autonomous, and not under Human or Nomad control. Can mine the following commodities: Iridium, Iridium Ore, Azurite Gas and Alien Organisms.
The Freelancer ID is used for miners who do not wish to affiliate themselves to any faction. The Freelancer ID allows mining of any commodity type, at a slower rate, with any affiliation and any ship that has a Mining array.(NEEDS VERIFICATION)
All Ships with Mining Laser Hardpoints (listed below)
Mining Turrets As of Patch 5.0 All mining lasers have been grouped into the single special equipment "Mining Laser".
The Mining Laser operate by adding ore to your cargo hold when it strikes and destroys a floating chunk of ore when near Ore Bouys.
Mining Ships when used with a compatible ID can provide extra drop-rate from mining fields. Not all mining ships can get a bonus on every mining ID, so check Part II of the guide for a detailed list of which IDs provide a bonus with which ships and for which ores.
"Gitano" Junker Light Fighter Junker Small Fighter Miner. The smallest mining ship in the game, however it highlights Junker ship philosophy that only gets clearer the more ships you see: Combat Vessels masquerading as Mining Ships. Cargo Hold: 40
"Bull Dog" Junker Heavy Fighter Junker Small Fighter Miner. See Gitano's description. Cargo Hold: 50
"Surveyor" Light Fighter Sirian Small Fighter Miner. The definition of barebones, it is the primary miner used by people mining for large groups but it is severely lacking in cargo space. Cargo Hold: 55
"Scraper" Very Heavy Fighter Sirian Medium Fighter Miner. Similar to the Surveyor but its better at combat than its smaller counterpart. Cargo Hold: 65
"Tournez" Gallic Light Fighter Gallic Small Fighter Miner. The primary miner used for group mining due to its size and efficiency, what it lacks in cargo space it makes up in speed of mining. Cargo Hold: 75
"Courbe" Gallic Very Heavy Fighter Gallic Medium Fighter Miner. While it has significantly more cargo than the Scraper it overall fills a similar role for the Gallic mining ship market. Cargo Hold: 100
"Collector" Junker Very Heavy Fighter Junker Medium Fighter Miner. The Junker Equivalent to the Courbe and the Scraper. Cargo Hold: 120
"Plier" Gallic Super Heavy Fighter Gallic Heavy Fighter Miner. The largest of the Gallic Miners. Cargo Hold: 125
"Arrastra" Sirian Super Heavy Fighter Sirian Large Fighter Miner. The largest of the Sirian Snub Miners. Cargo Hold: 175
"Recycler" Junker Super Heavy Fighter Junker Large Fighter Miner. The largest of the Junker Snub Miners. Cargo Hold: 180
"CSV" Combat Service Vehicle Junker Large Fighter Miner. The most iconic Junker ship. Cargo Hold: 180
DL-Hai "Grizzly" Liberty Shuttle Liberty House Civilian freighter. Sporting higher armor than its sister ship the “Rhino”. However all that armor comes at the cost of cargo space/ Cargo Hold: 600
Breton DS-2 "Voyager" Civilian Freighter Sirian Civilian Freighter.
Comparable in many regards to the Kestrel. While it has less cargo space it does feature better armaments being closer to a Super Heavy Fighter akin to a heavier Plier, Arrastra, or Recycler in terms was load out. If you need a miner with some teeth this is definitely a solid choice. Cargo Hold: 600
CTE 1770F Ingram C2000 "Sunburst" Civilian Freighter Basic Sirian Mining Freighter. A very close second as the cheapest freighter in the game. Another fantastic first ship for mining very comparable to the Kestrel. Cargo Hold: 600
M18 "Correo" Corsair Freighter Corsair Unlawful Freighter. The Correo is definitely a leg up in terms of survivability on the Mule. Sporting hardier armor and 8 rather than 7 forward firing guns at the cost of 10 cargo units the Correo can mine and be a threat when it needs to. Cargo Hold: 600
BFR19 "Courier" Gallic Black Market Freighter Gallic Unlawful Freighter. comparable to the Mule and Tarvos. While this is Gallic Unlawful, it is generally affiliated with Gallic Brigands and Unione Corse. Cargo Hold: 600
IMG-M2C "Annapurna" Mining Ship Standard IMG Mining Freighter. The primary miner for the IMG, can often be found in the hands of Mollys and Red Hessians. Cargo Hold: 600
Z -1138 "Mule" Pirate Freighter Sirian Unlawful freighter. The Mule is the workhorse for numerous unlawful mining groups. Cargo Hold: 610
T-282-F "Garanchou" GMG Freighter Standard GMG Freighter. By a large margin one of the slimest freighters, not much else to say about it though. Cargo Hold: 610
VEU-19 "Tarvos" Gallic Black Market Freighter Gallic Unlawful Freighter. Comparable to the Mule or Courier but with more cargo than either one this is Gallic Unlawful however it is more closely affiliated with The Maquis. Cargo Hold: 620
CTE 1770F "Kestrel" Civilian Freighter Basic Sirian Mining Freighter. Given for free upon restart, excellent place to start. Cargo Hold: 620
"Leatherback" Gaian Freighter Gaian Unlawful Freighter. While the Gaians are not renowned for their mining habits this ship may offer them a unique opportunity to explore this, and also opens up options for those who wish to affiliate with Gaians. Cargo Hold: 630
"Celestra" Crayter Armed Transport Crayterian Freighter.
Crayter’s offering to the Freighter world, at the moment it doesn’t get much use in mining however Crayter’s historical connection to the IMG could see that change over time. Cargo Hold: 630
DSE 720 "Camara" Civilian Freighter Sirian Civilian Freighter.
A solid well rounded freighter, its tight profile makes it perfect for slipping through asteroid fields without ping-ponging around the entire field. Cargo Hold: 630
CST-010 "Dorado" OSC Ferry Sirian Civilian Freighter.
Kinda weird this has a mining laser slot but, sure. Cargo Hold: 640
Series D "Dromedary" Border Worlds Freighter Border Worlds freighter. The grandfather of Freighters, in Vanilla this was the peak of freighter cargo capacity. Nowadays it's a relatively unremarkable, but still reliable, freighter. Cargo Hold: 650
EFL MCU-1 "Aurochs" Gallic Freighter Gallic House Civilian Freighter. The Gallic cousin of the Camara or Kestrel. Cargo Hold: 650
Lancaster B-270 "Clydesdale" Bretonian House Civilian Freighter Bretonian House Civilian Freighter. Boasting higher cargo than generic civilian freighters the Clydesdale does feature one of the highest armor ratings of all freighters. Cargo Hold: 650
Zeuss FR-590 "Humpback" Rheinland Civilian Freighter Rheinland House Civilian Freighter The Ragnar’s little brother, there is nothing tiny about it. Boasting the heaviest armor of any freighter it’ll serve you well while you're bathing in the Omega-11 heat. Cargo Hold: 855
Samura-Kishiro N20j "Drone" Kusarian Civilian Freighter Kusari House Civilian Freighter. As with many of the House Specific freighters it is a straight upgrade from the generic civilian counterparts in most regards with the downside being its house affiliation. Cargo Hold: 650
Enterprise 20 "Rhino" Liberty Civilian Freighter Liberty House Civilian Freighter. The older brother of the Grizzly, what the Rhino makes up for in cargo however it lacks in armor. Cargo Hold: 650
R1 "Draugr" Edge Worlds Freighter Edgeworlds Freighter. A new addition to the Edgeworld Shipline, possibly one of the strangest looking freighters in the game, what it lacks in looks it makes up for in survivability having the second strongest hull of any freighter in the game. Cargo Hold: 650
Samura K30 "Kin" Kusari Civilian Freighter Kusari House Civilian Freighter. Another Kusari civilian freighter, this one with more armor though. Cargo Hold: 650
E56-15 "Yari" Blood Dragon Freighter Blood Dragon Unlawful Freighter. Its a color shifted Drone with more armor and a larger powercore. Cargo Hold: 650
"CSF" Junker Combat Service Freighter Junker Freighter. While no transport, this ship does well as a group mining assistant, and can even haul some cargo. A great wingman to any Salvager convoy. Cargo Hold: 650
Freighter/Transport Hybrids
"Pelican" Civilian Armored Transport While technically Civilian Transport/Freighter Hybrid, sporting better arms and armaments than other Freighters they also boast significantly large cargo holds. Cargo Hold: 800
Zeuss FR-850 "Ragnar" Rheinland Civilian Armored Transport Rheinland House Civilian Transport/Freighter Hybrid. See "Pelican" description. Cargo Hold: 855
CTE CT-40 "Gull" Civilian Transport Sirian Civilian Small Transport. The Gull is an iconic ship from Vanilla, though lackluster compared to some of the larger trading vessels around its slim profile paired with its ability to mine shouldn’t be under appreciated. Cargo Hold: 1000
CTE CT-100 "Grouse" Civilian Armored Transport Sirian Civilian Small Transport. A very compact ship for its hold, wouldn’t be the worst small miner for PoB filling. Cargo Hold: 1500
"Democritus" Class Civilian Ferry Sirian Civilian Ferry. Genuinely unsure why this has a mining laser but sure we’ll go with it. It's a cool ship though, it has customizable hull panels. Cargo Hold: 1500
Samura K60 "Bumblebee" Kusarian Civilian Transport Kusari House Civilian Small Transport. Imagine if they took the Drone, clipped the wings, and stretched it out. That’s the Bumblebee, a solidly reliable small transport. Cargo Hold: 1800
CTE CT-45 "Albatross" Civilian Large Transport Sirian Civilian Small Transport. The longest ship in the “Gull” line. While it can mine its length may make pivoting around asteroid fields more annoying than profitable. Cargo Hold: 2000
Enterprise 44 "Mammoth" Liberty Civilian Transport Liberty House Civilian Small Transport. It's a bigger Rhino, just as reliable and just as effective. Cargo Hold: 2200
Junker Salvage Frigate "Salvager" Junker Small Mining Transport. The primary vessel in any Junker’s arsenal, it can collect salvage and smuggle all in one. And with its Gunship weaponry it can easily swat away any would be harassers be them lawful or unlawful. Cargo Hold: 2350
"Rock Badger" Gallic Miner Gallic House Miner. The Gallic cousin of the Hegemon, significantly smaller but with that size reduction comes less cargo. Cargo Hold: 2350
"Dunlin" Retrofit Explorer Sirian Civilian Medium Transport. The ship embodiment of “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." It isn't the prettiest ship, or the fastest, or the biggest cargo, or the hardest, nor does it have the best firepower, but it can do all of that better than most other ships on this list. Cargo Hold: 2435
Edison AM-333 "Hegemon" Civilian Asteroid Miner Sirian Civilian Miner. The original model that all Miners were inspired by. It's big, it's ugly, it flies like a brick, but it’ll get the job done. Cargo Hold: 2750
288-ARKM-B20 "Kaiser" Rheinland Mining Ship Rheinland House Miner. The Rheinland House Miner is a smaller, more efficient version of the Hegemon, closer to the Rock Badger than the Hegemon in terms of size/mining potential though with more cargo.. Cargo Hold: 2750
IMGT-5E "Nanga Parbat" Medium Transport IMG Medium Mining Transport. One of the two largest ships with Mining lasers, if you are flying IMG there is no reason not to use this. Cargo Hold: 2800
T-382-T "Kamome" Kusari Mining Ship GMG Medium Mining Transport. Much like the Nanga Parbat, the Kamome has the largest mining ship cargo hold. Though this one is specialized in mining Helium-3 for the GMG. Cargo Hold: 2800
Mining and Transportation
Follow the above instructions? Great! You’re on track to becoming the next richest person in Sirius! Now, you’ll need to know where to mine, and where to bring it to once you’ve mined it.
Mining fields can be found by checking your map - open your map by hitting the F7 key (by default) or the map icon in the top right. There will often be large exclusion zones that when hovering over will read "Mining Zone" or something similar. When entering a zone, there will also be text that is displayed that will read "Entering Mining Zone" or something similar.
You can only gain ore while inside these fields, and ore will only drop from the small floating rocks, not the larger stationary ones. If you are not gaining any ore from the field, it is possible that:
- You’re not in a mining field: most mining fields are spheres, and it is possible that you’re above or below the field by a small amount. Set a waypoint if you’re worried this is the case.
- You are not capable of mining the ore effectively. Make sure your ID, IFF, ship, and turret all match what is required to mine that specific type of ore. For example, the “Sabre” VHF with Flashpoints is not going to be an effective mining craft.
- The field isn’t active. This is a rarity, but some fields in Discovery are turned off, either for balance purposes or due to their superfluousness.
- You have another ship selected, and are filling it, instead of your own hold. CTRL+T, by default, will de-select the current target.
If all else fails, contact other players in the field, players of any of the official mining factions, or post a reply in this thread. There will always be people willing to help you out.
Beginner Mining
There are 4 Beginner commodities that can easily be mined by anyone: Toxic Waste, Helium, Scrap Metal, and Hydrocarbons.
Beginner Mining: Helium
The Helium field in Pennsylvania (sector C5/C6) is specifically tuned for newer players who're just starting out and don't yet have access to larger transports that'd make longer routes worthwhile. Helium can be mined on any freighter or transport that can mount a Mining Laser.
Scrap Metal can be found across Sirius in dense fields of industrial waste. Note: While this commodity can also be mined and sold to NPC Stations, there are player owned bases that may buy the material for more for use in refining. Below are top 3 NPC bases, Player Owned Base prices may vary.
Toxic Waste, while not as common as Scrap Metal can also be found across Sirius in small fields of industrial waste Leeds has the highest concentration and most accessible fields of Toxic Waste. Note: While this commodity can be mined and sold to NPC Stations, there are player owned bases that may buy the material for more for use in refining. Below are top 3 NPC bases, Player Owned Base prices may vary.
Ask a nearby miner or an online [Staff] member for help. If neither of those options are available, feel free to leave a post in this thread and someone will be more than happy to get back to you with assistance.
This tutorial was made to help newer or even older players. If something seems off post a message here or below.
Azurite Gas Mining Field: Sector F/G4 in Omicron Minor. Mined by: Order, Core, Gammu AI
Sellpoints:
Prudhoe Skunk Works - Alaska Security Forces - 93
Evreux Research Facility - Gallic National Intelligence - 90
Calais Research Facility - Gallic National Intelligence - 88
Willard Research Station - Liberty Navy - 86
Sunderland Research Complex - Bretonian Intelligence Service -83
Nansei Research Complex - Kusari Office of Intelligence - 73
Heisenberg Research Station - Freelancers - 70
Cambridge Research Station - Cryer Pharmaceuticals - 70
Sendai Research Complex - Blood Dragons - 66
Schatten Research Facility - MND - 60
Aralsk Research Station - Sirius Coalition - 60
Atka Research Station] - Cryer Pharmaceuticals - 48
Durban Station - The Core - 35
Akabat - The Order - 25
Mining Field: Sector F6 in Dublin. Mined by: BMM, IMG, Mollys
Trafalgar Base, New London - Junkers - 48
Planet New London, New London - Bretonian Police - 36
Sellpoints:
Prudhoe Skunk Works, Alaska - Alaska Security Forces - 365
Evreux Research Facility, Orleanais - Gallic National Intelligence - 357
Calais Research Facility, Picardy - Gallic National Intelligence - 356
Willard Research Station, California - Liberty Navy - 348
Planet Manhattan, New York - Liberty Police Inc. - 346
Sunderland Research Complex, Kyushu - Bretonian Intelligence Service -342
Planet New Paris, New Paris - Gallic Navy - 319
Nansei Research Complex, Kyushu - Kusari Office of Intelligence - 316
Heisenberg Research Station, Cologne - Freelancers - 316
Cambridge Research Station, Cambridge - Cryer Pharmaceuticals - 309
Kabukicho Depot, New Tokyo - Hogosha - 305
Sendai Research Complex, Sigma-59 - Blood Dragons - 304
Planet New Tokyo, New Tokyo - Kusari State Police - 302
Planet New Berlin, New Berlin - Rheinland Police - 293
Kamakura Base, Sigma-59 - Hogosha - 291
Schatten Research Facility, Frankfurt - MND - 290
Aralsk Research Station, Omega-52 - Sirius Coalition - 286
Akabat, Omicron Mu - The Order - 269
Planet Crete, Omicron Gamma - Corsairs - 263
Durban Station, Omicron Delta - The Core - 247
Compatible Ships: Surveyor, Scraper, Arrastra, Spatial, All freighters and transports up to 3600 cargo
Low-Tier Mining
Unlike normal ores, low-tier mining fields have much faster droprates, shorter travel distance to their main sellpoint, but also lower overall profit. These fields are more suited for a side-activity and a change of pace, or ships with smaller cargosize that can't maximize their profit from proper ore runs yet. Routes with these commodities usually stay in the same region and can be a good midrange option between trading normal cargo and hauling actual ores.
Ask a nearby miner or an online [Staff] member for help. If neither of those options are available, feel free to leave a post in this thread and someone will be more than happy to get back to you with assistance.
It's not useless if your faction has a POB that can be used to refine the ore. I'd say it can be slightly more efficient than mining it yourself, assuming you can pirate someone faster than you could mine it on your own.
(01-03-2024, 05:50 PM)LuckyOne Wrote: It's not useless if your faction has a POB that can be used to refine the ore. I'd say it can be slightly more efficient than mining it yourself, assuming you can pirate someone faster than you could mine it on your own.
Right, so for miner cargo piracy I need to build and maintain a PoB with a refinery nearby, for ore I cannot mine myself, prevent it from being sieged and keep constantly ore pirating miners who won't log off when they see me do it?
Wouldn't setting a fence where unlawful can sell simpler?
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(01-04-2024, 07:09 AM)Czechmate Wrote:
(01-03-2024, 05:50 PM)LuckyOne Wrote: It's not useless if your faction has a POB that can be used to refine the ore. I'd say it can be slightly more efficient than mining it yourself, assuming you can pirate someone faster than you could mine it on your own.
Right, so for miner cargo piracy I need to build and maintain a PoB with a refinery nearby, for ore I cannot mine myself, prevent it from being sieged and keep constantly ore pirating miners who won't log off when they see me do it?
Wouldn't setting a fence where unlawful can sell simpler?
You can also pirate the people who haul the HRC refined metals away from the base. But I guess you could sell the ore to a competing groups pob (ie a junker that competes against the other mining group) if they accept cash or if the rep is appropriate.