Star Citizen mining is an industrial career built around finding valuable deposits, breaking them safely and extracting the useful material before deciding whether to sell, refine or use it for crafting. The core mining process has three stages: scanning, fracturing and extraction. What happens after extraction depends on the material and the scale of mining you are doing.
Quick answer: use hand mining for the cheapest entry, the ATLS GEO or ROC for small surface deposits, the Drake Golem as an accessible starter mining ship, the Prospector for flexible solo ship mining and the MOLE for a real multi-crew operation. Scan before committing to a rock, compare composition, resistance, instability and material quality, and choose your mining laser, modules and gadgets around the problem you actually need to solve.
Mining has become more important since material quality was connected to crafting. Higher-quality mined resources can produce better crafted items, and quality is preserved when ore is refined. That means the best rock is no longer necessarily the one with the biggest percentage of the most expensive commodity.
This guide is maintained as an evergreen overview of the complete mining career. For current ore rankings and individual resource locations, also use our Star Citizen best ore guide. If you already know which material you need, browse available Star Citizen mining resources.
Last verified: September 2026. Mining balance, mineral distribution, prices and individual component stats can change between LIVE builds, so temporary values are kept separate from the permanent mining workflow.
Star Citizen Mining at a Glance
| Mining type | Recommended equipment | Best for | Refining required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand mining | Pyro RYT Multi-Tool + OreBit Mining Attachment | Caves and small mineral deposits | Usually no |
| Power-suit mining | ATLS GEO | Small surface deposits and mobile FPS-scale mining | Usually no |
| Vehicle mining | Greycat ROC / ROC-DS | Surface gem deposits | No |
| Starter ship mining | Drake Golem | Learning the ship-mining loop | Usually yes |
| Solo ship mining | MISC Prospector | Flexible dedicated solo mining | Usually yes |
| Multi-crew mining | Argo MOLE | Large deposits and organized group mining | Usually yes |
How Mining Works in Star Citizen
The official mining loop consists of three phases:
- Scanning: locate mineable deposits and analyze whether they are worth working.
- Fracturing: use mining energy to break a deposit into smaller pieces without overcharging it.
- Extraction: collect valuable material from fragments that are small enough to extract.
Refining and selling come after these three phases and should be treated as the economic side of the profession rather than mining itself.
1. Scan the deposit
Use scanning mode to locate signatures around your ship or vehicle. Once you have identified a mineable deposit, enter mining mode and analyze the target before activating the laser.
The important rock properties include:
- Composition: which materials are inside the deposit and their relative amounts.
- Resistance: how difficult the rock is to affect with your mining laser.
- Instability: how unpredictable the deposit becomes while energy is applied.
- Material quality: the quality of mineable resources that can later affect crafted-item performance.
Do not automatically mine the first signature you find. Time spent identifying a poor rock is cheaper than time spent fracturing, extracting, hauling and refining low-value material.
2. Fracture the rock
Switch to Fracture Mode and apply mining laser power gradually. Your objective is to move the deposit's energy into the optimal green zone and keep it there until the fracture completes.
Too little power allows the charge to fall. Too much can push the rock into the overcharge zone and eventually cause an explosion.
Harder rocks can require a stronger mining laser, coordinated mining beams, a mining module or a gadget that changes the rock's properties.
3. Extract valuable material
After the deposit breaks, inspect the fragments again. Fragments ready for extraction can be collected with Extraction Mode. Larger pieces must be fractured further.
Do not extract every fragment simply because you can. Your mineral storage is limited, so prioritize valuable material and avoid filling the ship with low-value or unwanted content.
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Material Quality and Why It Matters
Mining is now connected directly to Star Citizen crafting through material quality.
Mineable resources receive a quality value. That quality remains attached to the material when raw ore is refined, and the quality of materials used in a crafting blueprint can influence the statistics of the finished component or item.
This changes mining strategy in three ways:
- a high-quality deposit can be worth keeping even if the quantity is modest;
- industrial organizations may want particular materials at high quality rather than simply maximum volume;
- refining is no longer only about converting ore into something that sells for more aUEC.
For a pure money run, commodity value and quantity still matter. For a crafting supply run, quality can be the priority.
Hand Mining in Star Citizen
Hand mining is the lowest-cost entry into the profession. The standard setup uses a Pyro RYT Multi-Tool with an OreBit Mining Attachment, plus enough personal storage to carry the extracted material.
Typical FPS-scale mineables include gems and small mineral deposits found in caves, surface areas and other locations.
Janalite mining
Janalite is a rare and highly valuable small-deposit mineral. Current distribution includes multiple locations in Stanton and Pyro rather than one permanent "best Janalite moon."
Examples of current Janalite locations include:
- Calliope;
- Clio;
- Euterpe;
- Lyria;
- Wala;
- microTech;
- several Stanton outposts;
- multiple Pyro planets, moons and outposts.
Because its spawn chance is low, Janalite should be treated as a rare opportunity rather than the foundation of every beginner mining route.
ATLS GEO Mining
The Argo ATLS GEO is a dedicated mining power suit that sits between basic FPS mining and larger ground vehicles.
It carries a built-in Lawson mining laser, a Surveyor-Go radar and a small removable mineral container. Its mobility makes it especially useful when deposits are spread over uneven terrain where repeatedly moving a larger vehicle is inconvenient.
The ATLS GEO is not a replacement for a Prospector or Golem. It is a tool for small-scale deposits and surface work.
ROC Mining
The Greycat ROC and ROC-DS target deposits that sit between hand-mining scale and full ship mining.
A normal ROC setup requires:
- a ROC or ROC-DS;
- a ship capable of transporting it;
- a suitable moon or planetary surface;
- enough storage and time to complete the route safely.
ROC mining is attractive because extracted gems can generally move directly into the sale loop instead of creating a refinery work order.
It is also a useful training step before ship mining because it teaches scanning, route selection, fracture control and the discipline to skip poor deposits.
Best Mining Ships in Star Citizen
| Mining ship | Crew | Current mineral capacity | Best for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Golem | 1 | 32 SCU | Starter ship mining | Fixed Pitman mining setup |
| MISC Prospector | 1 | Up to 48 SCU with current ore-pod configuration | Flexible solo mining | Single mining arm and S1 laser |
| Argo MOLE | Multi-crew | 96 SCU active capacity | Large deposits and organized groups | Requires actual crew to use efficiently |
Drake Golem — best starter mining ship
The Drake Golem is designed specifically as an entry-level mining ship. It uses a bespoke Size 1 Pitman mining laser and carries two detachable 16-SCU ore containers for 32 SCU total mineral capacity.
Its biggest advantage is simplicity. You do not need to build a complicated laser-head setup before learning how ship mining works.
Choose the Golem if:
- you want an inexpensive dedicated mining ship;
- you are learning scanning and fracture control;
- you prefer a straightforward fixed mining configuration.
Do not choose it because you expect maximum flexibility. The Prospector remains better for players who want to experiment with interchangeable mining lasers.
MISC Prospector — best flexible solo mining ship
The Prospector remains the core solo mining platform because its Size 1 mining laser is interchangeable.
You can tune it around:
- more laser power;
- a wider optimal window;
- different resistance profiles;
- different module combinations;
- specific rocks or mining routes.
That flexibility makes the Prospector more complex than the Golem but much better for a player who intends to stay in mining long term.
Argo MOLE — best multi-crew mining ship
The MOLE uses three separate mining turrets. Operators can work different fragments simultaneously or combine their lasers against a deposit that a single mining ship struggles to fracture.
The current ship can hold eight filled 12-SCU mineral pods at once for 96 SCU of active mineral capacity and carries additional collapsed pods for extended operations.
The MOLE is powerful only when the crew structure makes sense. A pilot plus dedicated mining operators can scale output significantly. A solo player running between seats loses most of the reason to own the ship.
What about the RSI Arrastra?
The Arrastra belongs to the future large-scale mining tier and is designed around multicrew industrial gameplay and onboard processing. Do not build a current mining strategy around it until the ship is actually available in the LIVE game.
Best Mining Laser Heads
The mining laser determines the base behavior of your ship-mining setup. Different heads trade raw power, control, extraction behavior and resistance handling.
| Mining laser | General role | Recommended for |
|---|---|---|
| Arbor | Control-oriented | Beginners and easier rocks |
| Hofstede | Balanced resistance handling | General-purpose mining |
| Helix | High-power option | Difficult or high-resistance deposits |
| Impact | Alternative power-focused setup | Miners experimenting with difficult deposits |
| Klein | General mining option | Alternative balanced configurations |
| Lancet | Control / stability-oriented alternative | Specific group and difficult-rock setups |
| Pitman | Starter-focused fixed laser | Drake Golem |
The "best mining laser" is therefore situational. If your current laser cannot overcome resistance, adding even more control is pointless. If you already have more than enough power but keep overcharging rocks, raw power is not the problem you need to solve.
Best Prospector Mining Loadout
A strong general Prospector build should solve three problems:
- enough power to fracture the rocks you want;
- enough control to remain inside the optimal zone;
- enough extraction efficiency to avoid wasting time after the fracture.
There is no permanent single "best Prospector loadout" because the optimal setup depends on the material, mass and resistance of the deposits you target.
A sensible progression is:
- start with a forgiving balanced laser;
- identify which rocks your setup cannot comfortably crack;
- change the head or modules to solve that exact limitation;
- only move into highly specialized configurations after you understand why you need them.
Mining Modules Explained
Mining modules modify the behavior of the mining laser. Some make a rock easier to control, some increase power, some improve extraction and others temporarily change the fracture process.
| Module | Effect / role | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Creates a larger optimal charge window at the expense of laser power | You need more fracture control |
| Rieger | Boosts laser power but demands greater precision | Resistance is the main problem |
| Forel | Reduces catastrophic charge buildup and improves extraction power while increasing resistance | You want safer fractures and faster extraction |
| Vaux | Reduces charge speed and increases valuable-ore extraction speed | You prefer controlled charging and faster collection |
| Torrent | Accelerates charge once the correct mining zone is reached | You already control the beam reliably |
| Surge | Active tool for rapidly changing rock energy | You understand the rock's response and need controlled energy movement |
| Torpid | Active specialist module | A particular difficult rock requires temporary stat manipulation |
Do not choose a module by rarity or price. Choose it because your current mining setup has a measurable weakness.
Mining Gadgets Explained
A mining gadget modifies the rock rather than the mining laser.
The process is:
- leave your ship or vehicle;
- place the gadget on the deposit;
- calibrate propagation, field range and axial scatter;
- find the resonant frequency;
- activate the gadget;
- return to your mining position and fracture the rock;
- recover the gadget after use when possible.
| Gadget | Primary purpose | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Sabir | Strongly reduces resistance and increases the optimal charge window | Raises instability |
| BoreMax | Reduces instability and helps preserve valuable material clusters | Makes resistance harder to overcome |
| OptiMax | Reduces loss of valuable material when the deposit shatters | Reduces the optimal charge window |
| Okunis | Enlarges and fills the optimal charge window faster | Some valuable material can be lost on shatter |
| Stalwart | Faster optimal-window charging and better valuable-material retention | Shrinks the optimal charge window and requires precise control |
Do not stack multiple mining gadgets on the same deposit. Current manufacturer warnings explicitly state that using more than one gadget on one rock can result in a catastrophic explosion.
Current Mining Gadget Warning
There is also a current LIVE issue that affects asteroid mining: RSI lists a known bug where mining gadgets cannot be placed while the player is in EVA. This means a gadget-based asteroid strategy may not work until the issue is fixed.
For surface rocks you can still plan gadgets normally, but always verify the current Known Issues list before building an expensive route around a specific mechanic.
What Ore Should You Mine?
The best resource depends on your goal.
| Goal | What to prioritize |
|---|---|
| Learning mining | Easy-to-fracture deposits with simple extraction |
| Fast aUEC | High-value material with good concentration and low route time |
| Crafting | Required material with high quality |
| Group mining | Large deposits that justify multiple mining beams |
| Low-risk route | Reliable Stanton deposits near a refinery |
| High-risk frontier mining | Pyro or Nyx routes where the material advantage justifies PvP and logistics risk |
Commonly encountered ship-minable resources include materials such as:
- Aluminum;
- Copper;
- Corundum;
- Iron;
- Titanium;
- Tungsten;
- Agricium;
- Bexalite;
- Borase;
- Gold;
- Hephaestanite;
- Laranite;
- Taranite;
- Quantainium.
Do not permanently hard-code one material as "the best ore in Star Citizen." Distribution, economic value and crafting demand change. Use our Star Citizen Best Ore to Mine Guide for the more frequently updated profitability layer.
Quantainium Mining
Quantainium remains one of the most important high-value resources in Star Citizen mining and is also used in other progression systems such as Wikelo's Polaris Bit exchange.
The correct Quantainium mindset is route-first:
- know where you will process or unload the material;
- find a deposit worth the risk;
- fracture only when the return route is clear;
- avoid wasting time after extraction;
- do not allow a valuable load to turn into an avoidable ship loss.
Because volatility behavior can be adjusted by game updates, use the warning and stability information shown in the current ship interface rather than relying on an old fixed timer from a previous patch.
Best Mining Locations in Star Citizen
There is no permanently correct single "best mining location." Alpha 4.7 included a large material-distribution overhaul specifically intended to change how resources are distributed and make particular materials easier to find.
It is better to choose a mining system based on risk and logistics:
| System | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Stanton | Established refinery network, safer logistics, many known mining regions | Popular routes can attract other players |
| Pyro | Different resource distribution and frontier opportunities | Higher PvP and logistics risk |
| Nyx | Large frontier mining environment with Levski as a useful industrial hub | Longer logistics and less forgiving route planning |
Stanton mining locations
Useful starting areas include asteroid belts, planetary and moon surfaces, Lagrange-point regions and established mining areas.
The Aaron Halo remains an obvious place to test deep-space ship mining because it removes atmosphere and terrain from the equation. Surface mining around moons such as Lyria, Daymar, Aberdeen and the microTech moon network gives you a different mix of ship, vehicle and hand-mining opportunities.
Pyro mining
Pyro should be treated as risk-adjusted mining. Do not ask only "does this location have valuable ore?" Ask:
- how far is the refinery or sale point;
- what is the chance of player contact;
- how expensive is the ship and loadout you are risking;
- can you leave quickly with a valuable load?
Nyx mining
Nyx is well suited to miners who already understand the basic loop and want a frontier environment. Levski provides an important service and industrial anchor, while the wider system rewards proper fuel, route and security planning.
Refining Mined Ore
Ship-mined ore can be taken to a refinery and placed into a work order. Different refining methods trade:
- processing speed;
- refining cost;
- final yield.
The best method therefore depends on what matters most.
| Priority | Refining approach |
|---|---|
| Need the material quickly | Choose a faster method and accept lower efficiency |
| Maximum yield | Use a slower high-yield process |
| Balanced routine | Use a middle-ground method appropriate to the refinery and material |
| Crafting supply | Preserve high-quality material and optimize usable output |
Material quality is preserved through refining, so high-quality ore does not lose its crafting relevance simply because you processed it.
For refinery specializations, methods, stations and the complete work-order workflow, continue with our Star Citizen Refinery Guide.
How to Sell Mined Materials
Your sale route depends on what you mined:
- hand and ROC minerals: generally move directly into the commodity-sale loop;
- raw ship ore: can be handled according to available trade or refinery options;
- refined commodities: must be collected and transported as cargo to an appropriate buyer;
- high-quality crafting material: may be more valuable to keep for crafting than to sell immediately.
If the purpose of your mining session is simply to build spending power, compare the total time of mining, refining and hauling against other aUEC activities rather than looking only at the gross value of one full ore pod.
Best Beginner Mining Progression
| Stage | Recommended tool | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multi-Tool + OreBit | Scanning, deposit choice and basic fracture control |
| 2 | ATLS GEO | Efficient small-deposit surface mining |
| 3 | ROC | Vehicle logistics, surface routes and volume management |
| 4 | Drake Golem | Basic ship mining, extraction and refinery logistics |
| 5 | MISC Prospector | Mining-head and module optimization |
| 6 | Argo MOLE | Multi-crew fracture coordination and industrial-scale sessions |
You do not have to complete every stage. A player who already has a Prospector can start there. The progression is useful because each step adds another system without forcing you to learn the entire industrial chain at once.
Recommended Mining Loadouts by Goal
Beginner ship mining
- Drake Golem or Prospector;
- control-oriented laser setup;
- simple route close to a refinery;
- avoid highly resistant premium rocks until fracture control becomes natural.
Solo profit mining
- Prospector;
- laser matched to your target deposits;
- one or more modules solving your current power/control weakness;
- known refinery route;
- cargo ship available for refined output if required.
Group mining
- MOLE;
- pilot plus dedicated mining operators;
- coordinated target selection;
- clear callouts for laser power and overcharge;
- planned refinery and logistics support.
Common Star Citizen Mining Mistakes
Mining every rock you find
Scanning is part of mining. Skipping bad rocks is not wasted time.
Buying the strongest laser immediately
More power can make an already difficult-to-control deposit even harder to manage.
Ignoring material quality
If your goal includes crafting, high-quality material can matter more than maximum quantity.
Using the wrong gadget
BoreMax, Sabir, OptiMax, Okunis and Stalwart solve different problems. Do not treat them as interchangeable buffs.
Putting more than one gadget on a deposit
Mining gadget manufacturers warn against this because multiple gadgets can cause a catastrophic explosion.
Taking the MOLE out solo
The MOLE's advantage comes from simultaneous mining operators. Seat-hopping destroys much of that advantage.
Mining before planning the refinery route
A valuable ore hold is only useful if you can process, move or sell it efficiently.
Using old location spreadsheets as absolute truth
Material distribution changes. Use old locations as starting points and current scanning data as the decision-maker.
Star Citizen Mining FAQ
How do you mine in Star Citizen?
Scan for a mineable deposit, analyze its composition and mining properties, enter Fracture Mode, keep rock energy inside the optimal zone until it breaks, then switch to Extraction Mode and collect the useful fragments.
What is the best starter mining ship?
The Drake Golem is the simplest dedicated starter mining ship. The Prospector is the better long-term solo choice if you want interchangeable mining lasers and greater setup flexibility.
What is the best solo mining ship?
The MISC Prospector is the strongest general solo recommendation because the player can change its Size 1 mining laser and tune it for different deposits.
What is the best multi-crew mining ship?
The Argo MOLE is the main current multi-crew mining platform, using three independent mining turrets.
Do you need to refine mined ore?
Not every mined material uses the same process. Hand and ROC minerals can generally be sold without a refinery work order, while ship-mined ore usually benefits from refinery processing.
Does ore quality matter?
Yes. Mined materials have quality values, quality survives refining and material quality can affect the statistics of crafted items.
What is the best mining laser?
There is no universal answer. Helix-style high-power setups help against difficult resistance, while control-oriented options can be better for players struggling to keep a rock inside the optimal zone.
What is the best mining gadget?
Use Sabir when resistance is the main problem, BoreMax when instability and material retention matter, OptiMax for better valuable-material retention, Okunis for easier optimal-window management and Stalwart when a skilled operator wants faster charging with a smaller window.
Can you use multiple mining gadgets on one rock?
You should not. Current gadget manufacturer warnings state that using more than one mining gadget on one deposit can cause a catastrophic explosion.
Where is the best place to mine?
There is no permanent best location. Stanton offers easier logistics, while Pyro and Nyx can provide frontier opportunities with greater travel and security risk. Choose the location based on the material you need and current distribution.
Final Star Citizen Mining Checklist
- Choose hand, vehicle or ship mining.
- Select the material or economic goal before leaving.
- Bring the correct mining tool or ship.
- Scan deposits before committing to them.
- Compare composition, resistance, instability and quality.
- Use a laser, module or gadget that solves the rock's actual problem.
- Keep the charge inside the optimal zone.
- Extract only useful fragments.
- Know your refinery or sale destination before the hold is full.
- Preserve high-quality materials when crafting is the goal.
For current ore profitability and material priorities, continue with our Star Citizen Best Ore Guide. For work orders and refinery specializations, use the Star Citizen Refinery Guide. If you need a specific ore or mineral without farming the full loop yourself, browse Star Citizen Mining Resources or the complete Star Citizen services catalog.
