Retyu’s Manual Mining Guide
Mining is one of the simple joys in life. At a glance, mining is mind numbingly boring, however it doesn’t have to be this way. Mining can give you decent bang for your buck when it comes to aquiring some special commodities, and it can be a way to make some decent income in places that are relatively safe.
If you want to learn about mining, and how to mine manually, this is the place to be!
How Do I Mine Asteroids in Star Sonata?
To mine asteroids, you will need some free hull, a scoop and in most cases a mining weapon. You can target the asteroids or fire blind and when they explode, they will drop their commodities which you can then scoop up.
Any ship can be used for mining, but I recommend support freighters. These can be used by any class, but they absolutely shine under engineers. As a speed demon, I use a support freighter to mine quickly and efficiently, and the innate speed and augmenter slots make them more ideal than the industrial freighters.
Standard asteroid belts usually consist of metals and silicon, with the occasional nuclear waste and fermium being dropped. These are all low value commodities, but the crafty miner can make the best of a bad bargain by carrying some extra equipment.
Is Mining Profitable?
It can be profitable if you’re mainly doing Auric Sector, Blue Outpost, Bonnet and The Track. But otherwise there are better uses of your time in game.
Mobile Nu-Conv: This machine when activated will turn all of that useless fast burning fermium you can’t sell to useful Promethium, which has a much slower decay time. This can then be sold at most bases for a massive increase in prices. The Mobile Nu-Conv can be purchased at almost any AI station and is decent value.
Mobile Microfab: Perfect for the lazy miner who cannot be bothered to fly out of the system, and reasonable for keeping the cargo bay from overflowing, the Mobile Microfab converts silicon into microchips. This will ultimately have a reduction in profit as the silicon itself will sell for much better prices to an AI base, but if you want to spend more time mining, you can get the microchips for a much smaller profit, whilst keeping your cargo space free. This item is only useful if you have filled up all the silicon reserves in local AI bases and I wouldn’t recommend it for anything other than freeing up hull space. You can pick it up in Arena Lobby at Metal Processing, Inc. You will need mining tokens which you can mine from the asteroids there. It’s not the best item you can get but, worth having around.
Specialised Mobile Nu-Conv: I rate this item. It’s your standard Mobile Nu-Conv but it does everything much cheaper by 25%. For 15 mining tokens, easily aquired from the asteroid belt in Arena Lobby, once you’ve used it a few times you won’t leave home (for mining) without it.
Mining for Special Commodities:
Special Commodities are commodities that don’t just drop anywhere. There are specialised systems where you can obtain them, and all of them are worth visiting.
Arena Lobby: ★★★★☆
Asides from the usual minable materials, you can acquire a few great things here:
Mining Token: You can spend these on some great things including the Mobile Microfab (almost useless) Specialized Mobile Nu-Conv (Awesome!) The Mining Laser Supreme (A mining weapon that adds a rare mining vulnerability to targets – of questionable use, but rather cool if you ask me) The Asteroid Freighter which looks as stupid as it is useless and Mining Boosters, which are also of questionable use. You can also get a mobile Bronze Forge, which is not the most cost efficient way of obtaining Bronze Bars (which can be crafted cheaper) but it’s good in a pinch or if players aren’t selling the commodity cheaply.
Bronze: Bronze rarely drops here, but it does. It’s used in several high end blueprints and to make bronze bars. Mining it here sidesteps having to mix Tin and Copper so you can sidestep base building a bit if you’re patient. It’s usefulness is questionable in the scale of things but it’s not bad to get it for free.
Traginium: Traginium is a rare drop here, it can be exchanged for mining tokens at the base, however it’s quite a useful commodity and should really be held on to. It covers some useful skills like Remote Control, Piracy and Weaponry if you’re a lower level.
Arena Lobby gets a 4/5 rating for it’s ease of access, zero risk, and access to value. It’s a great place for people of any level, and it’s not a hard place to mine. The rewards can be gathered relatively quickly with the right setup, and higher level players tend to not really care about mining there so the asteroid belt is usually intact. It also respawns quickly.
Blue Outpost: ★★★★☆
I really love Blue Outpost. It’s my home. I’m a Space Blue Pirate all the way! Blue Outpost has a tonne of useful stuff. It’s important to note that Fermium is abundant in the asteroids here, so there’s a lot of great value to be had if you are using your Specialized Mobile Nu-Conv.
Space Blue Commods drop here. Blue Whispers, Blue Aethers and rarely, Blue Vapors. These commods can be used in a few different builds, and the Aethers and Vapor can be used as keys to access some of the bosses in the area.
Copper: Copper drops here. Whilst not inherently valuable, it is used in a lot of builds and is fairly abundant. It also drops as Copper Chunks, which will provide you with a LOT of extra copper once they’re unpacked. Copper can also be used to make Bronze when combined with Tin with the right base setup.
Tin: Tin is fairly abundant in the asteroid belt. It’s also useful for a variety of different builds, and as mentioned before, it can be combined with copper to make Bronze.
Silver: Silver is a semi-rare drop here. Whilst it has uses in blueprints, it can also be combined with Vis to make Galileo’s Telescope, which is a tweak more useful than most players give it credit for at Sai’s Retreat in Sol. It’s got uses in factories and can be used to make Silver Bars.
Titanium: Another semi-rare drop. Titanium is used mainly in the production of Titanium Sheets, but also has uses in over 100 different blueprints. It’s a great resource to mine!
I rate Blue Outpost highly because it’s rarely mined, it’s got fast respawning asteroids, and the risk factor is very low. You get access to some great commodities for lower level builds and it’s fast with an Excommunicator or an Abstructor.
Blue Research: ★★★★★
Accessed by using a Blue Vapour, which can be obtained by killing Space Blue Betas in Warp 2 or by mining in Blue Outpost, Blue Research offers access to some higher tier commodities in a relatively risk free zone. The only thing to look out for is the lurking Beta Monster hiding out there.
Higher Tier Space Blue Commods drop here. Blue Vapors, and Blue Dusts. These have few uses and aren’t generally seen as valuable, but if you need them you know where to get them easily!
Vis: Vis is a commodity with a lot of uses, from early game to late. Whilst relatively abundant at high levels, it can give a mid-tier gamer the edge in building, and it’s definitely worth scooping.
Petroleum: Petroleum is an extremely useful commodity. Whilst abundant at high levels, it’s nice that you can pick it up easily here. There are occasional petroleum shortages caused by mass builds in the game, which means holding onto it can be a good idea at times. Or you can make a quick sale, and watch the money roll in.
Quantumum: The bane of my existence. Quantumum is rather rare, but drops faily frequently here. Sometimes it’s cheap as chips, at other times people pay big money for it. This is a solid earner and worth holding on to for those times when there is a shortage. People are always buying it as it can be used for many things.
Blue Research gets my 5 star rating because it’s easily accessed with a low risk factor and the rewards are incredible.
Auric Sector: ★★★☆☆
You want money? You want cash? Auric Sector is the place to be. Gold and Fool’s Gold drop like cheap booze at a frat party here.
Note: There are two missions that spawn every now and then at the base, these are repeatable. One is for 50 Fool’s Gold, one is for 50 Gold. The base can be sold Gold and Fool’s Gold up to a limit with Fool’s Gold being extremely valuable but Gold really shining.
Gold: Gold is abundant here, and a very useful commodity, not just for Gold Bars, but for uses in factories and builds. If you’re mining Gold you are gonna be rich.
Fool’s Gold: The only real use for this is for the mission and to sell to the AI base. It’s worth storing for later sale when the base caps out. You will always earn more Fool’s Gold than you can spend.
Ultimately Auric Sector has it’s downsides. If you’re mining here, there are occasionally other players trying to eat as much Gold as they can. The asteroid belt it small, so competition can be high. That said, it’s worth checking to see if the sector is empty.
Prism: ★★☆☆☆
Despite being pretty, Prism is fairly useless. There is little of value to be mined here and the risks are high for low level players.
Solar Prisms: These are useful items. They have uses in blueprints and for many different tradeins. Solar Prisms are useful for players of almost any level, and are used in many different constructions.
Prism spawns asteroids very slowly, meaning it’s the worst place to come for Solar Prisms.
Arctia: ★★★★☆
Arctia is what Prism should have been. Extremely beautiful. Solar Prisms can be mined here in abundance.
Note: You must mine the ice asteroids using a fire type weapon rather than a mining weapon. Fire cannons from Lavanite are very good for this process. It’s worth stopping by and picking one up.
Solar Prisms: Bask in the glory and abundance in Solar Prisms.
Reasonably fast asteroid spawns, plus abundant asteroids and a rich amount to be mined makes Arctia not only beautiful, but one of the better mining galaxies in the game.
Earthforce Perilous Outpost: ★☆☆☆☆
A relatively terrible place to mine, however it can be used in a pinch for AFK mining if you don’t have anywhere better to be.
Copper: A small amount of copper can be mined here. But it’s nothing special.
Tin: The same applies to Tin.
Earthforce Perilous Outpost doesn’t really give enough resources to warrant coming here, but it’s important to note that some commods can be found here. It’s just not worth the trip or time usually. Slow spawning asteroid belt earns this place the one star rating of disapproval.
Blue Photon Processing: ★☆☆☆☆
What was once a paradise full of useful commodities was hit with the nerf hammer so hard that it’s barely worth mentioning. Some valuables still exist in this gigantic smeg pile of uselessness.
Titanium: Tiny amounts of Titanium can be found here. But they’re so small that they’re barely worth thinking about.
Blue Whispers: Rarely drop. They can be found abundantly in Blue Outpost.
Gold: Drops less frequently than a good song in today’s music scene. Auric Sector.
Blue Photon Processing is probably the worst place you can go if you want good profit to time ratio. I guess fermium has an OK drop rate but despite what drop tables say, I’ve never gotten anything of value from this absolute hell of a mining disaster.
Earthforce Sanctuary Charlie: ★★☆☆☆
A relatively terrible place to mine, however it can be used in a pinch for AFK mining if you don’t have anywhere better to be.
Copper: A small amount of copper can be mined here. But it’s nothing special.
Tin: The same applies to Tin.
Titanium: A rare drop here, it’s not really worth coming here to mine it though.
Silver: Silver is valuable but there are better places to mine it.
The issue here is a slow spawning asteroid belt.
Olympus Entrance and Staff Quarters: ★★☆☆☆
Occasionally one finds an Energy bank that needs Enriched Nuclear Material. The hidden base in Olympus Entrance buys these, but it’s probably best to save them. Energies which use E-Nukes are generally ok, and they’re not bad per-se. I know enough players that use them for “reasons” so if you’re one of those types, here’s where to get it.
Enriched Nuclear Material: Abundant, kinda useful – decays quickly. I suppose it could be useful if you’re using them for builds.
Only come here if you need Enriched Nuclear Material and you cannot be assed to make it.
Mount Lemnos: ★☆☆☆☆
Very little reason to mine here.
Copper: Drops in such small amounts it’s barely worth mentioning.
Enriched Nuclear Material: There’s a small sun with asteroids around it, it drops a decent amount of Enriched Nuclear Material.
Promethium: Surprisingly Promethium drops here, so you can make a little bit of cash.
There are no lemons here. The asteroids spawn drones that try and kill you. Enjoy!
The Track: ★★★★★
A great mining spot because you need it. The best in the game in my humble opinion!
Cloud Mercury: Useful for end game Kalthi Skills, Cloud Mercury drops here abundantly.
Mercury: Almost useless now, it can be used for several mid to late game items. It’s not bad to save this.
Copper: A small amount of copper can be obtained here but it’s barely worth mentioning, the profit lies in the Cloud Mercury.
Enriches Nuclear Material: Enough drops here to fuel your energybank, but it’s not a lot.
Probably the most profitable place to go mining in Star Sonata. There are risks posed by spawning enemies, but stay away from the drones and you should be fine.
Hyperion: ★☆☆☆☆
The battleground of an ancient conflict, Hyperion gains coolness points for the groovy ships you find here, and loses them immediately when you realise there’s nothing really that valuable here… Or is there?
Note: You CAN use a Surgical Laser to destroy the ships for a few mission commodities. These are practically useless.
This place for mining is about as useful as a sock full of out of date yogurt. You will be more disappointed than my parents were with my GCSE results.
Hyper: ★★☆☆☆
On the rare occasion you find yourself searching for the elusive Plasma Crystals, Hyper is probably the best place to go.
Plasma Crystals: Spawn with reasonable frequency among the asteroids here. Plasma Crystals have a varierty of uses in construction and can be acquired relatively easily here in bulk.
Occasionally Scruples will spawn and make things difficult so be on your guard if you’ve not got the firepower to take them out. They can quickly overwhelm weaker players.
Rocky Horror: ★★★☆☆
Rocky Horror is an interesting one, despite the slow spawning asteroids and risks, the rewards can actually be rather high.
Copper: Found here in short supply. You can also get the occasional Copper Chunks which is a huge influx, but this depends on you being lucky.
Gold Nuggets: These can be mined rarely here, but it’s a big chunk of gold when you get them.
Tin: Small amounts available.
Titanium: Small amounts can be found here.
A slow Spawning Asteroid belt and occasional risks from aggressive AI make Rocky Horror not the best place to mine. You can hit the mother-load but you have to be lucky. It’s best to mine Rocky Horror if you’re playing actively and not waiting around in one place too much.
Horrible Rocky: ★☆☆☆☆
Horrible Rocky is Rocky Horror’s less useful cousin. I spent a while here trying to figure out if there’s some massive secret lurking out here.
Copper: Found here in short supply. Dismal.
Gold: One gold for one hour’s mining. This is dreadful.
Silver: Very small amounts available.
Titanium: Tiny amounts can be found here.
The asteroids spawn slow and are full of almost useless materials most of the time. This is not a miner’s paradise, this is a place you come when you are considering quitting and want a good reason.
Lemnian Foothills ★★☆☆☆
Sometimes in life copper is a good money maker. Especially when found in abundance. Whilst the Lemnian Foothills provides a reasonable amount. It’s not comparable to Mount Lemnos.
Copper: A decent amount can be scooped here.
A relatively safe money maker.
Mount Lemnos ★★★★☆
Mount Lemnos is a great place to mine copper which can be sold at Horrible Rocky and Rocky Horror occasionally for a nice influx of cash.
Note: You can reset the instance to respawn the asteroids.
Copper: Copper is abundant here, not only in it’s raw form but in Copper Chunks that drop regularly.
Enriched Nuclear Waste: Drops at a reasonable rate.
Promethium: A decent amount drops here but we aren’t here for prom.
The only issue is if you kill the guardians, you can get locked out. Be careful to avoid them.
Blanco ★☆☆☆☆
Blanco isn’t great for mining, despite having a reasonable amount of fermium, the only thing I’ve found of any use here is Kromelite…
Kromelite: It’s got a few uses in the game but is otherwise a mostly-dead commodity.
At least it’s pretty here. Grey but pretty.
FAQs:
Where can I mine for Traginium in Star Sonata?
You can mine for Traginium in Arena Lobby and the asteroid belt in Bonnet.
Where can I mine for Plasma Crystals in Star Sonata?
You can mine for Plasma Crystals in Labyrinth and Hyper. Both of these galaxies have their issues with the occasional Scruples showing up in Hyper and Labyrinth being hard to navigate.
Where can I mine for Gold in Star Sonata?
You can mine for Gold in the Auric Sector. There is a LOT of Gold there. More Gold than you will ever need! Golden ships, Golden planets, Golden suns, Golden Asteroids. The only Gold that isn’t there is a song by the artist formerly known as Prince.
Where can I mine for Cloud Mercury in Star Sonata?
You can mine for Cloud Mercury in The Track. It’s probably the most profitable mining galaxy in the game.