Mining and Ores

Mining is the process of digging into the ground to gather stone, ores, and other raw materials used in crafting, building, and manufacturing ammunition and tools. Ores are found underground and are identified by colored veins or surface boulders.

Key Ores and Resources

• Iron: the backbone of tools, weapons, and metal building blocks; often found in visible boulders and shallow deposits.
• Coal: used to make gunpowder and for forging; also appears as surface boulders.
• Potassium Nitrate: a critical ingredient for gunpowder and ammunition, usually mined in the desert.
• Lead: needed for bullet casings and vehicle batteries.
• Oil Shale: refined into oil, used for fuel, gunpowder, and other advanced recipes; concentrated in the desert biome.

Finding and Extracting Ore

Ores can be reached by digging straight down or tunneling along a vein. Surface boulders hint at what lies below, and different ores tend to cluster in specific biomes. Deeper deposits generally yield richer resources.

Tools

• Stone Axe: a starter tool, slow but functional for early mining.
• Pickaxe: the standard tool for breaking stone and ore efficiently.
• Auger: a powered tool that mines dramatically faster but consumes fuel.
• Dynamite and explosives: clear large volumes of earth and rock quickly.

Efficient Mining

• Mining perks increase yield and speed, so investing points pays off over time.
• Tool mods and higher quality tiers improve harvest rates and durability.
• Reinforce tunnels with support blocks to avoid cave-ins and collapses.

Tips

• Follow ore veins horizontally rather than digging aimlessly.
• Bring plenty of food and water, since mining burns stamina fast.
• Keep torches or a headlamp for visibility, and watch for underground zombies.
• Head to the desert when you specifically need nitrate or oil shale.

Updates Needed

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