Space is full of riches, uncountable amounts of raw resources are floating through the void, just waiting to be gathered. With a little bit of preparation and minor initial investment, everyone can make a small fortune by becoming a workhorse of the mining Industry. So it is time to arm ourselves with Mining Lasers and tear those asteroids apart.

In Eve, the term "Mining" is commonly used to describe three distinct resource-gathering activities:

1. Ore Mining - Extracting ore from asteroids. The entry-level gathering activity in Eve, it doesn't require much in a way of skills (but appropriate skills will greatly increase your efficiency) and every player can do it right from the get-go. Ore can be sold or refined in order to get Minerals. Mining Skill can be learned by Alpha Clones (max level of this skill for Alpha Clones is capped at IV); It doesn't have any prerequisites and costs 20k ISK at an NPC Vendor.
2. Ice Harvesting - Gathering resources from so-called Ice Belts. Refined Ice is used to fuel Jump Drives of capital ships, and for manufacturing fuel for Starbases among other things. This activity requires specialized drones or modules and is generally less profitable than Ore Mining (because of a long Ice Belts respawn timer). Ice Harvesting skill can be learned by Alpha Clones (max level of this skill for Alpha Clones is capped at II); it requires Mining IV and costs 375 thousand ISK at an NPC Vendor.
3. Gas Cloud Harvesting - Vacuuming gas from interstellar clouds. Gas is used for Drug manufacturing (Combat Boosters), and Tech III production. Collecting it requires a gas cloud harvester module. The harvesting process is pretty similar to mining ore from an asteroid. Gas Cloud Harvesting Skill can be learned by Alpha Clones (max level of this skill for Alpha Clones is capped at II); it requires Mining IV and costs 24 million ISK at an NPC Vendor.

In this guide, we will take a closer look at wide understood Mining in the Eve Online. Most of the information will be directed to the new players, but old hands will find something for themselves as well. We will cover mining-related skills, modules, ships, ship fitting, and mining strategies which will increase your gathering efficiency.

Lowly Venture class Frigate mining ore in an Asteroid Field

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Some Ore Mining Modules (those with a "Modulated" keyword in their name) can be fitted with special Mining Crystals. Those Crystals increase the efficiency of mining specific Ores, corresponding with a Crystal type, and therefore increase the mining yield of those Ores, but have no impact on yield of other types of Ore. Modulated Mining Modules used without Mining Crystals will provide less yield per minute than their regular counterparts. Using Mining Crystals requires a corresponding ore processing skill at level III for tech I Crystals and IV for Tech 2 Crystals.

For the maximum Mining Efficiency, multiple kinds of Mining Crystals should be carried and swapped when a specific type of Ore is encountered.

They enable you to scan nearby asteroids in order to determine which of them contain the most resources. This module will increase your mining efficiency, by allowing you to chose asteroids that contain the most Ore. Following types of Survey Scanners are available for fitting: Survey Scanner I, ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner, Survey Scanner II

Please remember that Survey Scanners have to be activated manually, and they do not have auto-refresh feature, which means that you will  have to use them manually each time you need the information that they provide

These will mine the asteroid that you have targetted. They have a 60-second cycle; when the cycle is complete, Drones will deposit mined Ore in your Ship's cargo bay, and redeploy to continue Mining. Following types of Ore Mining Drones are available for fitting: Civilian Mining Drone, Mining Drone I, Mining Drone II, "Augmented" Mining Drone, Harvester Mining Drone, "Excavator" Mining Drone

Ore yield provided by Mining Drones is rather small, which makes them usable only as a minor addition to your main Mining Modules

Now, that you have the information about all important mining-related skills and modules, it is time to take a closer look at ship types most commonly used for Mining related operations.

1. Mining Frigates

Ships of this type:

• Venture - Most likely the first Mining Ship that you will ever own, as it is a reward for completing the second mission of the Career Tutorial. It has 5000 m³ Ore Capacity and comes with bonuses to Gas Cloud Harvesting, which is very rare and makes it one of the best ships for harvesting Gas. The Venture has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to Mining yield (per Mining Frigate skill level)
  2. 5% reduction in Gas Cloud Harvesting duration (per Mining Frigate skill level)
  3. 100% bonus to Mining and Gas Cloud Harvesting yield (role bonus)
  4. +2 bonus to ship warp core strength (role bonus)

2. Expedition Frigates

Ships of this type:

• Endurance - The Tech II upgrade of the Venture with increased Ore and Cargo hold. This ship was designed for Ice Harvesting and has improved ice mining systems mounted because of that. It has bonuses to Cloaking Devices and can travel at full speed when CLoaked which makes it ideal for Mining in Lowsec, Nullsec and Wormhole spaces; it has 15000 m³ Ore Capacity. The Endurance has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% reduction in Ice Harvesting duration (per Mining Frigate skill level)
  2. 5% bonus to Ore Mining yield (per Mining Frigate skill level)
  3. 5% reduction in Ice Harvesting duration (per Expedition Frigates skill level)
  4. 4% bonus to all shield resistances (per Expedition Frigates skill level)
  5. 300% bonus to Ore Mining yield (role bonus)
  6. 50% reduction in Ice Harvesting duration (role bonus)
  7. 50% reduction in Cloaking Devices CPU requirements (role bonus)
  8. Targeting delay and cloak reactivation delay reduced by 5s (role bonus)
  9. Using a Cloaking Device does not cause a maximum velocity penalty (role bonus)
• Prospect - Tech II Expedition Frigate based on a Venture. It supports improved Ore mining systems and boasts better agility and speed than its older counterpart (Prospect also retains Venture's bonuses to Gas Harvesting, and boasts enlarged Cargo space, which makes it the best vessel for harvesting Gas); It has 10000 m³ Ore Capacity and is able to fit the Covert Ops Cloaking Devices which allows it to warp while cloaked. Thanks to this the Prospect is ideal for conducting Mining operations in even the most hostile Space. The Prospect has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to Mining yield (per Mining Frigate skill level)
  2. 5% reduction in Gas Cloud Harvesting duration (per Mining Frigate skill level)
  3. 5% bonus to Mining yield (per Expedition Frigates skill level)
  4. 5% reduction in ship signature radius (per Expedition Frigates skill level)
  5. 100% bonus to Mining and Gas Cloud Harvesting yield (role bonus)
  6. 100% reduction in Cloaking Devices CPU requirements (role bonus)
  7. Can fit Covert Cynosural Field Generator and Covert Ops Cloaking Device (role bonus)
  8. Delay of the Cloak reactivation reduced to 5s (role bonus)

3. Mining Barges

Ships of this type:

• Retriever - Built with the Storage Space in mind, the Retriever has 27500m³ Ore Capacity (at max skill level, with 22000m³ base). This huge capacity and the ability to fit strong defensive modules makes it ideal for solo Mining endeavors. Just like the other two Mining Barges, it can fit Strip Miners and Ice Miners. The Retriever has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to ship ore hold capacity (per Mining Barge skill level)
  2. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner duration (per Mining Barge skill level)
• Covetor - Mining Barge built with the mining efficiency in mind, it yields 10-20% more Ore than its two counterparts, Retriever and Procurer. This efficiency comes at a price of lowered Ore Hold capacity - 7000m³; this, combined with very fragile hull structure makes it ill-suited for solo Mining. The Covetor has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to Ice Harvester and Strip Miner ranges (per Mining Barge skill level)
  2. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per  Mining Barge skill level)
  3. 25% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner activation and duration costs (role bonus)
• Procurer - this mining barge trades its Ore bay space and Mining efficiency for toughness. It is by far the hardest to destroy of the three, even with subpar or budget module choices. It is able to mine Ore at the speed comparable to the Retriever which combined with its tanky nature, and bonuses to defensive drones make it a very solid choice for mining in Nullsec, Lowsec, and Wormhole Space. The Procurer has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to ship shield hitpoints (per Mining Barge skill level)
  2. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner duration (per Mining Barge skill level)
  3. 50% bonus to drone hitpoints and damage (role bonus)

4. Exhumers

Ships of this type:

• Mackinaw - The upgraded version of the Retriever. It is able to carry massive amounts of Ore in its bays - 35000m³ at Mining Barge skill of V (with 28000m³ base), however, that capacity come at a price of the lower yield. This ship, although pretty tough pales in comparison to Skiff, which combined with its high price tag limits its usage in solo Mining to Hisec Space. The Mackinaw has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to ship ore hold capacity (per skill level)
  2. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per  Mining Barge skill level)
  3. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per  Exhumers skill level)
  4. 4% bonus to all shield resistances (per Exhumers skill level)
• Hulk - This upgraded version of the Covetor was build with one thing in mind - increasing Yield. As you can probably imagine by now, it was achieved by sacrificing both Ore bay space (8500m³) and toughness which makes it an easy target for Suicide Gankers. As a result, Hulk is suited only for Hisec and Corporate Mining operations. The Hulk has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to Ice Harvester and Strip Miner ranges (per Mining Barge skill level)
  2. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per Mining Barge skill level)
  3. 4% bonus to all shield resistances (per Exhumers skill level)
  4. 3% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per Exhumers skill level)
  5. 25% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner activation costs and durations (Role Bonus)
• Skiff - As the upgraded (Tech II) version of the Procurer, the Skiff was made to last. Its toughness is truly impressive and with proper Module selection, this ship can take a punishment that would cripple even some battleships. It also has quite impressive engines, so hostiles will have a hard time keeping up during a chase. These impressive defensive characteristics come at a price of somewhat low yield (~24% lower than Hulk's) and limited space in the Ore bay (15000m³). The Skiff has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to ship shield hitpoints (per Mining Barge skill level)
  2. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per Mining Barge skill level)
  3. 4% bonus to all shield resistances (per Exhumers skill level)
  4. 2% reduction in Ice Harvester and Strip Miner durations (per Exhumers skill level)
  5. 50% bonus to hitpoints and drone damage (role bonus)

5. Industrial Command Ships

Ships of this type:

• Orca -  A very powerful Mining support ship, able to fit three Command Bursts. It boasts four bays; a 150000m³ Ore bay (base), a 30000m³ Cargo bay (base), a fleet hangar, and the Ship maintenance bay. this vast and flexible cargo space allows fleets supported by Orca to greatly prolong their Mining operations. The ship is also able to fit a large number of MEdium Power modules, which makes it one of the toughest haulers in the game. The Orca has the following Ship Bonuses:

1. 5% bonus to ship cargo and ore hold capacity (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
2. 3% bonus to Mining Foreman Burst effect duration and strength (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
3. 1% bonus to Shield Command Burst effect duration and strength (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
4. 10% bonus to Drones ore mining yield, hitpoints and Damage (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
5. 10% reduction in Drone ice harvesting cycle time (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
6. 100% bonus to Drone Ore mining yield (role bonus)
7. 25% reduction in Drone ice harvesting cycle time (role bonus)
8. 100% bonus to Drone Damage (role bonus)
9. 400% bonus to Remote Shield Booster optimal range (role bonus)
10. 90% reduction of effective distance traveled for jump fatigue (role bonus)
11. Can Mount up to three Command Burst Modules (role bonus)
12. 250% bonus to range of the Tractor Beam (role bonus)
13. 100% bonus to the velocity of the Tractor Beam (role bonus)
14. 500% bonus to range of the Survey Scanner (role bonus)

• Porpoise - The less expensive, and far smaller (50000m³ Ore bay, and a maximum of 2 Command Burst Modules) variant of an Industrial Command Ship offered by the ORE corporation. It boasts good mobility, above average agility, very descent warp speed, and a quite low price tag; it also provides its fleet with bonuses similar to those of the Orca. Thanks to these properties, the Porpoise is best suited for Mining fleet support in dangerous areas. The Porpoise has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% bonus to ship cargo and ore hold capacity (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
  2. 2% bonus to Mining Foreman Burst effect duration and strength (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
  3. 10% bonus to Drones ore mining yield, hitpoints and Damage (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
  4. 10% reduction in Drone ice harvesting cycle time (per Industrial Command Ships skill level)
  5. 50% bonus to Drone Ore mining yield (role bonus)
  6. 400% bonus to Remote Shield Booster optimal range (role bonus)
  7. 90% reduction of effective distance traveled for jump fatigue (role bonus)
  8. Can Mount up to two Command Burst Modules (role bonus)
  9. 100% bonus to range of the Tractor Beam (role bonus)
  10. 50% bonus to the velocity of the Tractor Beam (role bonus)
  11. 300% bonus to range of the Survey Scanner (role bonus)

6. Capital Industrial Ships

Ships of this type:

• Rorqual - The ultimate Mining support ship. It boasts enormous Ore bay (300000m³), a vast Ship Maintenance Bay (1000000m³), and a large Fleet Hangar (40000m³). Thanks to its fleet-wide Mining bonuses, and the ability to compress Ore, the Rorqual is the backbone of any large Nullsec Mining Fleet. Thanks to its toughness, and strong Combat Drone bonuses it can also hold the line against attackers. The Rorqual has the following Ship Bonuses:
  1. 5% reduction in fuel consumption for industrial Core (per Capital Industrial Ships skill level)
  2. 3% bonus to Shield Command Burst effect Duration and Strenght (per Capital Industrial Ships skill level)
  3. 5% bonus to Mining Foreman burst effect Duration and Strenght (per Capital Industrial Ships skill level)
  4. 10% reduction in Drone ice harvesting cycle time (per Capital Industrial Ships skill level)
  5. 10% bonus to Drone ore mining yield, hitpoints and Damage (per Capital Industrial Ships skill level)
  6. 900% bonus to the range of the Survey Scanner (role bonus)
  7. 200% bonus to the range of the Cargo Scanners (role bonus)
  8. Can fit Industrial Core, Clone Vat Bay, 3 Command Burst modules, and 1 Pulse Activated NexInvulnerabilityity Core module (role bonus)
  9. Can operate "Excavator" Drones
  10. 90% reduction to the effective distance traveled for jump fatigue (role bonus)
  11. 400% bonus to Capital Remote Shield Booster optimal range
  12. 50% bonus to mining and command foreman bursts area of effect ranges
  13. 5x penalty to entosis link cycle time

Now, that you have familiarized yourself with all Mining and Industrial ships available, it is time to take a closer look at the entry-level Mining Ship - the Venture and its basic setup.

If you are interested in this chapter, you probably have just finished the Career Tutorial and got your hands on a brand new Venture type Mining Frigate. In this section of our guide, we will feature the very basic Venture's module setup, that will allow you to begin your Ore gathering endeavor, and defend yourself from NPC pirates. We do not recommend using this setup in areas other than Hisec, for obvious reasons.

Some efficiency-improving tips for players new to Mining will also be featured in this section.

Limited Adaptive Invulnerability Field I - The basic level shield booster, which increases shield resistance bonus against all damage types by 25%; it requires Tactical Shield Manipulation I

Medium Shield Extender I - boosts the shield's strength by 750HP; it requires Shield Upgrades I

ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner - allows you to scan the composition of Gas Clouds, Ice, and Asteroids, it has 20km Scanning Range and requires CPU Management I

Elara Restrained Mining Laser Upgrade - increases the yield of your Mining Lasers but at a cost of them using up more CPU; it provides 8% Mining yield bonus at a cost of 8% CPU penalty and requires Mining Upgrades I

Small Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I - Increases your ship's thermal resistance, but also boosts your Signature Radius; it provides 30% bonus to Thermal Damage Resistance and requires Shield Rigging I

Now, that your Venture is fully optimized for Mining and Survivability, it is time to find an Asteroid Belt (those can be found via the overview menu), warp to it, scan it with your Survey Scanner, and proceed to mine asteroids with the most resources available in them.

The next question is - what to do with gathered Ore? There are two basic options; you can either sell or refine it. Refined resources are more expensive, but refining process requires a fee (unless you have the following skills: Refining V, Refinery Efficiency V, and a corresponding Ore Conversion Skill), and a tax (taxes can be avoided by increasing your relations with Station's Owner to high enough level). You should calculate your projected income from refining resources and compare it with the amount of ISK that you would gain from just selling those resources; you should then chose the more profitable option.

• Use the Jettison function - Instead of flying back to the Station in order to empty your Ore bays, you can eject your cargo in a container, and continue to Mine. After the Mining is finished, you may swap your Mining Ship for another vessel with a larger Cargo hold, and collect your containers. This will save you a lot of time which you would otherwise spend on flying back and forth. There is one important problem, however... everybody has access to Jettisoned resources, so they could be stolen from you; stealing a container is a criminal offense, and will flag the thief as a criminal, but this fact doesn't stop too many people.
• Use Secure Cargo Containers - This is the more secure, but also the more expensive variant of the Jettison strategy. To utilize it, you have to buy A LOT of Secure Cargo Containers (because they have limited capacity) and deploy them at an Asteroid Field. When your Ore bay is filled up, you dump your Ore to these containers, and when all of them are full, you swap ships and collect the containers.
• Use Mobile Tractor Units - This strategy is by far the most expensive. It requires you to buy a Mobile Tractor Units, and then deploy them at an Asteroid Field. This Structures will collect materials ejected near them. Utilizing those works the same as utilizing Cargo Containers. However, please remember that maximum deployment time of Mobile Tractor Units is 48 hours (they will disappear after that time), and that these Structures can be destroyed by hostile players.
• Group up with other Players - When in a group, you can share responsibilities; one of you will Mine, and the other will transport Mined resources to a Station. The main drawback of this method is that your income will be divided between all Players involved. The much more advanced version of this tactic (which often involves Industrial Command Ships and Capital Industrial Ships) is often employed by Industry-focused Player Corporations.

END NOTE

We hope that you have found this Guide useful and informative.  If we have missed a piece of information that is important to you, please let us know!

Please do note that this is an early version of our guide, and we will be happy to receive constructive criticism, that will help us improve it, so leave your suggestions in the comments section below.

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