Mining Guide

Ship mining is the most profitable form of mining in Star Citizen. Equip your ship with a mining laser, fly to an asteroid field or planetary surface, and scan for mineable rocks using your ping (Tab key).

Once you find a rock, approach it and activate your mining laser. Monitor the fracture gauge — keep the energy in the green zone to crack the rock. Going too fast risks overcharging and exploding the rock (especially with Quantanium).

After fracturing, use your tractor beam to collect the ore chunks into your cargo hold.

Ores range from common (Inert Material, worth almost nothing) to rare and extremely valuable (Quantanium, Bexalite, Taranite).

• Quantanium — Most valuable but unstable. Has a 15-minute timer once mined before it explodes. Requires rushing to a refinery.
• Bexalite — Very high value, found in asteroid fields. Stable and safe to transport.
• Taranite — High value, commonly found alongside Bexalite. Good profit margins.
• ROC/FPS ores — Hadanite, Dolivine, Aphorite, Janalite. Lower volume but accessible and good per-unit value.

Check the Market Tables for current prices.

After mining, take your raw ore to a refinery station. Different refinery methods offer different trade-offs:

• Cormack — Fastest, cheapest, but lowest yield (~86%).
• Dinyx Solventation — Best overall yield (~95%), moderate cost and time.
• Electrostarolysis — Second best yield (~91%), balanced cost.
• Ferron Exchange — Moderate yield (~89%), cheapest after Cormack.
• Pyrometric Chromalysis — Highest yield on some ores, expensive and slow.

Use the Work Order Calculator to compare methods and find the most profitable option.

Your mining efficiency depends heavily on your loadout. Key factors:

• Mining Lasers — Higher power lasers crack faster but generate more instability. The Lancet MH1 is great for beginners; the Arbor MH2 is powerful for experienced miners.
• Active Modules — Use Surge for extra power, Stampede for range, or Vaux for charge window management.
• Passive Modules — Provide constant bonuses like resistance reduction, instability dampening, or optimal charge window widening.
• Gadgets — Consumable items for special situations. Optimum charges are great for difficult rocks.

Build and compare loadouts in the Loadout Builder.