How to Mine – Starfield

In Starfield, mining is the best way to get the physical resources needed to build outposts, as well as modify weapons and spacesuits. Thanks to your experience as a miner for Argos Extractors, it should come naturally to you.

How to Mine Ore Deposits

To mine the small ore deposits on larger rock formations, you’ll have to utilize your trusty cutter to harvest the mineral. Instead of equipping your cutter from the inventory, you can activate the scanning tool to automatically equip it.

Shoot at the deposit for a short time before the deposit explodes and the mineral goes to your inventory. The quantity of resources from each deposit can be increased with the Geology skill. To mine faster, you can boost the cutter with right click or the left trigger on a controller.

How to Mine Ore Veins

Ore veins have a different appearance from ore deposits, instead appearing as a large, flat circle on the ground. The color of the circle will change depending on the mineral, for example Cobalt is blue. Another key difference is that ore veins cannot be mined by hand.

Instead, you’ll have to establish an outpost nearby and build mineral extractors on the vein. The extractor just has to be on the vein to collect the resources. Don’t worry about maximizing how much of the yellow circle around the extractor is on the vein, it doesn’t impact how many resources are harvested. The radius just indicates the distance required between extractors.

Extractors require outpost power to function and will store the mineral in an internal storage. To increase the capacity and store more resources, you can connect them to external storage crates.

How to Mine Gasses

Gas resources can be harvested with extractors or gathered manually. To gather it manually, approach a gas vent with your scanner closed and interact with it. The gas will likely cause damage to you, so setting up an automated approach would be best.

To automatically gather gas, you’ll need an outpost near a gas ‘vein,’ very similar to the mineral veins. Place an extractor and provide it enough power, as well as an optional storage tank, to start collecting gas.

You’ll need plenty of minerals to upgrade all of your equipment in Starfield, so mining will likely be a recurring theme in your playthrough. How do you feel about the mining system in Starfield? Let us know in the comments below!