One of the main pillars in the game and the in-game economy is Mining. Mining is all about finding and extracting precious materials that can be used in Crafting.
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Mining consists of three steps; Prospecting, Extracting, and Refining.
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Prospecting
The first step is to find the resources to mine. To do this, you need a "Mining Finder". You can find a basic finder in the Trade Terminal, or check the Finders page for more information.
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To use the finder, you equip it like any other tool or weapon. This will open the finder UI in which you can see the result of your attempt. It shows how much ammo an attempt requires, and you can also choose which resource types you want to search for. Most often, you should search for both Ores and Enmatters.
Extracting
When you find a resource, you need to extract it from the ground. This is done with a Resource Extractor tool. You equip the tool, the point at the mining claim marker, and then Interact (F) to start extracting.
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Refining
Some things you mine, like "Crude Oil" can be refined into "Oil" using a Refiner tool, which is the form that is most often used. This step is optional, and may not always be necessary. Some crafting blueprints require "Crude Oil" instead, so before you refine you should always check which resource is the most sought-after or has the highest market price.