MINING & ECONOMY

Asteroids drift through every part of the galaxy. There are hundreds of them at any moment, ranging from tiny chunks the size of your ship to massive monoliths (radius 160) the size of a Concordium command station. Every asteroid is mineable. Every asteroid contains both materials (used for building structures) and fuel (used for engines and shields).

To mine an asteroid: cycle your weapon to the mining laser (W until you see the green beam icon), point your ship at the rock, and hold fire (Space). The beam latches on. Materials and fuel drops fly into your hold automatically as long as you maintain the beam.

Larger asteroids hold more resources, both per hit and in total. The smallest rocks (radius 25) yield a few units of each resource and deplete quickly; mine one down past that size and it is destroyed outright, scattering its last load of materials and fuel. The largest asteroids (radius 160) yield hundreds of units and take a real session of work to strip. The economy rewards going after big rocks — but big rocks attract more attention.

Asteroids come in a range of sizes, from small rocks (radius 25) up to massive monoliths (radius 160). An asteroid's size sets its mining yield, its mass (which drives collision damage), and how many structures it can hold. Its own screen shows its exact Tier number and structure limit. Note: the tiniest chunks (radius 10) no longer form — the smallest rock you will ever find is radius 25.

• "Pebbles" (radius 25) — the smallest rocks in the field. Mine-only: harvest them for a quick fuel top-off, but you cannot build on or claim them. Found everywhere.
• "Stones" (radius 40–55) — the bread-and-butter mining target, and the smallest rocks you can build on or claim (radius 40+). Hold 2–3 structures.
• "Boulders" (radius 70–85) — high-value mining. Hold 4–5 structures. Radius 85+ is what the "best target" HUD arrow points to.
• "Cores" (radius 100–115) — the most desirable real estate in the galaxy. Hold 6–7 structures, and are expensive to defend.
• "Behemoths" (radius 130–160) — faction monuments. A claimed radius-160 rock with its maximum 10 structures is a fortress.

Mass scales with size. The smallest rocks (radius 25) run 100 to 300 units of mass; the largest (radius 160) run 51,200 to 153,600. Remember the collision formula from the combat page: damage = mass × relative speed. Big asteroids hurt big.

The HUD shows a white-outlined arrow pointing toward the largest unclaimed asteroid of radius 85 or more just off your screen. This is your "best target" indicator. Follow the arrow when you're looking for high-value mining or prime build real estate.

The mining laser produces two resource types, both dropped as floating items the moment they leave the rock:

• Materials. Used to construct structures — Command Centers, turrets, Mining Rigs, Factories, and Shield Generators, with a linking Fence on the way. Stored in your ship's cargo hold up to the Storage stat cap. Persistent across deaths in your bank, but the 50% on your ship at death-time drops.
• Fuel. Used for engines AND shield regeneration. Your fuel tank capacity scales with the Fuel stat. Fuel is what keeps you alive in combat — see the combat page for the fuel/shield mechanic.

The split between materials and fuel from a single mining laser pass is roughly even, though it varies by asteroid. A productive mining circuit refills your fuel tank as a free side-effect of stocking up on building supplies. You don't have to choose between fighting-ready and building-ready — mining does both at once.

Pro tip: Always mine before disengaging from a contested area. Even a single second of laser contact on a small rock can drop enough fuel to keep your shields online for the trip home.

The harpoon attaches to asteroids the same way it attaches to ships. The rope tensions; the asteroid follows. You can tow rocks of any tier, though the bigger ones drag harder and burn more fuel to move.

Why would you tow an asteroid? Three reasons:

• Mining in safety. Tow a tier-5 asteroid out of a contested area into your faction's home sector before mining. The rock keeps its full yield; you mine in peace.
• Build-site positioning. The asteroid you want to build on isn't always where you want your base. Tow it into formation with your other claimed rocks.
• Offensive ramming. A heavy tier-8+ rock under tension is a battering ram. Drag it through enemy formations or into enemy structures. Damage scales with the asteroid's mass and your towing speed.

Towing is a commitment. While the rope is connected, your weapon slot is locked to harpoon — you can't fire bullets or use the mining laser. Enemies who notice you towing will close. Don't tow through dangerous space without backup.

Your HUD displays multiple direction arrows. The most useful for mining is the white-outlined arrow — it points toward the largest unclaimed asteroid of radius 85 or more just beyond your view. Follow it for high-value mining or for prime build real estate.

The arrow updates in real time as you move and as other players claim rocks. If the arrow disappears, there are no unclaimed asteroids of radius 85 or more in range. Either move to a new area or settle for a smaller target.

Other HUD arrows include:

• Gold ring — the hit-list target's position (see combat).
• Faction-colored markers — teammates and known enemies.
• Galaxy map (minimap) — a wide-angle view of nearby ships, asteroids, structures, and gravity events.

Mining isn't passive farming. It's an active activity with risk-reward tradeoffs. A few patterns experienced miners follow:

• Circuit mining. Identify 4-6 mid-tier asteroids in your home sector. Mine each one in turn, never lingering. The rotation lets shields rebuild during transit and makes you a harder target to predict.
• Crowd-source the best rocks. Follow the white-outlined arrow into the contested middle of the galaxy. Risk death; reap full tier-7+ yields.
• Strip-mine at events. During a Bonefall or a 1.5x gravity storm, hostile traffic concentrates in specific regions. The opposite regions become temporarily quiet — and full of asteroids. Use the chaos as cover for fast mining runs.
• Bank materials in structures. Materials converted into a structure on a claimed rock are safe; materials in your hold drop when you die. Convert what you mine into structures — each one is materials you can't lose.

The leaderboard rewards combat XP heavily, but the players who sustain top-10 rankings are usually the ones who balance combat with steady economic income. A pilot who only fights gets rich slowly and dies expensively. A pilot who only mines never climbs. The hybrid is where the money is.

• Building & Claiming — what you do with all those materials
• Combat — the fuel/shield mechanic that makes mining a survival tool, not just an economic one
• Galaxy Events — how gravity cycles change which asteroids you can reach safely
• Survival Tips