Star Citizen Hand Mining: Equipment, Small Deposits and Selling Gems
Your first mining trip can fit in a backpack. Get the right multi-tool attachment, find small deposits and bring the gems home without starting a refinery work order.
A multi-tool, its mining attachment and a backpack are enough to begin mining small deposits on foot in Star Citizen. You do not need a dedicated mining ship for the work itself. The first trip is about finding a suitable deposit, controlling the fracture and bringing the collected gems back to a trading terminal.
For a first taste of mining, there is something appealing about taking a tool into a cave and carrying your find back out yourself. You can learn the basic rhythm before moving into a ROC or a ship with a mining laser. Start with deposits your handheld tool can handle; the larger rocks you encounter are not all intended for the same equipment.
Pack the tool, attachment and somewhere to put the gems
Fit an OreBit Mining Attachment to your multi-tool. The tool and attachment are separate parts of the setup, so check both before leaving. The handheld setup can fracture and collect small deposits including Aphorite, Dolivine and Hadanite.
- Multi-tool and mining attachment: the equipment that does the mining.
- Armour and a backpack: bring storage for the material you collect.
- Tractor-beam equipment: bring it along for handling loose items during the trip.
Cargo decks are a starting point for equipping yourself. Multi-tools are also carried by many weapon shops and general stores, while refinery decks offer mining equipment. Check what you have fitted before travelling to a deposit; accepting an order does not provide the kit for you.
Use the Journal to learn and Maps to choose a destination
In mobiGlas, look for the Journal entries Mining Fundamentals #1: Basic Overview and Mining Fundamentals #2: Where to Mine. These are learning references. A purchase order is a different thing: it asks you to supply material and can specify a delivery destination. Read its requirements before accepting, including what equipment you must provide yourself.
The Maps tab helps you check the mineable resources on a planet or moon before setting out. Small deposits can be found in caves and on the surface, so a cave expedition is not the only way to begin.
From your ship, use the default Tab ping to search the surrounding area in SCM or NAV mode, then investigate the unknown markers. A marker is a lead to inspect, rather than a guarantee that the deposit will suit your multi-tool. Once you reach it, scan the rock and make sure you are working with a small handheld deposit.
Keep the fracture in the green
Aim the mining attachment at the deposit and let it scan before mining. Raise the energy gradually and keep the charge within the green operating zone until the rock fractures. Watch how the deposit responds as you adjust power: pushing beyond the useful range can overcharge it and cause an explosion.
After the break, switch the multi-tool to Gather mode with Mouse 2 by default and collect the fragments into your backpack.
For more detail on what the scan tells you, our guide to mining rock readings explains mass, resistance, instability and composition. It is useful reading when a deposit proves harder to fracture than you expected.
Sell hand-collected gems without a refinery order
Gems collected by hand are ready to trade. For these, look for a trading terminal at an admin office, a station galleria or an outpost. When trading from a ship, land legally so it can appear at the terminal.
Unrefined ore follows a different route through refinery facilities; do not assume every mined material belongs at an ordinary commodity terminal. For your first hand-mining trip, keeping the focus on small deposits and the gems in your backpack avoids adding a refinery work order to a job that does not need one.