Are mining missions even worth it?

[Darth_Lopez]

So I've started trying to do some mining missions out of curiosity but I can't seem to find a resource to help locate asteroids of the type i'm looking for and even further, I'm not having much luck finding asteroids of the type on my own. (I'm looking for osmium and bromellite)

But then the whole prospecting, gathering, and refining systems together while I get them, they seem... More tedious than is necessary?

How can I do this better, or does anyone have a resource they use that helps them mine? Or is it just noth that worth it?

[Gone Oh!™]

You can find mining wing missions that pay the max of 50,000,000cr. They're pretty rare but when you get them they usually don't require a lot of ore and you can sometimes just buy it for cheap a jump or two away instead of actually mining.
Just ally yourself in systems currently undergoing expansion.

[Solanix]

引用自 ShelLuser：

Although prospecting will double the load it'll also cost you a ton of limpets and it can even slow you down more. What I usually do is just go mining and filter out any unwanted stuff from the contacts list (using the left panel). Then just keep going.

Prospector limpets give you way more than double. It's +50% per grade, so a total of 350% with a grade A controller. You also miss out on sub-surface deposits which often contain more than the rock itself.

I also don't get the complaint about them slowing you down. It's a much greater waste of time having to approach every rock and laser it just to find out it's a 40% water rock rather than fire a prospector limpet from 2k out and find out as you move around.

As for mining mission, they're great if you have a carrier. Do a few mining session, store all possible mission minerals, then grab missions as you find them as you do other stuff around the bubble.

[Ylion]

let´s say mining without prospectors is uncommon.
when i´m on a mining trip i start with 600+

op stated he´s looking for specific minerals.
thats the main purpose of prospector limpets when lasermining.

mining missions are only the icing on the top.
when i´m going to mine some painite i will find osmium along the way, so i take a mission.
bonus money if you have the equipment to crack cores

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

I just probe asteroids with a laser. And if I see a chunk with what I need, then I launch a prospector limpet on the asteroid, to get more out of it.

[JL::Jose-Juan Kenobi]

引用自 ShelLuser：

引用自 JL::Jose-Juan Kenobi：

Not using prospector is just bad advice and plain out dumb, is not even "agree to disagree"

Sure buddy. Considering that this is coming from someone who doesn't even want to share their playtime and thus in-game experiences.. "whatever".

huh? what??

[Darth_Lopez]

引用自 JL::Jose-Juan Kenobi：

Oh, and for the OP, for the most part mining missions are not worth it.

That said, some stations and factions in Expansion, offer mining for Bromellite that pays really well, like 200-250k per ton, when Bromellite usually sells between 30k-100k at most.

I did that for some time, I found a pristine Icy ring with Bromellite hotspots, nearby the system giving the missions, so just a few jumps and was rather easy money (20-30mil in 1hr, depending)

But in general, you are better off mining on your own and finding where to sell the stuff at the best price.

I've started to notice this but most of the missions i'm doing are for osmium. I'm not actually sure i'm going to take mining missions anymore after i complete the ones that I have because I can just go out, get gold, osmium, and silver and sell them for bricks of credit that are comparable to the mission gains with less stress :3.

Fortunately due to mining and some of the advice here i was able to get my brand new anaconda somewhat kitted out today :3 And it is now happily mining with me... Not sure if I liked this or my explorer better for mining but this thing can definitely carry a ton.

I will have to keep the Detailed Surface scanner in mind. I've never used it before but it can be used on the rings of gas giants?

[Agony_Aunt]

Id not bother with mining missions. The rewards are generally not worth the effort of trying to find specific stuff. Better just to go mine what you want.

Now, if you return to a station and there just happens to be a mining mission that you have the stuff for, then go ahead and take it and finish it instantly.

However, i seem to recall FD stopped that happening because it was somewhat abusable.

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

引用自 Agony_Aunt：

Now, if you return to a station and there just happens to be a mining mission that you have the stuff for, then go ahead and take it and finish it instantly.

However, i seem to recall FD stopped that happening because it was somewhat abusable.

Yep, they stopped to generate missions for the stuff that you have in your cargo hold.

[Oakshadow]

Missions will generally offer you a reward that is worth more than current market value for the items they're requesting. But that doesn't mean you can't get a better deal at another market.

They can be really lucrative but only if you already know where to go for the items they're requesting. The majority of your time as a miner is finding locations for the specific commodity you're hunting for. The rest is just chilling to some tunes or arguing the benefits of murdering passengers with the sour cream, while looking for asteroids to mine.

If you've already mapped out the region and bookmarked locations for what you might need you've done half the work before even taking the mission.

Without that legwork though you're gonna have a bad time. Tools like EDDB and Inara are helpful. But keep in mind they aren't always correct, and their "best" location recommends are often the ones players flock to. Depleting the systems or inviting Player pirates to reap your hard work from you. (could just mine in solo but that's lame) So it can sometimes pay to do the reconnaissance yourself.

[SuicidalBanana]

引用自 Sasquatch：

引用自 ArtemisHunt：

Mining missions? You mean shopping missions right? You're not actually mining the materials are you?

They don't fail if you buy the materials instead of mining them?

Nope! You can totally go out and buy most materials. Some can only be mined! Make sure to check Inara first! It's a quick easy way to make 50m from the right missions!
Be careful theres a lot of bad information in this thread.

[AJ24]

引用自 ShelLuser：

引用自 JL::Jose-Juan Kenobi：

Not using prospector is just bad advice and plain out dumb, is not even "agree to disagree"

Sure buddy. Considering that this is coming from someone who doesn't even want to share their playtime and thus in-game experiences.. "whatever".

But yeah, you still want to use prospector limpets even with laser mining - makes a massive difference

[AJ24]

The only mining missions I've done is for Osmium when I'm already mining for platinum. Can pick it up as a by-product and the mission usually gives you a much better return than just selling it - the ones I've done equate to as good value as the platinum I'm selling

[XenaSlave]

Some Commanders seem to be mixing up " Fixed an issue where a Collect/Source mission would request commodities on sale at the same location" with something else.

[Sasquatch]

引用自 Dolphin Bottlenose：

引用自 Agony_Aunt：

Now, if you return to a station and there just happens to be a mining mission that you have the stuff for, then go ahead and take it and finish it instantly.

However, i seem to recall FD stopped that happening because it was somewhat abusable.

Yep, they stopped to generate missions for the stuff that you have in your cargo hold.

I got soooooooo mad at that last night. Dropped 60 tons of tea at a base for a nice little profit, picked up a passenger, SOB suddenly "requested" that I take him somewhere to pick up two tons of tea. Of course, it isn't like the 60 tons I just dropped was actually there. Nearly burnt the station to the ground, couldn't find my lighter.

[Stellar Remnant]

引用自 ShelLuser：

But for laser mining I never bother with prospecting. The time & money spend on on/using limpets is just not worth it. Especially considering that even within hotspots only a small amount are jackpot.

A Class A prospector gives 3.5x the ore that you would get without. Even a class E gives 50% more.

None = 10 fragments
E = 15 fragments
D = 20 fragments
C = 25 fragments
B = 30 fragments
A = 35 fragments

Not using them is pure insanity.