Mining is part of the [Character Development](/wiki/crafting-guides/character-development) system (press the quote key, '). It's the gathering half of the Mining and Metallurgy profession: work ore and mineral nodes with a Pickaxe — a tool made in [Engineering](/wiki/crafting-guides/engineering-tools) — then hand the raw ore to [Smelting](/wiki/crafting-guides/smelting) to turn it into bars.
Mine at mines near forts, castles, Holy Temples and guild castles, at Abandoned Mine events (mine a little for a tidy reward and XP), or anywhere in the open world, where nodes and veins are scattered about. Lower-tier materials are common everywhere — densest near the capitals and along roads.
How to mine
With a pickaxe equipped, either press E in front of a node, or attack it by swinging:
- Attacking uses stamina but is much faster.
- Pressing E is slower but costs no stamina. Only one person can press E on a node or vein at a time — everyone else must attack.
The stamina trick
Attack a node until you're out of stamina, then switch to E — your stamina regenerates while you keep mining with no break. Stamina-regen potions or alcohols help too.
Mining — Character Development
Climb the mining tree vertically by using different pickaxes, which unlocks better pickaxes and rarer minerals. Horizontal progress on the left cuts pickaxe durability loss and raises its mining attribute; on the right it boosts that branch's mineral yield and speeds up E-gathering.
| Tier | Pickaxe | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Gray | Novice's Pickaxe | Limonite, Granite, Gneiss (+ Limonite & Building-Stone veins) |
| 2 — Green | Apprentice's Pickaxe | Limestone, Salt, Pyrite (+ their veins) |
| 3 — Blue | Journeyman's Pickaxe | Siderite, Coal, Sulfur (+ Siderite & Coal veins) |
| 4 — Purple | Craftsman's Pickaxe | Magnetite, Calcite, Nitre (+ Vein of Rare Materials) |
| 5 — Gold | Master's Pickaxe | Tektite, Quartz |
Higher-tier pickaxes do more damage per swing and gather faster on E. For where each mineral is concentrated — and where the veins are — see Mineral Specialties; for the wider gathering picture, Gathering Resources.