Overview
Mining is one of the best ways to make money in Starsand Island, and you need ores for most crafting upgrades. Almost all ores are found in the Moonlit Forest. Bring a pickaxe every time you go in. Overworld ore nodes respawn every two to three in-game days, while dungeon nodes respawn on each new run, making the Moonlit Forest the best repeatable mining location.
Pickaxe Progression
Your ability to mine higher-tier ores is gated by your pickaxe. Each pickaxe tier is tied to Zerine's Crafter certification tiers. You must upgrade your pickaxe before you can mine harder ores; swinging a lower-tier pickaxe at a high-tier node does nothing.
Tool | Crafter Tier | Can Mine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Stone Pickaxe | Starting tool | Stone, surface rocks | Cannot mine ore nodes in the Moonlit Forest. Only breaks basic rocks. |
Impulse Pickaxe | Copper, Tin, Fluorite, Quartz | First real mining tool. Also breaks Gravecrystals trapping Gravestars. Buy blueprint from Zerine's General Store. | |
Iron, Coal, Gold, Primorite | Area-of-effect swing hits multiple ore nodes at once. Also works as a melee weapon. Fastest way to clear ore clusters. | ||
Blast Hammer | Magnetite, Moonstone, Aurorite | Requires Impact Hammer as a crafting ingredient (you sacrifice it to upgrade). Larger AoE swing. | |
Oilstone, Starflare Crystal, Diamond | Endgame mining tool. Mines nearly instantly and consumes less stamina per swing. | ||
Automated mining | Placeable robot that mines nodes automatically. See automation. |
Ore Types and Locations
Ores are organized below by the zone where they first appear. Higher-tier ores require better pickaxes. Each ore has a distinct visual appearance to help you spot it in the field.
Early Ores (Evernight Forest)
Ore | Appearance | Minimum Tool | Key Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
Copper | Brownish-orange rocks | Impulse Pickaxe | Copper Ingot, Copper Sheet, Bronze. Foundation for early crafting. |
Tin | Gray-colored rocks | Impulse Pickaxe | Tin Ingot. Combined with Copper to make Bronze at the Furnace. |
Fluorite | Bright yellow rocks | Impulse Pickaxe | Radiant Core, Radiant Crystal. Also repairs camp waypoints (5 per camp). Can serve as emergency Slingshot ammo. |
Quartz | Green-tinted mineral nodes | Impulse Pickaxe | Quartzite, Glass Brick, Glass. Unlocks the Jam Maker and other glass-based crafts. |
Mid-Tier Ores (Gate of Life / Dreamfall Garden)
Ore | Appearance | Minimum Tool | Key Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
Iron | Dark gray rocks (darker than Tin) | Iron Ingot (Furnace II), Iron Sheet. Essential for mid-game tools and bag expansion. | |
Coal | Black rocks with a matte surface | Fuel for advanced furnace operations. Replaces Charcoal in many Furnace II and III recipes. | |
Gold | Shiny gold-flecked rocks | Gold Ingot (Furnace II). Premium sell value. Used in high-tier crafting recipes and tool upgrades. |
Iron spawns primarily in the Dreamfall Garden, the fourth area of the Moonlit Forest. To reach it, you need to shoot down a broken wall with your Slingshot to open the path. Gold spawns near the Crystalith Hideout doorway and in small deposits between Azure Bay and Mural Valley.
Late-Game Ores (Deep Moonlit Forest)
Ore | Appearance | Minimum Tool | Key Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
Primorite | Purple-tinted crystalline nodes | Advanced crafting ingredient. Found past the Crystalith boss area. | |
Metallic gray with magnetic sheen | Blast Hammer | Used for magnets and specialized equipment. | |
Moonstone | Pale blue luminescent nodes | Blast Hammer | Rare mineral for endgame recipes. Found in Darkwater Shore. |
Aurorite | Shimmering golden-green crystals | Blast Hammer | Aurorite Ingot (Furnace III). Endgame armor and tool crafting. |
Endgame Ores (Deepest Zones)
Ore | Appearance | Minimum Tool | Key Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
Dark, oily-looking rocks | Used in high-end energy recipes and advanced machinery. | ||
Starflare Crystal | Bright orange-red crystals | Starflare Core. Used in the Realm Box and endgame crafting. | |
Diamond | Translucent sparkling nodes | Rarest standard mineral. Used for the most advanced crafting recipes and premium sell value. |
Special Ores
Kyber Ore is found in a hidden cave behind the Water Wheel in the Moonlit Forest, past the Crystalith boss area. It is used for specialized advanced crafting recipes. Access requires progressing through the main Moonlit Forest questline to unlock the path.
Ore Processing Stations
Raw ores are processed through a chain of crafting stations. Each station tier unlocks new recipes while keeping all previous ones.
Station | Crafter Tier | Key Recipes |
|---|---|---|
Furnace I | Apprentice | Copper Ingot, Tin Ingot, Bronze, Stone Brick, Glass Brick, Radiant Core |
Furnace II | Junior | Iron Ingot, Gold Ingot, Magnet, Alloy, Starflare Core |
Furnace III | Senior | Aurorite Ingot, Eternal Alloy, Flamecore Ingot, Lunar Core |
Cutter I | Apprentice | Softwood Plank, Copper Sheet, Glass Pane |
Cutter II | Junior | Hardwood Plank, Iron Sheet, Premium Wood Plank |
Cutter III | Senior | Meteor Plank, advanced sheets and processed forms |
Gear Smith | Senior | Gears, Crystals, Wires, Springs, Nails |
Apprentice | Charcoal (from Wood). Essential fuel for Furnace I operations. | |
Junior | Processes Ore Chunks into randomized materials (see below) |
Ore Chunks and the Ore Analyzer
When mining ore nodes in the Moonlit Forest, you occasionally receive Ore Chunks as bonus drops alongside the standard ore. These chunks come in three rarities and must be processed at the Ore Analyzer to reveal their contents.
Chunk Type | Where Found | How Obtained |
|---|---|---|
Common Ore Chunk | Evernight Forest and beyond | Random drop from mining Copper, Tin, Fluorite, and Quartz nodes |
Uncommon Ore Chunk | Mid-sections (Spiritshade River area) | Random drop from mid-tier ore nodes; also found in Soil Mounds |
Rare Ore Chunk | Deepest zones of the Moonlit Forest | Random drop from deep-zone ore nodes; can yield Spirit Cube Fragments |
Building the Ore Analyzer
The Ore Analyzer blueprint is unlocked at Junior Crafter rank from Zerine. Build it with 8 Hardwood and 2 Copper Sheets at your Worktable, then place it on your property like any other crafting station.
Ore Analyzer Outputs
Place Ore Chunks into the Analyzer and wait for processing. The output is randomized. Possible results include:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Common materials | Copper, Tin, Stone, basic ores |
Ancient Precision Parts | a key crafting ingredient for Rollerskates, Sculptures, Woodcarvings, and other advanced recipes |
Spirit Cube Fragments (from Rare Ore Chunks) | used in endgame crafting including the Realm Box |
The Analyzer functions like a gacha system: you might get basic stone, you might get Copper, or you might get Ancient Precision Parts. Processing Ore Chunks in bulk improves your odds of hitting valuable drops.
Crafting Station Unlock Path
Crafting station blueprints unlock through Zerine's Crafter certification tiers. Each tier adds new stations and tools to your blueprint pool:
Crafter Tier | Stations/Tools Unlocked |
|---|---|
Base | Equipment Blueprint Pack: Cutter I, Charcoal Kiln, Furnace I, Separator |
Apprentice | Impulse Pickaxe, Impact Axe, Storage Box II |
Junior | Impact Hammer, Machete, Furnace II, Worktable II, Cutter II, Gear Smith, Ore Analyzer |
Intermediate | |
Senior | Electric Drill, Chainsaw, Worktable III, Cutter III, Furnace III |
Expert | Mining Robot, Logging Robot, Bug Trap, Teleporter, Gathering Robot |
Ore Processing Chains
Many ores go through multi-step processing before they become usable crafting materials. Here are the most important chains:
Raw Material | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Copper Ore | Copper Ingot (Furnace I) | Copper Sheet (Cutter I) | Used in crafting recipes |
Copper + Tin | Bronze (Furnace I) | Bronze Sheet (Cutter I) | Used in mid-tier recipes |
Fluorite | Radiant Core (Furnace I) | Radiant Crystal (advanced crafting) | Used in advanced tools |
Quartz | Quartzite (Furnace I) | Glass Brick (Furnace I) | |
Iron Ore | Iron Ingot (Furnace II) | Iron Sheet (Cutter II) | Mid-game tools, bag expansion |
Gold Ingot (Furnace II) | Direct sale or advanced crafting | Premium sell value | |
Wood | Charcoal (Charcoal Kiln) | Fuel for Furnace I/II | Always keep a stockpile |
Mining Tips
Tip | Details |
|---|---|
Build multiple Furnaces | Once you are processing Copper, Tin, Fluorite, Quartz, and Iron simultaneously, a single Furnace becomes a serious bottleneck. Two or three Furnaces running in parallel save hours of waiting. |
Stock up on Wood | Furnaces need Charcoal, which comes from Wood in the Charcoal Kiln. Process Wood into Charcoal before ore-processing days so you do not run out of fuel mid-smelt. |
Sell smelted bars, not raw ore | Selling processed ingots is one of the fastest money-making methods. Further processing (sheets, parts) has diminishing returns for the time invested. |
Use the Merchant Ship | The Merchant Ship buys items at 200% value. Save your best bars and rare ores for it. |
Dump remaining stamina into mining | At the end of each day, if you have stamina left and nothing else to do, head into the Moonlit Forest for a quick mining run. Resources respawn regularly. |
Repair camp waypoints | Each camp costs 5 Fluorite to repair. Camps serve as safe zones with sleeping areas and crafting benches, so keep Fluorite on hand as you explore new zones. |
Bring food | Mining drains stamina fast. Carry stamina-restoring cooked dishes so you can mine longer per trip. The Scavenger cooking buff reduces effective stamina costs. |
Mine dungeon nodes for fast respawns | Overworld nodes take two to three in-game days to respawn. Moonlit Forest dungeon nodes respawn on each new run with no waiting period, making them the most efficient farming source. |
Use the Impact Hammer's AoE | The Impact Hammer hits multiple nodes with each swing. Position yourself between clusters to maximize efficiency. |