Overview
Pickaxes are the primary mining tools in Starsand Island. They are used to break rocks, mine ore deposits, and harvest crystals found across the island surface and inside the Moonlit Forest. Your pickaxe tier determines which ores you can extract: swinging a lower-tier pickaxe at a high-tier node does nothing and produces a "tool too weak" message.
The mining tool progression follows a linear upgrade chain: Stone Pickaxe, Impulse Pickaxe, Impact Hammer, Blast Hammer, and the Electric Drill as the endgame branch. Each upgrade requires the previous tool as a crafting ingredient (except the Electric Drill, which is built from scratch). All blueprints are purchased from Zerine's General Store, and crafting is done at a Worktable. Progression through the mining tool chain is gated by the Crafter profession tiers.
Pickaxe Tiers
The table below lists every mining tool in the game, its crafting materials, where to get the blueprint, and which Worktable tier you need to build it.
Tool | Crafting Materials | Blueprint Source | Worktable | Blueprint Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stone Pickaxe | 2 Softwood + 2 Stone | Tutorial (Zerine) | I | Free (tutorial) |
Impulse Pickaxe | 10 Copper + 10 Fluorite + 5 Softwood + 5 Quartz + 1 Stone Pickaxe | I | 500 Coins | |
4 Hardwood Planks + 4 Iron Sheets + 2 Radiant Crystals + 3 Bronze + 1 Impulse Pickaxe | I | 2,500 Coins | ||
20 Premium Wood + 5 Alloy + 5 Starflare Crystals + 5 Rubber + 1 Impact Hammer | II | 8,000 Coins | ||
6 Meteor Planks + 5 Chips + 6 Eternal Alloy + 8 High-Performance Wire Sets | III | 22,000 Coins |
Each tool from the Impulse Pickaxe through the Blast Hammer consumes the previous pickaxe as an ingredient. This means you are upgrading your existing tool, not keeping a collection. The Electric Drill breaks this pattern: it is built from scratch using advanced materials gathered from the deepest levels of the Moonlit Forest.
What Each Tier Can Mine
Each pickaxe tier unlocks access to a new set of ores. The table below shows which resources become available at each stage.
Tool | Ores You Can Mine | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Stone Pickaxe | Stone, Fluorite, Tin Ore, Copper Ore, Clay | Handles surface rocks and early Moonlit Forest rooms. Cannot break Iron deposits or higher-tier ores. |
Impulse Pickaxe | Quartz (plus all Stone Pickaxe ores, including Copper) | Required to break Gravecrystals trapping Gravestars. Needed to progress past the Gate of Life. |
Area-of-effect swing hits multiple ore nodes at once. Also functions as a melee weapon. | ||
Magnetite, Oilstone, Flamecore, Diamond, Moonstone, Aurorite (plus all previous ores) | Larger AoE swing. Mines every ore type in the game. | |
All ore types | Mines nearly instantly. Higher yield per deposit. Endgame tool. |
How to Upgrade
Upgrading your pickaxe requires two things: the right Crafter profession certification and the matching blueprint from Zerine's General Store. You cannot skip tiers. The upgrade process works as follows:
Reach the required Crafter tier by completing Zerine's certification quests. The Stone Pickaxe is given during the tutorial. The Impulse Pickaxe blueprint requires Apprentice Crafter. The Impact Hammer requires Junior Crafter. The Blast Hammer requires Intermediate Crafter. The Electric Drill requires Senior Crafter.
Purchase the blueprint from the General Store. Blueprints only appear in the shop after you meet the certification requirement.
Gather the crafting materials. Higher-tier tools need processed materials (Hardwood Planks, Iron Sheets, Alloy, Meteor Planks) that require upgraded Furnaces and Cutters.
Craft at the correct Worktable. The Stone Pickaxe and Impulse Pickaxe use Worktable I. The Impact Hammer and Blast Hammer use Worktable II. The Electric Drill uses Worktable III.
Keep in mind that upgrading from the Impulse Pickaxe to the Impact Hammer, and from the Impact Hammer to the Blast Hammer, consumes the previous tool. Make sure you are ready to give up your current pickaxe before crafting the next one. You will not have a gap in mining capability since the upgraded tool can mine everything the previous one could, plus new ore types.
Where to Use Your Pickaxe
Mining happens in two main areas: the overworld surface and the Moonlit Forest underground dungeon. Each area offers different resources.
Surface Mining
Rocks and stone deposits are scattered across the island surface, especially around Green Meadow, Bastrom Heights, and Crane Cape. Surface nodes provide Stone, Clay, and occasionally Fluorite. These respawn every two to three in-game days. A Stone Pickaxe is enough for all surface deposits.
Moonlit Forest
The Moonlit Forest is the main mining location. Metal ores like Copper, Iron, Gold, and Diamond are found exclusively underground. The forest is organized into progressively deeper rooms, and each room tier requires a better pickaxe to mine its ore deposits. Dungeon ore nodes respawn on each new run, making the Moonlit Forest the best repeatable mining location in the game.
Bring food and stamina recovery items when mining in the Moonlit Forest. Deep runs with a Blast Hammer or Electric Drill can drain your entire stamina bar quickly, especially when mining dense ore clusters.
Stamina and Efficiency
Every pickaxe swing costs stamina. Mining and breaking rocks costs 2 to 3 stamina per hit, varying by ore type and pickaxe tier. Higher-tier pickaxes generally break nodes in fewer swings, so the total stamina spent per node tends to decrease as you upgrade.
Stone Pickaxe: Slowest mining speed. Requires the most swings per node, meaning it uses the most total stamina to clear a deposit.
Impulse Pickaxe: Noticeable speed increase over the Stone Pickaxe. Fewer swings per node.
Impact Hammer: Area-of-effect swing hits multiple adjacent ore nodes simultaneously. Higher stamina cost per swing, but the AoE makes it the most efficient tool for dense ore clusters.
Blast Hammer: Larger AoE than the Impact Hammer. Very high stamina cost per swing, but unmatched for clearing large groups of ore deposits quickly.
Electric Drill: Fastest mining speed in the game. Breaks nodes in one or two hits regardless of ore type. High speed means faster stamina depletion per time period, so bring recovery food on long runs.
Eat cooked meals with stamina buffs before heading into the Moonlit Forest. Dishes like the Goldspike Blend or Forest Treasure Bowl can extend your effective mining time significantly.
Tips
Always upgrade your pickaxe as soon as the next tier becomes available. The ability to mine new ores opens up entire crafting chains and is often the bottleneck for progression.
The Impact Hammer doubles as a melee weapon, making it useful for fighting enemies in the Moonlit Forest while you mine. You do not need to swap between a weapon and a tool.
If you want both the Electric Drill and the Chainsaw, plan ahead. They share the exact same crafting recipe (6 Meteor Planks, 5 Chips, 6 Eternal Alloy, 8 High-Performance Wire Sets), so you will need double the materials for both.
Use the Ore Analyzer to identify Common Ore Chunks before smelting them. This helps you target the specific ores you need.
Consider building a Mining Robot once you reach Expert Crafter. It automates ore gathering entirely, freeing you to focus on other tasks.
The Impulse Pickaxe is needed to break Gravecrystals and free trapped Gravestars. Do not skip this upgrade if you want to progress the main story past the Gate of Life.