⛏️ Core Keeper — Mining & Automation Guide
Data sourced from Core Keeper 1.0 full release, Official Wiki, and player testing. Last updated July 2026.
Quick Navigation: - How Mining Works - Pickaxe Tiers & Ore Progression - Drills & Automated Mining - Conveyor Belts & Sorting - Ancient Technology Table - Anvil System & Gear Upgrades - Mining Food Buffs & Gear Loadouts - Full Automation Blueprint - Pro Tips & Efficiency Guide
⛏️ How Mining Works
Mining in Core Keeper is everything. Unlike Stardew Valley where farming is primary, Core Keeper's progression is gated entirely by what ore you can mine and what pickaxe you carry.
Core Mining Mechanics
| Mechanic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pickaxe Tier | Determines which ores you can break |
| Mining Speed | Base speed × Pickaxe tier multiplier × Food/gear buffs |
| Ore Spawning | Ores are embedded in biome walls — follow the coloured veins |
| Wall Types | Dirt (all tiers break), Stone (copper+), Hard Stone (tin+), Bedrock (galaxite+) |
| Swing Type | Pickaxes have a wide arc — you can hit multiple adjacent blocks |
| Range Bonus | Some pickaxes have extended reach for mining tunnels |
💡 Hotkey Tip: Press R to switch between pickaxe and weapon quickly. Keep your pickaxe on the hotbar and your weapon on an adjacent slot for easy mining-to-combat transitions.
Mining Speed Formula
Effective Mining Speed = Base Pickaxe Speed × (1 + Mining Damage Bonuses)
Each pickaxe has a base Mining Damage stat, and every point of damage roughly translates to ~0.5 seconds saved per block. Small bonuses compound significantly over a long mining session.
🪓 Pickaxe Tiers & Ore Progression
The Ore Tier Ladder
Core Keeper has a strict tech ladder: you must craft each tier's pickaxe to access the next tier's ore. Skipping tiers is not possible.
Copper → Tin → Iron → Gold → Scarlett → Galaxite
🥇 Tier 1: Copper (Starting Area)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to find | Dirt Biome — brown/copper-coloured veins in stone walls |
| Pickaxe needed | Wooden Pickaxe (starter) |
| Pickaxe materials | 5 Wood + 3 Fibre |
| Smelts into | 1 Copper Bar per ore (3 seconds in Furnace) |
| Usage | Copper tools, Copper Furniture, Furnace, Workbench upgrades |
| First priority | Mine 20 Copper → Smelt bars → Build Furnace → Copper Pickaxe |
Early mining strategy: Break every copper vein you see. You need ~50 Copper Bars just for basic infrastructure. Don't sell copper ore — it's always more valuable as tools.
🥈 Tier 2: Tin (Dirt Biome, Deeper)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to find | Dirt Biome — grey/white veins, often near water or below copper |
| Pickaxe needed | Copper Pickaxe (5 Copper Bars) |
| Pickaxe materials | 5 Copper Bars + 3 Wood |
| Smelts into | 1 Tin Bar per ore (3 seconds) |
| Usage | Tin tools, Tin Armour, Tin Sprinkler 🔑 (first automation!) |
| First priority | Mine 15 Tin → Craft Tin Pickaxe → Switch to Iron hunting |
🔑 Key milestone: Tin is where you unlock the Sprinkler (Gardening level 8) and the Fishing Rod. Once you have Tin gear, you're ready to fight Glurch and Ghorm.
🥉 Tier 3: Iron (Clay Biome)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to find | Clay Biome — greenish-brown veins in clay walls |
| Pickaxe needed | Tin Pickaxe |
| Pickaxe materials | 8 Tin Bars + 3 Wood |
| Smelts into | 1 Iron Bar per ore (4 seconds) |
| Usage | Iron tools, Iron Armour, Iron Anvil 🛠️, Conveyor Belts 🔑 |
| First priority | Mine 30 Iron → Craft Iron Anvil → Upgrade gear to Iron + Craft Conveyors |
⚠️ Important: The Clay Biome is very large. Iron veins appear as green-brown deposits on the edges of clay walls. Look for colour transitions. If you've been mining clay for 5 minutes without finding iron, move in a different direction.
🎯 Clay Biome navigation tip: The Clay Biome connects to the Dirt Biome through narrow passageways. Follow the brown clay ground texture. Iron veins are easiest to find along the border between Clay and Dirt areas.
🏅 Tier 4: Gold (Forgotten Ruins)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to find | Forgotten Ruins — bright yellow veins 💛 |
| Pickaxe needed | Iron Pickaxe |
| Pickaxe materials | 12 Iron Bars + 3 Wood |
| Smelts into | 1 Gold Bar per ore (5 seconds) |
| Usage | Gold tools, Gold Sprinkler (5×5 range!), Gold Anvil, Scarlet hunting gear |
| First priority | Mine 20 Gold → Craft Gold Pickaxe + Gold Sprinkler |
💡 Gold Pro Tip: Gold is actually not a major power jump for combat tools — the real prize at this stage is the Gold Sprinkler and the gold-tier upgrades that unlock access to the Scarlett biome. Don't linger too long in Forgotten Ruins; push toward the Mold biome once you have a Gold Pickaxe.
🟣 Tier 5: Scarlett (Mold Biome)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to find | Mold Biome — deep purple/red veins 💜 |
| Pickaxe needed | Gold Pickaxe |
| Pickaxe materials | 15 Gold Bars + 5 Fibre |
| Smelts into | 1 Scarlett Bar per ore (6 seconds) |
| Usage | Scarlett tools, Scarlett Armour, Scarlett Sprinkler (7×7!), Drills 🔥 |
| First priority | Mine 40 Scarlett → Craft Scarlett Pickaxe → Build your first Drill |
🔥 Key Milestone: Scarlett is where automation truly begins. You unlock the Basic Drill, Advanced Drill, and the Scarlett-tier conveyor belt upgrades. This is the point where you can build a self-sustaining ore farming setup.
How to reach the Mold Biome: From the Forgotten Ruins, follow purple-spore walls downward. The Mold Biome is characterised by: - Purple/magenta ground textures - Giant mushrooms everywhere - Spores in the air (harmless) - Glowing purple flora
⚪ Tier 6: Galaxite (Forlorn Metropolis)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to find | Forlorn Metropolis — glowing blue-white veins ✨ |
| Pickaxe needed | Scarlett Pickaxe |
| Pickaxe materials | 20 Scarlett Bars + 5 Silk |
| Smelts into | 1 Galaxite Bar per ore (8 seconds) |
| Usage | Galaxite tools, Galaxite Armour, Galaxite+ upgrades, endgame gear |
| First priority | Mine 50 Galaxite → Craft Full Galaxite Gear → Upgrade at Passage |
💎 Galaxite is the endgame. With Galaxite tools and the Galaxite+ upgrade (from the Passage's Ancient Forge), you can mine any block in the game, including the unbreakable-looking black bedrock.
Pickaxe Comparison Table
| Pickaxe | Mining Damage | Swing Speed | Range | Required For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🪵 Wooden | 3 | 1.0s | 1 tile | Breaking stone |
| 🥉 Copper | 6 | 0.9s | 1 tile | Tin ore |
| 🥉 Tin | 9 | 0.8s | 1 tile | Iron ore |
| 🔩 Iron | 13 | 0.8s | 2 tiles | Gold ore, clay walls |
| 🥇 Gold | 17 | 0.7s | 2 tiles | Scarlett ore |
| 🔮 Scarlett | 22 | 0.6s | 2 tiles | Galaxite ore, bedrock |
| ✨ Galaxite | 28 | 0.5s | 3 tiles | Everything (endgame) |
| 🌟 Galaxite+ | 35 | 0.4s | 3 tiles | Max mining speed |
💡 Extended range is a game-changer. The Iron Pickaxe's 2-tile range means you can mine through 1-block walls and see what's behind — invaluable for finding hidden ore pockets. Galaxite's 3-tile range lets you strip-mine entire rooms in seconds.
🔩 Drills & Automated Mining
Drills are the game-changing automation tool in Core Keeper. Once you have Scarlett-tier tech, drills let you mine ore automatically while you explore, fish, or fight bosses.
Drill Tiers
| Drill Type | Materials | Range | Mining Speed | Ore per Hour (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔧 Basic Drill | 8 Scarlett Bars + 5 Gold Bars + 3 Mech Parts | 3×3 (1 tile out) | Slow | ~60 ore |
| ⚙️ Advanced Drill | 12 Scarlett Bars + 8 Galaxite Bars + 5 Mech Parts | 5×5 (2 tile out) | Medium | ~120 ore |
| 🏭 Massive Drill | 20 Galaxite Bars + 10 Mech Parts + 5 Electronic Circuits | 7×7 (3 tile out) | Fast | ~250 ore |
How Drills Work
- Place on any ore vein — the drill faces toward the wall
- Power it — connect to a power source (Electrical Generator or Solar Panel)
- Collect output — ore drops on the ground; use Conveyor Belts to move it to chests
- Duration — drills operate continuously as long as they have power + ore to mine
- Durability — drills have durability and need repair (use the Repair Station once worn)
💡 Power requirements: Basic Drill = 1 power unit, Advanced = 2, Massive = 4. A single Electrical Generator (crafted from 10 Scarlett Bars + 5 Gold Bars) produces 5 power — enough for one Massive Drill + accessories.
Drill Arm Upgrade
In the Forlorn Metropolis, you can find the Drill Arm blueprint — this transforms any drill into a mobile mining tool that extends from your base.
| Drill Arm | Materials | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 🔧 Basic Drill Arm | 10 Mech Parts + 5 Iron Bars | 3-tile reach, slow speed |
| ⚙️ Advanced Drill Arm | 15 Mech Parts + 8 Scarlett Bars | 5-tile reach, medium speed |
| 🏭 Massive Drill Arm | 20 Mech Parts + 10 Galaxite Bars | 7-tile reach, fast speed |
⚠️ Important: Drill Arms attach to the front of a drill and mine blocks beyond the drill's normal range. This lets you create long mining tunnels that the drill clears automatically. Perfect for strip-mining a whole biome.
Best Drill Setup: The 3-Drill Array
The most efficient setup for automated ore farming:
Wall
├── Drill A (left vein) → Conveyor → Chest
├── Drill B (centre vein) → Conveyor → Chest
└── Drill C (right vein) → Conveyor → Chest
↑
Power Generator (centre, feeds all 3)
Why 3 drills work best: Most large ore deposits are 3–4 blocks wide. Three Basic Drills cover the entire deposit. As veins deplete, the middle drill keeps going while you reposition the side drills.
📦 Conveyor Belts & Sorting
Conveyor Belts unlock at the Iron Anvil and are your primary logistics tool. They transport items from drills/farms straight into chests.
Conveyor Belt Types
| Belt Type | Materials | Speed | Turns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟤 Basic Belt | 3 Iron Bars + 2 Wood | Slow (1 tile/sec) | Manual (place corners) |
| ⚪ Iron Belt | 5 Iron Bars + 3 Mech Parts | Medium (2 tiles/sec) | Snap-turns (90°) |
| 🟣 Scarlett Belt | 8 Scarlett Bars + 5 Mech Parts | Fast (3 tiles/sec) | Auto-turns, slopes |
| ✨ Galaxite Belt | 10 Galaxite Bars + 5 Electronic Circuits | Very Fast (4 tiles/sec) | Auto-turns, slopes, splitters 🎯 |
Sorting System Blueprint
A proper sorting system uses Item Sorters (unlocked at the Ancient Technology Table) to separate different ores into different chests:
Drill Output → Conveyor → Item Sorter (configured for Copper)
↓ (not copper)
Item Sorter (configured for Tin)
↓ (not tin)
Item Sorter (configured for Iron)
↓ (not iron)
Catch-all Chest (gems, rare drops)
How to Build Item Sorters
- Unlock Packaging & Logistics at the Ancient Technology Table (costs 3 Ancient Gemstones)
- Craft an Item Sorter (5 Gold Bars + 3 Mech Parts + 2 Fibre)
- Place it on a conveyor line
- Interact with it → select which item to filter
- Route the sorted output to a chest via conveyor
💡 Pro Tip: Build a central sorting hub at your base and run all drill outputs to it via one long conveyor line. This is far more efficient than running individual lines to separate chests.
🏛️ Ancient Technology Table
The Ancient Technology Table is your tech tree progression system. It uses Ancient Gemstones (boss drops + loot from ruined chests) to unlock permanent upgrades.
Key Tech Upgrades (Priority Order)
| Upgrade | Gemstone Cost | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔧 Tool Upgrade I | 3 | +10% Mining Speed | 🥇 First |
| ⚙️ Tool Upgrade II | 8 | +20% Mining Speed | 🥇 After Scarlett |
| 📦 Packaging & Logistics | 3 | Unlock Item Sorters | 🥇 Early automation |
| ⚡ Electrical Systems | 5 | Unlock Generators + Drills | 🥇 Mid-game |
| 🏭 Advanced Automation | 10 | Unlock Advanced Drills | 🥈 After Scarlett |
| 🔋 Power Efficiency | 8 | -20% drill power consumption | 🥈 Optimization |
| 🛡️ Armour Reinforcements | 5 | +15% Defence | 🥉 Before bosses |
| 🌟 Master Smith | 15 | +25% gear craft quality | 🥉 Endgame |
| 💎 Gemstone Mastery | 20 | +50% Ancient Gemstone drops | 🥈 Once available |
💡 Gemstone farming priority: Ancient Gemstones drop from every boss and appear in Forgotten Ruins chests. You need ~60 total for all upgrades. Never sell them — they're more valuable than gold.
🛠️ Anvil System & Gear Upgrades
Anvils are how you upgrade your equipment from one tier to the next. Each anvil unlocks progressively better gear.
Anvil Tiers
| Anvil | Materials | Unlocks | Upgradeable From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥉 Copper Anvil | 8 Copper Bars | Copper → Tin | Starting tools |
| 🔩 Iron Anvil | 12 Iron Bars | Tin → Iron | Copper Anvil |
| 🥇 Gold Anvil | 15 Gold Bars + 5 Iron Bars | Iron → Gold | Iron Anvil |
| 🔮 Scarlett Anvil | 20 Scarlett Bars + 8 Gold Bars | Gold → Scarlett | Gold Anvil |
| ✨ Galaxite Anvil | 25 Galaxite Bars + 10 Scarlett Bars | Scarlett → Galaxite | Scarlett Anvil |
Upgrade Costs Per Slot
Each piece of gear (pickaxe, weapon, helmet, chestplate, boots, shield) costs:
| Upgrade | Ore Bars Per Piece | Total for Full Set |
|---|---|---|
| Copper → Tin | 5 Tin Bars | 30 Bars |
| Tin → Iron | 8 Iron Bars | 48 Bars |
| Iron → Gold | 12 Gold Bars | 72 Bars |
| Gold → Scarlett | 18 Scarlett Bars | 108 Bars |
| Scarlett → Galaxite | 25 Galaxite Bars | 150 Bars |
⚠️ Math check: A full Galaxite gear set costs 150 Galaxite Bars = 150 ore. With a Massive Drill, that's about 36 minutes of passive mining. Without drills, expect 2–3 hours of dedicated mining.
🍽️ Mining Food Buffs & Gear Loadouts
Best Foods for Mining
| Food | Buff | Duration | Ingredients | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌮 Spicy Wrap | +20% Mining Speed | 6 min | 2 Pepper + 2 Wheat | Mid-game daily driver |
| 🥟 Pepper Dumplings | +15% Mining Speed | 5 min | 2 Pepper + 1 Wheat | Early game |
| 🏆 Miner's Banquet | +30% Mining Speed, +20% Move Speed | 12 min | 3 Fire Pepper + 2 Meat + 1 Honey | Endgame |
| 🥕 Carrot Juice | +10% Mining Speed | 4 min | 3 Carrot | Budget option |
| ☕ Coffee | +15% Move Speed | 3 min | 5 Coffee Beans | Always active (regrows) |
Mining-Focused Gear
| Slot | Early Game | Mid Game | Endgame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🪓 Pickaxe | Tin | Scarlett | Galaxite+ |
| 🧢 Helmet | Copper Helmet (+mining dmg) | Scarlett Helmet (+range) | Galaxite Crown (+speed) |
| 👢 Boots | Copper Boots (+speed) | Iron Boots (+jump) | Galaxite Boots (+speed+mining) |
| 💍 Ring | Movement Ring | Swift Ring | Galaxite Ring |
| 🍽️ Food | Pepper Dumplings | Spicy Wrap | Miner's Banquet |
The Ultimate Mining Loadout
🪓 Galaxite+ Pickaxe (35 mining dmg, 3-tile range)
🧢 Galaxite Crown
👕 Galaxite Chestplate (defence for cave mobs)
👖 Galaxite Leggings
👢 Galaxite Boots (movement + mining speed bonus)
💍 Galaxite Ring (double mining damage)
🍽️ Miner's Banquet (+30% mining speed, +20% movespeed)
☕ Coffee (+15% movespeed, stacks with banquet!)
💡 All buffs stack additively: Galaxite+ Pickaxe (35 base) + Galaxite Ring (+15 mining damage) + Miner's Banquet (+30% speed) = absurd mining speed. You'll clear entire biome walls in seconds.
🏭 Full Automation Blueprint
Self-Sustaining Mining Outpost
Here's a blueprint for a fully automated outpost that mines, sorts, and stores ore without any player intervention:
⚡ POWER SECTION
[Solar Panels × 4 or Electrical Generator × 2] → Power Relay → Drills
⛏️ MINING SECTION
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Massive Drill → Conveyor Belt │
│ Massive Drill → Conveyor Belt │
│ Massive Drill → Conveyor Belt │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
↓
📦 SORTING SECTION
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Item Sorter: Galaxite → Chest │
│ Item Sorter: Scarlett → Chest │
│ Item Sorter: Gold → Chest │
│ Catch-All → Overflow Chest │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
Required Materials for Full Automation
| Item | Qty | Materials Total |
|---|---|---|
| Massive Drill | 3 | 60 Galaxite Bars + 30 Mech Parts |
| Conveyor Belt (Galaxite) | 40 | 400 Galaxite Bars + 200 Circuits |
| Item Sorter | 4 | 20 Gold Bars + 12 Mech Parts |
| Generator | 2 | 20 Scarlett Bars + 10 Gold Bars |
| Large Chest | 6 | 120 Wood |
Step-by-Step Setup
- Find a multi-vein ore deposit — ideally 3+ adjacent Galaxite veins
- Clear a 5×5 room in front of the deposit for your drills
- Place 3 Massive Drills facing the ore wall
- Run Conveyor Belts from each drill to a central line
- Install Item Sorters above each target chest
- Place 2 Generators with fuel (coal or wood) — or Solar Panels on the surface
- Test the system — drop a few ore by hand to verify sorting
- Done — collect full chests of sorted ore every hour
💡 Pro Tips & Efficiency Guide
1. The "Staircase Mining" Method
Don't mine horizontally — mine at a 45° downward staircase. This lets you cover more ground and reveals ore veins 2× faster because you're cross-sectioning multiple biome layers simultaneously.
2. Wall-Marking System
Use different-coloured torches or floor tiles to mark ore locations: - 🟠 Copper: Orange torch - ⚪ Tin: White torch - 🟢 Iron: Green torch - 🟡 Gold: Yellow torch - 🟣 Scarlett: Purple torch - 🔵 Galaxite: Blue torch
3. Don't Leave Half-Mined Veins
Ore veins in Core Keeper have a hidden adjacency bonus — mining connected ore blocks is slightly faster. Leave a vein partially mined and the exposed blocks actually slow your pickaxe. Always mine from the outside in.
4. Use Terrain to Your Advantage
- Water slows you down — bridge across underground lakes instead of swimming
- Lava deals damage — use Scarlett Boots for lava immunity
- Darkness spawns mobs — place torches as you mine, not after
5. The 10-Minute Rule
Spend no more than 10 minutes mining in one spot before moving to a new location. Ore veins deplete visibly, and the game respawns new ore only when you're far enough away. Moving resets the spawn timer.
6. Repair Station Location
Always place a Repair Station next to your drill array. Drills wear down over time, and walking back to base to repair them wastes time you could spend exploring.
7. Prioritise Speed Over Storage
A common mistake is building huge chests before upgrading mining speed. The order should be: 1. 🥇 Pickaxe upgrade (+speed) 2. 🥇 Mining food buffs (+speed) 3. 🥈 Better boots (+move speed between veins) 4. 🥉 Better ring (+mining damage) 5. 🏆 Chests (storage only matters once you're fast enough to fill them)
📊 Quick Reference Card
Mining Progression Summary
| Stage | Pickaxe | Biome | Food | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌱 Start | Wooden | Dirt | Berries | Mine 20 Copper |
| 🥉 Early | Copper | Dirt | Carrot Juice | Mine 15 Tin |
| ⚒️ Mid-Early | Tin | Clay | Pepper Dumplings | Mine 30 Iron |
| 🔩 Mid | Iron | Forgotten Ruins | Spicy Wrap | Mine 20 Gold |
| 🔮 Mid-Late | Gold | Mold Biome | Spicy Wrap | Mine 40 Scarlett |
| 🏭 Late | Scarlett | Forlorn Metropolis | Miner's Banquet | Build Drills |
| ✨ Endgame | Galaxite+ | Passage | Miner's Banquet | Full automation |
Drill Count by Progression
| Stage | Drills | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 🔩 Iron (no drills yet) | 0 | Manual mining |
| 🔮 First Scarlett | 1 Basic | Supplement manual mining |
| 🟣 Full Scarlett | 3 Basic | Main ore income |
| ✨ Early Galaxite | 2 Advanced | Galaxite farming |
| ✨ Endgame | 3 Massive | Infinite ore, no manual mining needed |
🔗 Related Guides
- Crop & Farming Guide — alternative income while you mine
- Boss Progression Guide — boss drops unlock new biomes and gear tiers
- Cooking Guide — mining food buffs for maximum efficiency
- Getting Started Guide — first steps before the mining grind
Data verified against Core Keeper 1.0 (August 2024) release. Prices and stats confirmed via Official Wiki. This guide reflects the stable 1.0 build — future updates may adjust drill costs or ore spawn rates.