Drill & Mining Guide

Drill & Mining Guide (1.0 Drilling Thunder)

Mining is a core progression system in Scrap Mechanic, especially after the 1.0 Drilling Thunder update which introduced a full underground world with rich ore veins, new mining machinery, and a complete refining-to-delivery loop. This guide covers handheld drills, vehicle-mounted drilling rigs, all ore types verified in the 1.0 database, mining machines, and the underground world.

The Underground World (1.0 New)

The headline addition of Drilling Thunder is The Underground — a large cave network reached by an elevator on the surface. It comes packed with its own points of interest and regions, alongside a Mining Island built around a collapsed mine and the Grow Labs (underground dungeons). You can dig all the way down to the planet's boiling core.

Key Underground Locations

• Excavation Island / Mining Island — A brand-new area filled with abandoned mines, dark caves, and rare treasures. The primary entry point for underground mining.
• Abandoned Mine — The main underground mining area with multiple floors, ore veins, and hostile bots. Deeper floors have rarer ores and tougher enemies.
• Grow Labs — Underground dungeons with unique loot and challenges.
• Underground Caves — Natural cave networks exposing ore veins without digging.
• Planet Core — The deepest level, with the most valuable resources and the final boss arena.

Refining and Delivery Loop

The core mining progression in 1.0 follows this cycle:

1. Descend — Take the central elevator from the surface into the underground
2. Mine — Use a Plasma Drill to bore through bedrock and collect ore
3. Crush — Use a Crushbot to crush ore into items and extract materials
4. Prospect — Use a Prospectorbot to filter crushed gravel for rare materials
5. Deliver — Transport refined materials to the surface for sale or crafting

All Ore & Resource Types (1.0 Verified)

The following ore and resource types are confirmed in the Scrap Mechanic 1.0 item database (scrapmech.wiki). Data is tied to game build 1.0 and regenerated on every update.

Raw Ores

Refined Materials

Mining Tools & Machinery (1.0)

Handheld Drills

1.0 New Mining Machines

Mining Vehicle Construction

A dedicated mining vehicle is the most efficient way to gather ore in the underground. Six wheels works well, with four at the back to carry the refinery weight and front wheel steering up ahead. Three Drills with two Saw Blades between them handles both rock and trees, since a tree wedges neatly between the blades.

Essential Components

• Heavy chassis — Reinforced frame to handle drilling vibration and underground terrain
• Large engine — Powers both the vehicle and the drills (Gas or Electric engine Level 3+)
• Drill mount — Front-mounted bracket for 1-3 drills
• 6WD or tracks — Maximum traction on uneven mine floors
• Large fuel tank / batteries — Drilling consumes power quickly
• Lighting — Multiple headlights and work lights (the mine is completely dark)
• Cargo area / Ore Collector — Storage for mined ore and on-board crushing
• Reinforced armor — Protect the engine and driver from underground bots
• Turret Seat (optional) — For combat mining vehicles with mounted weapons
• Articulating nose (upgrade) — A Bearing joint through the middle of the chassis so the whole nose articulates. Approach a node and sweep side to side.

Drill Connection Setup

1. Mount the drill(s) on the front of the vehicle
2. Connect the drill to the engine using the Connection Tool (a bearing connected to an engine, even slightly rotating, is enough)
3. Add a toggle switch on the driver seat to activate/deactivate the drill
4. For adjustable height, connect the drill mount to a piston controlled by the seat
5. Add Saw Blades between drills for tree and crystal cutting
6. Test by driving into a rock face with the drill active

Mining Vehicle Tips

• Front-mounted drill — Easier to aim, but blocks your view
• Wide drill array — Mount multiple drills side by side for wider tunnels
• On-board crushing — Add a Crushbot and Ore Collector to process ore while mining
• Keep it simple in Survival — Complex suspension and articulation may fail under heavy loads. A solid 6WD rig with 3 drills is more reliable than a fancy wishbone suspension mining truck.

Underground Enemies

Minerbot

• Spawns — In the mines, from floor 4 and deeper
• Health — Boss-tier (do not underestimate)
• Attack — When it discovers the player, it attacks from above by launching pieces of rock. Its aim is not perfect, but unpredictable movement makes it dangerous.
• Death behavior — When destroyed, its damaged propulsion system causes it to lose control. It spins through the air before crashing into nearby objects. If that object is your expensive drilling vehicle, the result can be devastating.
• Loot — Around 6-8 Crimsonite / Goopite / Aurumite + Component Kit
• Strategy — Shoot from a safe distance. When defeated, dodge its rush/spin attack. Do not let it crash into your mining vehicle.

Drillbot

• Spawns — Underground mines
• Attack — Uses drill attacks against players and vehicles
• Strategy — Engage from range with a Spud Gun. Use cover in mine tunnels.

Cablebot

• Spawns — Underground, chemical factories, Grow Labs
• Health — Elite-tier (10 HP)
• Strategy — Engage at range. Cablebots are dangerous in close quarters.

Final Boss

• Spawns — Underground final arena (planet core level)
• Mechanic — Immortal until weakened. Requires a specific strategy to expose its weak point.
• Strategy — Build a Spud Gun bunker. Bring plenty of ammo and healing items. This is the end-game encounter.

Surface Mining (Basic)

Before you can access the underground world, you can mine surface resources:

• Stone outcrops — Scattered around the world, square-shaped rocks that yield stone and metal
• Metal nodes — Larger deposits that yield metal scrap
• Trees — Use a Sledgehammer or Saw to collect wood
• Beeswax — Found on rock outcrops (not the cuboid ones). Strike the bee comb to extract wax.
• Embers — Collect by hitting trees in burnt forests, or craft from Wood 1 and chemicals

Surface mining by hand is not enough — you will need to construct a drill to mine efficiently. Make a drill at a Craftbot, or trade 40 Redbeets for one.

Ore Refining & Processing

Raw ore must be processed before it can be used in crafting:

1. Gather raw ore — Mine ore veins in the underground or collect from bot drops
2. Crush — Use a Crushbot or Ore Collector & Crusher to break ore into powder
3. Prospect — Use a Prospectorbot to filter crushed gravel for rare materials
4. Refine — Process crushed materials into refined resources (Coralium, Crystalium, Lemonium, Matrixium, Nimbolium)
5. Use or sell — Refined materials are used in advanced crafting or can be delivered for currency

You can build automated refining setups using vacuum pipes to feed ore directly from storage containers to the Crushbot and Prospectorbot.

Underground Mine Survival Tips

1. Bring plenty of light — The mine is completely dark. Vehicle lights + handheld flashlights + placeable lights.
2. Watch for underground bots — Minerbots, Drillbots, and Cablebots are all hostile. Minerbots launch rocks from above.
3. Mark your path — Place signs or torches to avoid getting lost in the tunnels
4. Bring spare fuel/batteries — Running out of power underground is a death sentence
5. Do not dig straight down — You might break into a bot-infested cavern or fall into a pit
6. Bring food and weapons — Combat is frequent; health does not regenerate in 1.0
7. Set a spawn point — Place a bed near the mine entrance before descending
8. Dodge Minerbot death spins — When a Minerbot is destroyed, it spins out of control. Get clear of your vehicle.
9. Know when to retreat — If your vehicle is damaged or power is low, return to the surface
10. Build an outpost — A small base near the mine entrance for storage, fuel, batteries, and repairs

Mining Tips & Tricks

1. Follow the veins — Ore often appears in veins; if you find one, keep digging in that direction
2. Use natural caves — Underground caves and tunnels expose ore without digging
3. Upgrade your drill — A Plasma Drill cuts through bedrock that a Hand Drill cannot
4. Bring a Plasma Saw — Cuts crystal rocks that yield Crystalium and other rare materials
5. Automate with vacuum pipes — Use vacuum pumps to transport ore from mine to storage automatically
6. Mine with friends — In multiplayer, one person drives while another operates the drill or turret
7. Check behind you — Underground bots can sneak up while you are focused on mining
8. Deeper = rarer — The deepest layers (near the planet core) have the rarest ores and the Final Boss
9. Crush Mixed Ore — Mixed Ore contains multiple materials; use a Prospectorbot to separate them
10. Farm Minerbots — Minerbots drop 6-8 Crimsonite/Goopite/Aurumite each. A good source of rare ore if you can handle them.

Related Guides

• World Map & Resource Distribution — Find the best mining locations and underground entrances
• Vehicle & Truck Building — Build a mining vehicle
• Wishbone Suspension Guide — Suspension for mining vehicles (keep it simple for work vehicles)
• Vacuum Pump & Fluid Guide — Automated ore transport and refining
• Bots & Enemies Reference — Underground bot types and combat strategies
• Drilling Thunder 1.0 Update — Full breakdown of the 1.0 update features