Mining resources is fairly simple in Kenshi but there are s few details that aren’t so obvious. To mine a resource, select one of your characters and hold down the right mouse button on a mineable resource. Then select the option that reads ‘Use’. Your character will automatically move to the resource and mine it.
For those still having trouble the guide will go in to more detail below.
Finding a mineable resource
All around the map of Kenshi are resources that can be mined for resources to use for building, or to sell if you need a quick buck. Finding resources on the map is fairly simple. You will see large rocks or broken down old pieces of machinery from time to time. Some of these are just static objects that can’t be interacted with but some of them are resources that can be mined to obtain an item. To see if it is a mining resource click on the object and see what it is called. You will see some information on it, and see how well it can be mined out. If the mining efficiency is high, that means you will be able to mine here quicker. Once you’ve found a resource it’s time to get mining!
How to mine from start to finish
Mining is simple! As shown in the first paragraph of this guide. Select a character and simply right-click on a mineable resource to begin mining. You don’t need to get a pickaxe or any sort of tool to begin mining. Once you begin mining you can check the progress until you can some resource by clicking on the mineable resource itself.
You can see in the image above how long it will take to get each piece of copper from the resource. There are a few different factors that influence mining in Kenshi but we will go over that in the next section. Now that you are mining, it is important to have enough space in your inventory to put your goods! Make sure you have a fairly empty inventory or big backpack to carry it all otherwise you’ll find yourself running back and forth between your base and the resource.
Once each piece of the ore is mined, it will show up in the menu as seen in the image above. To get the piece of copper out of the resource, open up your characters inventory and drag the copper over to a free spot. Be aware that ores are fairly heavy, so your character will move a lot slower if you have many pieces of ore. A great way to train your strength skill is by loading up your character with lots of heavy ore and walking around.
Factors that influence mining speed
There are a few different things that will influence your mining speed in Kenshi. The main contributing factor to mining speed is the skill level that your character has in Laboring. This governs all menial laboring tasks in Kenshi, mainly including mining. The best way to level this skill up, believe it or not, is by mining.
The other major factor that influences the mining speed is the stats of the resource itself. You can see how efficient and abundant your mining resource is by selecting the resource and looking over the stats in the bottom left. This will tell you the multiplier on how fast you can mine it and how long it will take to yield a piece of ore.
Another factor many don’t consider when thinking about mining in Kenshi is the hunger level. If your character is hungry, starving or malnourished a negative multiplier will go against ALL of their stats, including laboring. So if you have a slow worker but see they really aren’t getting anything mined in a valuable resource chances are they are just really hungry.
Why should I mine in Kenshi?
There are many reasons one might want to mine in Kenshi. One of the obvious reasons you could mine is that it is a fantastic source of ‘relatively’ risk-free income. As long as you have found a mining resource far away from enemy patrols you can mine your days away and sell your mining yields in town for 100% profit.
Another reason to mine is that many of the buildings and production facilities in your base require materials to build. Materials such as copper and iron can be obtained at bulk and at no cost by simply mining them out of the ground.
A great reason to mine is also in the use of strength training. Staying alive in Kenshi is all about raising your skills up. This can be hard if you only have one character and can’t really afford to lose a lot of fights early on and find yourself bleeding to death. A great way to raise your strength is by mining a bunch or iron ore up and throwing them in your backpack. Not only can you just aimlessly walk your character around town like this, you could couple this with trips to the store for a double benefit.
Mine up some rocks, throw them in your backpack, walk to town and sell them and repeat to earn a great source of hard-earned cash and a bonus to your strength training!
I hope this guide has helped you understand the ins and outs of mining in Kenshi! You can mine up resources to build up your base or make a great amount of easy cats from it. Mining is not only for slaves you know!
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