Elite Dangerous Mining Guide 2021 - Core & Laser Mining | Friendship Drive Guides

Looking to get started mining in Elite: Dangerous? This beginner's guide to mining should hopefully get you started, whether you want to do core or laser mining for credits.
Again, this is a beginner-friendly guide and does not cover mapped mining or how to make the absolute most credits per hour, but will help introduce you to mining ships and tools, and the methods for finding goodies.
ED Tools (Miner): edtools.cc/miner
EDDB: eddb.io/
I stream full-time on Twitch (Mon - Fri at noon UK time), and play a lot of Elite: Dangerous and other space, sandbox, or story games. We'd love to have you over there sometime! / psyche
First Elite Dangerous Beginner's Guide: • Elite Dangerous Beginn...
The full Elite Dangerous guides playlist: • Elite Dangerous Beginn...
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Music throughout provided by Epidemic Sound.
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Twitch: / psyche
Twitter: / psycheplays
Instagram: / psycheplays
Website: psycheplays.com
#EliteDangerous

[@JHSmithmusic]

You have the absolute best elite dangerous tutorials I've found on youtube! Nothing I've seen has been explained so well and clear. Thank you! Keep them coming!

[@PsychePlays]

Ah, thank you so much! That's so kind of you, I'm really glad you like them!

[@HomeworldChanal]

dito

[@WantOxide]

This guide sucks

[@Fearanoma]

Ya I must have watched like 3 different vids. And this one actually explains stuff

[@BRBMrSoul]

I don’t mind people putting some flare on their vids but when entire thing becomes in jokes and self referential memes about elite dangerous and mining etc over years, just loses me entirely lol Thank you psyche for making these vids and keeping it simple and on point for us newbs haha

[@S0M3GUY778]

You read my mind, I tried mining yesterday and I failed miserably because I was so lost. Thanks so much for this!

[@PsychePlays]

I was SO lost when I first tried mining a few years ago, haha. I hope this helped!

[@MiningwithPudding]

I almost went gas giant diving, then slammed right through the ring I was trying to mine

[@coachjoe3074]

9 months later....same exact experience with me, and of course, the algorithm pointed me here. Thanks to previous commanders for upvoting this one enough for it to show!

[@aronnemcsik]

@@PsychePlays I tried everything other videos told me to do but my limpets didn't put the minerals into the refinery and I couldn't figure out why. turned out I didn't manually opened the cargo hold door so my limpets couldn't drop off their load. atokk me a while to figure out how to open it and what menues to go through

[@vhulheim]

Best mining tutorial on KZbin by a mile - straight to the point, succinct, and efficient. Keep up the good work. Subscribed.

[@samueltorres4121]

Girl you just made my day off lol I just outfitted a mining ship last night and didn't try it out yet. This video is exactly what a new miner needs. Clap clap clap

[@HomeworldChanal]

4:05 - laser mining segment 7:04 - core mining segment

[@XuanDaoji]

This is the only mining video on the internet that comprehensively goes over every aspect of mining. Thank you. Subbed for putting in the effort no one else bothered to.

[@cibrig8719]

one of my friends just started mining today and i was getting rid of pirates for them, they decided they didn't like mining but watching them do it made me want to mine for some reason, so im very glad i found this guide, it was very helpful ^^

[@Mediocrity_In_Action]

Easily the best tutorials I've found. I just started playing 2 days ago and it really has a steep learning curve. Your videos have really helped.

[@PsychePlays]

I'm so glad to hear that! Welcome to Elite!

[@elSireable]

I started playing ED 3 days ago and i looked for hours for a mining guide. You're just the best teacher in here, thanks for the guide and for the tips, u saved me a lot of time!

[@technologydragon305]

11:59 Ah yes, the belly flop landing method haha! Regardless, I do appreciate the guide, even as a seasoned miner. It's nice to touch up on the basics and maybe learn a thing or two that you didn't know beforehand. Especially learning a few tricks to keep yourself oriented that I didn't think of was (and is) quite handy. Thanks for the tune up!

[@googlerskinflavoredpopsuckers]

everyone that has done these mining tutorials say use this, use that, but they never tell you HOW to use it. absolutely none of them had explained that you have to buy limpets... i stumbled on that myself because it was annoying me. i got all the core mining gear, and failed 2 core mining attempts because NO ONE explained you hold the trigger for the pips to strengthen the charge... you did, and thankyou. that was very appreciated. i'm happy to just explore and mine what i find, but i would like to know how to do that better, so i'm glad i got to watch this video! great content psyche. my first core node though, damn game disconnected me, so i hope i still have that stuff lmao. back to the grind!!

[@richiemoyles]

This was incredibly helpful! There seems to be a bunch of tutorial videos that graze over the finer details but you covered everything. I'm very excited to get back into the ED and set up a mining ship!

[@peterhobo]

Well put. Everything I watch is either not detailed enough, or a 3h tutorial series.

[@HavocXTM]

I hadn't played Elite in about 3 years and decided to start playing again. Loved core mining so started off with a bit of that. Looked up the rings where I could find core asteroids and went to half a dozen different ones. Couldn't even find any hotspots anywhere. Looked at tutorials and thought I'm doing everything I should be. Got frustrated and about to give up. Happened across your video, and realised I've been scanning just the planets not the rings.... Conclusion: I'm an idiot. Glad I came across this video, and it's a really concise guide to mining. Thank you so much.

[@benholland8548]

Thank you so much, I got elite dangerous recently and wanted to give mining a go and see what it was about, but it seemed way to confusing and daunting to even try but this video has given me new hope in attempting to try laser mining, and possibly even core mining. Even if I now realise I’ve bought some of the competently wrong mining tools that I now need to painfully sell

[@Toolazytothinkofagoodhandle]

I’ve been looking for a tutorial that didn’t go extremely deep into the lore of mining and gave me the short and sweet of the required and recommended setup for mining, I’m brand new and still green so this was perfect!

[@PsychePlays]

Welcome to Elite! I'm so glad this video helped.

[@semibiotic]

Missed thing about pirates: you always can drop cargo they demand (usually - a couple of tons). But you need to be fast enough.

[@dwrabauke]

I am a returning newbie, had to start all over again and found out that all the things I remembered are outdated, so I was looking for tutorials and found your channel. You have made my comeback to the game so much easier and more enjoyable! I felt totally clueless, but after watching all your awesome tutorials, I am ready to take on the galaxy again. You are very well spoken and your explanations are so structured and easy to understand. As a non-native English speaker, this is helps a great deal. As an IT guy, I subbed when you used %localappdata% on your color tutorial. ;)

[@pojoseph29]

I been away a few years, I'm on Ps5 and your guide is a good refresher. Thank you.

[@alphariusomegon281]

Exactly what i needed. Clear, concise and comprehensive with a pleasant voice. I have been putting off mining for awhile now (from lack of interest) but need to grind some out for engineer unlocks, Your advice has given me both understanding and inspiration. I look forward to checking out your other Vids and hope they are as helpful as this one was. Cheers.

[@WantOxide]

This guide is awful it just puts things out without explaining

[@Subject1498]

This guide is really helpful. It goes over the essentials in enough detail to get you started, but not enough to overload anyone trying to get into the game or mining, and who maybe has started just recently, or comes back after a long break. As always, thank you for the guides and the work you put in Psyche!

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you Dia, you angel!

[@zanlich784]

This was highly helpful. The explanation was clear and not exactly like most guides I see. And not just for this game I mean in general. Most say it like if you don't do this one path it's worthless to do it. You give the lay down and a basic overview. It feels like you set the framework then said have fun.

[@SpaceMissile]

*Shopping list:* 1: Prospector Limpit Controller 2: Refinery 3: Collector Limpit Conrtoller (and limpits!) 4: Detailed Surface Scanner 5: Cargo Rack 6a: Mining Lasers 6b: Seismic Charge Launcher and Abrasion Blaster 7) Pulse Wave Analyser (Utility Module)

[@MrDanJB85]

Had never thought of putting the mining lasers and collectors on the same button; nice idea, great guide. Thank you.

[@jmaz975]

Wow, this was really good. Just started playing and the whole mining thing seemed a little overwhelming, but now I will give it a try. Very informative, you even touched on the firing groups. You got another sub.

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you! I'm so glad it helped. If you have any questions that weren't covered in the video please don't hesitate to ask me, I'm more than happy to try and help!

[@ponderosabones7803]

This is easily, by far, the best mining tutorial I've found anywhere on the internet. Thank you so much!

[@pocketfullofsouls]

I've watched a lot, A LOT of videos about mining but this is the first one really well done for beginners. Really well done. I'm ready for mining.

[@EpicFailGaming]

I found this video in the future and it was super helpful. The great audio quality helped a lot compared to some of the others I have seen.

[@KaitoGillscale]

Thanks for this. As someone who's made enough to buy a Python purely from trucker hauling, I love hearing about new ways to keep the game fresh, and honestly going from long hauls to mining is a fair jump. Thanks for explaining.

[@PsychePlays]

You're so welcome! Thank you so much for the lovely comment!

[@gouldingsteve]

These are all spectacular tutorials. Informative, concise and full of actually useful guidance. I'm glad l found this channel, and thanks.

[@Diemalexander]

As a newcomer to Elite, and a complete beginner in mining, the guide helped me a lot. many thanks

[@pete6479]

Thank you! I've been searching for ages for a decent mining tutorial on KZbin and most of them are rubbish, this video was very clear and concise.

[@xXkamaXxKazi]

Best mining video I’ve seen over the few times I’ve rejoined the game

[@TheKermit2110]

Brilliant delivery again CMDR. Will watch with interest now odyssey has released. As a lowly console CMDR, I will be soaking up the tutorials for the autumn.

[@jordanh9520]

awesome guide! Also glad I'm not the only one who hears "Friendship Drive Charging"

[@DeathScorpi0]

I greatly appreciate your work! I'm interested in mining but I'm more of a bounty hunter/merchant kind of player. But I definitely want to give mining a try some day so this comes really useful, I find it really hard to understand all the mining mumbo-jumbo for some reason but a detailed and thorough explanation like this one makes it easier. Thanks!

[@Karlosovic77]

Thanks, this was a great guide for explaining what the different modules are, what they do, why you need them and in what combinations! Other guides will set you up with a specific build but not really tell you why, as much.

[@rodrigodewes4418]

Pretty good tutorial, played elite for years, never mined, this helped.

[@gudguy999]

the best mining guide i have seen since i started looking for one. well done. liked and subscribed. keep it up!

[@karldavies8699]

Great video! Literally just starting out and have been struggling with mining as it's not exactly clear what you need for each type, or that there are even different types! This has helped massively!!

[@frostyvr9805]

I only ever did core mining, exploration and combat and I have around 500 hours in ED. Feels a bit odd being back at a KZbin tutorial but this helped. Thanks a lot!

[@reddfloyd121]

this is exactly what i was looking for, thank you

[@cappecfh]

Finally a nice understandable video straight to the point, thanks!

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you!

[@padaka80085]

Sheeeeeesh after so many tutorials this is the first one I understand thanks a lot!

[@user-rw4xi8sm8h]

Great content. I have played elite for years but never tried mining. This really helped me get going.

[@coltenneath2404]

Thank you for this one! There are plenty of money-making mining tutorials but they didn’t explain the basics at all. This was very helpful! Thanks CMDR o7

[@AricTWS]

Finally found someone that explained mining without rambling on about other things. Thank you!

[@PsychePlays]

Haha, I try my best! I find video guides can be too long, so it's always my goal to keep them succinct and to the point.

[@lowdencraft5085]

omg as a new play this help so much, eeryother one seemed to think i knew what they were talking about and neer helped

[@TheBrokeDiggerGaming]

Recently found your tutorials. They're great. From an ex First Frontiers and Freelancer fan, finally got on the Elite Dangerous boat..

[@KanbaruS4n]

I watched like 3 Mining guides on youtube now and was still struggling to understand some stuff. Then I found your video and it finally clicked! Such a well done tutorial really ! Felt like back in school when I brought home bad math grades for years until I came across that one teacher who really knew how to explain things and I started raking in Bs 🤣

[@ApexSpartanHD]

Awesome vid! Not too long, but long enough to explain all the vital parts for mining. Thanks!

[@jedb9677]

Finally a mining guide that shows me how to buy limpets. Thank you!!!

[@adm_ezri]

many ED tutorials are made by players who simply can't comprehend how little new players know. The learning curve is rather steep but veterans seem to forget this. This tutorial is very helpful, doesn't shy away from some of the simpler parts. big thanks to psyche

[@gabrielahmad1294]

Excellent video, perfect for what I was looking for. Thank you!

[@andersbohansen]

From a returning Player Big Thanks :) just what i needed

[@Wrootplonk]

Brilliant tutorial! I've been away from the game for two years, and having this to pick up my skills again was a godsend. Clear, consise information that's easy to follow. CMDR Hamworth Sandovicho out! o7

[@ka_ya_zobal7959]

this guide was very helpful is better than the 30 minutes useless guides on yt . u earned a sub

[@JCFRESHNO559]

Thank you your videos so much better than anybody else you were more for specific

[@markbradshaw5295]

Thank you, you made this tutorial so easy to follow and understand

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Very informative and relatively concise video. Thank you for the help!

[@cerium58]

Thanks, just started, so this was helpful. Pretty steep learning curve when getting started.

[@Strikeslip]

This is awesome, thanks Commander!

[@updfdrakkell143]

I'm glad im not the only one who thinks frame shift sounds like friendship lol

[@breff007]

Great video! Really clear explanation which helped me loads.

[@booksmyth2321]

Looks good. I just got an asteroid cracker and can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the vid.

[@UNC030]

Thank you for simplifying this !!!

[@sketchybasic2327]

god ive been searching for a guide for the most amount of time hahaha. this is perfect as ive only started the game 2 days ago. thanks so much

[@27hell]

Just started playing this game this week, and cottoned on to the profitability of mining. This is a really good guide - thanks for the tips. Currently running a Cobra Mk3, saving up for an asp explorer!

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you so much! I love the Cobra Mk3 very much, but it's definitely great to get an upgrade!

[@computertechnician4896]

I love you videos, thank you. I did notice that your shields took a hit when you detonated that rock. A good warning to us all to back away before she blows.

[@josephmac2684]

Yeah, best tutorials and you have a great voice! I hope to see more. Most of the Elite Dangerous tutorials from Frontier are really outdated and their GUI and huds are way different.

[@ainskaaska6057]

This most definitely helped me mine.. I was literally at a lost as to how much rultile I needed. Collected 8 for it to refine just one unit and I had to cargo scoop each one?? Yeah no. But with limpet collectors. This sounds much easier.

[@Jakes_1-1]

Great vid as always! May give this a shot again now.... Got very annoying when the servers were highly unstable. Find a good spot, crash, spawn back and die to pirates/lose great spot by running.

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you! I hope you can give it another go. When there's server issues it's always a bit frustrating, especially with the pirates coming back each time.

[@Youda00008]

Best guide for people who have never cared about mining and never wanted to mine but were dragged into it by the stupid engineer unlocking requirements.

[@ericrecker8234]

Subbed by 4:54 mins. You're it, Ms. Big ups to you.

[@jokerjjingo7416]

Found this super useful, thanks

[@darkseraph2009]

Thank you. I didn't realize the pwa was only for core mining.

[@wceagles81]

Frontier should be paying you for these tutorials, best on KZbin.

[@comatosen5133]

thank you! I couldn't figure out this stuff for the life of me!

[@LifesGuardian]

Just found your channel! So nice to find a new source for Elite content. I've been mining off and on (mostly off) for about a year. Finding cores has been quite frustrating. I usually find 1 or 2 then just lose interest and start lazer mining (as I'm fit for both in my "Hephaestus-Python"). Thank you for the rundown. It's been a while and the updated refresher course is nice. Do you play on PC or console? I ask because the Odyssey expansion came out on pc recently but won't for consoles for a while yet, and according to pc players, there are significant changes in detecting cores.

[@MrFluffytheTurtle]

8:43 lmao "to start the process of blowing up a rock"

[@swaggboiii9528]

very concise and informative ^^ gj!

[@lu6id629]

best beginner mining video thankyou

[@paulleader9532]

I just wanted to offer something that might help you efficiently harvest hot spots and give you a constant since of direction while mining. You can still do it in overlapping as well its just a bit trickier. Target the hot spot and start at the planet side where you can see the planet dead center, then go around it at a 3 km radius keeping the target on the right or left horizontal in your indicator compass. Once you get back to dead center on the planet move out to 6 km, then 9, then 12 and so on. I really wish the Devs would incorporate paint tags that would mark asteroids as hot or checked with the hot ones staying yellow while you are in proximity and checked lighting up red at least until you exceed the sphere of the hot spot.

[@Ichorslick99]

You should mention, that if a pirate scans you and finds cargo in your hold, you can drop some of your cargo. They'll take it and leave you alone. They usually demand a chunk of your cargo, but not all of it. Still best to not get scanned but if you do, it's better then becoming space dust.

[@jimb5246]

Ty 4 your video, I love lazer mining

[@CT2CA]

Thanks for the help!!

[@robertusher5612]

Thanks for the helpful video!

[@KhadaKuraki]

Best mining tute I've found

[@radicalframe]

Very good guide!

[@ericb3157]

i've been mining with a Cobra 3 for a while, and thought i had it down pat... but i need to look into a "detailed surface scanner". that will be handy. (i thought it was only for scan missions) i sort of "mapped" a small asteroid cluster near a star, it has lots of Osmium, and demand for that is pretty high near my favorite system.

[@RecoilMojo]

Great guide

[@USBEN.]

To the point and well made.

[@Northlander74]

The Python was my first Mining ship...but since I've built up my fleet, I've built around 5 different Mining ships for different types of mining (It's my goto task when I want to chill) Currently enjoying my latest arrival, the Imperial Cutter for pure laser mining - 570+t of ore is a dream! I also always spec my ships to carry the 4A refinery where possible, that way you get an additional 10t of ore once you fill your hold and continue to collect until the refinery is full

[@mgd9151]

super awesome. Thank you

[@bidet_2578]

Many thanks ! the 3 rd mining guide i'm watching, and the only one warning you about limp amo ...;)

[@BadgerWithABeard]

I was so happy when I came home after work today and realized you uploaded this. Nice! It's been a few days since I picked the game up and so far I have been mostly watching tutorials - yours about the HUD basics was particularly helpful. I am still not entirely sure about how to use the Detailed Surface Scanner, but I am positive that I will work that one out myself. What I am curious about though, is what qualifies a ship for mining. You recommended the Cobra MK III or an Adder, later an Asp Explorer or even a Python. I heard a few people recommend ships for this or that role, but I have a bit of difficulty figuring out why. What makes these ships a good choice for mining, compared to the others? A bigger cargo bay?

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you! I'm so glad they've been helpful. For ships, I recommended the Cobra Mk III and the Adder as good starters purely because they allow you to use any mining tool (the Seismic Charge Launcher requires a medium hardpoint to use, and medium mining lasers are more efficient than small). That plus a balance of cost and cargo space makes them a decent starting point, and the Asp Explorer is a great step up. It's almost like the upgraded Cobra Mk III, haha. The Python is just another great all rounder, with a great balance of cargo space, hardpoints, and internals allowing for all the mining tools to be equipped. It's also not horrendous at maneuvering through the asteroids, meaning it's pretty great for core mining as you can move between the broken off bits of rocks without crashing so easily. I find bigger ships awful for mining personally, but I know a lot of people will take the biggest ship they can for cargo space. Honestly, you can really take any ship mining, though I wouldn't bother with anything smaller than a Cobra or Adder. In fact, I'd be more inclined to do something else til I could afford an Asp Explorer fit for mining.

[@BadgerWithABeard]

Thanks a bunch for the elaborate answer. I was completely unaware of the fact that some mining tools only come in certain sizes and are not available for small hardpoints. Good to know! I will probably hold off on mining until I can get an Asp Explorer then. As much as I want to start digging, there is sooo much else to do and to learn in the meanwhile. Thanks again for your help. o/

[@LifesGuardian]

@@BadgerWithABeard A month late, I know, but if you're interested in mining, you can outfit a Hauler for lazers pretty easily. After a few trips, upgrade to an Adder, then to an Asp/DBX, then finally to a Python. The whole process only took me a few hours before the "rebalancing" so, now should only take a couple days at the most. Guess by now you're probably well on your way, but answering for others who might be interested.

[@BadgerWithABeard]

Your answer is still very much appreciated. I am a very casual gamer, so achieving progress takes some time for me. Knowing the general direction of where to go therefore helps a bunch. Thank you!

[@gabriel.rocha86]

Great video! Thank you!

[@ForeverYoungKickboxer]

Newbie here, this was just the info I was looking for

[@AllesanddroLP]

Ty for the guide worth a sub ^^

[@Eyeslayer]

Great video thank you very much

[@swivet99]

cool haven't played in months..good refresher tutorial....... 07cheerz!