Enter with food and open inventory slots, aim for the next five-floor elevator checkpoint, gather the ore you actually need, and leave before health or time removes your margin.
Unlock the mines
The Mines entrance is at the northern end of The Narrows. It opens through the story and town-progression path rather than being available as an unrestricted first-day activity. Continue quests, donations, shipping, and Renown until the relevant story objective appears.
Prepare before entering
Bring
- A pickaxe for rocks and ore.
- A weapon for monsters and breakable containers.
- Food chosen for the depth you intend to reach.
- Several empty inventory slots.
- Only the other tools needed for a specific target.
Set a goal
Choose one purpose before entering: reach the next elevator floor, gather a named ore, collect artifacts, catch a mine fish or bug, or complete a quest. Mixing every goal fills the bag and drains time before any one objective is complete.
Core floor loop
Find the next ladder
Ladders can appear after breaking rocks or defeating monsters. Do not clear every object by habit; prioritize ore nodes, enemies blocking safe movement, and the number of rocks needed to reveal a route.
Bank elevator checkpoints
The ground-floor elevator connects to every fifth floor after you reach that floor for the first time. A checkpoint is often more valuable than extra loot on the current floor because it shortens every later run.
Understand the reset
Climbing up returns you to the ground floor rather than the prior floor. Leaving to the ground floor and re-entering resets regular floor layouts. Plan around the reset instead of expecting to resume an unfinished ordinary room.
Biomes and progression
The archived mine reference identifies The Upper Mines, The Tide Caverns, The Deep Earth, and The Lava Caves as established biomes, with The Ancient Ruins included in the broader full-release progression. Each area has its own ore, gems, artifacts, forage, monsters, fish, bugs, and harvestable materials.
Upper Mines
Use the opening biome to learn combat spacing, ladder discovery, checkpoint pacing, and copper-era material needs. It is the right place to build a repeatable low-risk run.
Tide Caverns
Water becomes part of navigation. Whirlpools can link positions on the same floor; swim to one and interact when the prompt appears. Leave extra time for routes that are less direct than a normal rock field.
Deep Earth and Lava Caves
Deeper biomes raise the value of food, equipment, and a clear exit threshold. The Lava Caves are part of current progression, but older guides may not reflect the full-release balance or later-area connections.
Ancient Ruins
Treat this as late, spoiler-sensitive mine content. Arrive through current story progression and use in-game objectives as the authority when an Early Access route disagrees.
Special floor types
Treasure rooms
These depend on the relevant Mining skill perk and provide a chest, ladder, and biome ore. Once a treasure room appears on a floor, the archived mechanics say it remains there for that day, which can support deliberate repeat entries.
Locked-ladder rooms
Locate and activate the room’s switch before trying to descend. The visible ladder is not usable until the condition is cleared.
Arena rooms
The ladder remains locked until the room’s monsters are defeated. Check health and food before committing; entering the room changes the run from optional gathering to mandatory combat.
Fountain and offering rooms
Rare utility rooms can provide recovery or a blessing. Treat them as a bonus, not as the basis of a route that would otherwise run out of health or stamina.
Resources and crafting priorities
Mine only enough ore to support the next tool, weapon, armor, ingot, quest, or town repair target. Store at least one unfamiliar artifact for the museum check. The mine statue exchanges Essence for Mining and Combat perks, while later story progression adds the Stone Refinery and a teleport option back toward the farm.
Safe exit rules
Leave when any two margins are low: food, health, stamina, inventory space, or time. A nearly full bag is already a successful run if it contains the material you came for. Reaching a checkpoint and exiting is better than losing the remainder of the day while chasing one extra floor.
Common mistakes
- Clearing every rock: spend stamina toward the route or ore target, not visual completeness.
- Ignoring health: monsters can end a run even when stamina is high.
- Entering with a full bag: leave crop, gift, and spare-tool clutter at the farm.
- Skipping checkpoint floors: secure the elevator access before farming optional loot.
- Using an old depth guide as current truth: full-release content extends beyond the Early Access boundary.
Common questions
Quick FAQ
How do mine elevator checkpoints work?
The elevator connects the ground floor to each reached five-floor checkpoint, including floors 5, 10, 15, and later multiples of five.
How do I find the ladder down?
A ladder can appear after breaking rocks or defeating monsters, so clear efficiently while watching health, stamina, time, and inventory.
What happens when I leave and re-enter the mines?
Returning to the ground floor and entering again resets ordinary floors, while reached elevator checkpoints preserve your practical depth access.
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