Mining Ships

This page is intended to provide details on all ships that have been given a role bonus to mining. For information and instruction regarding mining in general, please refer to the basics of mining.

Generally, any ship with turret slots can function as a mining ship. As a matter of fact certain ships, notably the Caldari Rokh, are able to function fairly well as mining vessels due to their sizable CPU output. However for this guide only those which have been given a mining bonus will be covered. You can find a ship's mining bonuses listed under the Description tab in that ship's Show Info screen.

Mining Frigates

Mining Frigates are created by ORE and should be the first choice for any starting miner as it takes only minutes to train the skills for one, even for a completely new character.

Venture

The Venture is a Frigate designed for mining in hostile environments.

Development
Recognizing the dire need for a ship capable of fast operation in unsafe territories, ORE created the Venture. It was conceived as a vessel primed and ready for any capsuleer, no matter how new to the dangers of New Eden they might be, who wishes to engage in the respectable trade of mining.

The Venture has amazing abilities to quickly drill through to the ores and gases it's after, harvesting them at the speed necessary for mining in hostile space, and getting out relatively unscathed.

Mining Frigate skill bonus per level
5% bonus to mining output
5% reduction to gas cloud harvesting duration per level

Role Bonus
100% bonus to mining yield and gas cloud harvesting
+2 warp core strength

Skill Requirements

• Mining frigate I
  • Spaceship Command I

Fitting:

• High Slots: 3
• Medium Slots: 3
• Low Slots: 1
• Base Cargo: 50 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 5,000 m3

Mining Barges

Mining Barges and Exhumers are created by ORE and don't have racial variations, although they count as Gallente for manufacturing purposes based on ORE's Gallentean origins.

Procurer

The Procurer is a mining barge with exceptional defensive capabilities.

Development
The mining barge was designed by ORE to facilitate advancing the mining profession to a whole new level. Each barge was created to excel at a specific function, the Procurer's being durability. With that in mind, the designers could only make space to fit one mining or ice harvesting module. To mitigate the effect this would have on the ship's mining output, they came up with a unique loading system that allows this one module to work at triple efficiency. Mining barges are equipped with electronic subsystems specifically designed to accommodate Strip Mining and Ice Harvesting modules.

Mining Barge skill bonus per level
5% bonus to shield hit points

Role Bonus
200% bonus to Strip Miner yield
66.66% reduction in Ice Harvester Duration and capacitor use

Skill Requirements

• Mining Barge I
  • Industry V
  • Astrogeology III
    • Science IV
    • Mining IV

Fitting:

• High Slots: 1
• Medium Slots: 4
• Low Slots: 2
• Base Cargo: 350 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 12,000 m3

Retriever

The Retriever is a mining barge with an extensive ore bay.

Development
The mining barge was designed by ORE to facilitate advancing the mining profession to a new level. Each barge was created to excel at a specific function, the Retriever's being storage. Although it only has space to fit two mining or ice harvesting modules, a fast loading system allows those two module to do the work of three modules. Mining barges are equipped with electronic subsystems specifically designed to accommodate Strip Mining and Ice Harvesting modules.

Mining Barge skill bonus per level
5% bonus to ore hold capacity

Role Bonus
50% bonus to Strip Miner yield
33.33% reduction in Ice Harvester Duration and capacitor use

Skill Requirements

• Mining Barge I
  • Industry V
  • Astrogeology III
    • Science IV
    • Mining IV

Fitting:

• High Slots: 2
• Medium Slots: 1
• Low Slots: 3
• Base Cargo: 450 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 22,000 m3

Covetor

The Covetor is a mining barge with superb mining yield.

Development
The mining barge was designed by ORE to facilitate advancing the mining profession to a new level. Each barge was created to excel at a specific function, the Covetor's being mining yield. This additional yield comes at a price, as the Covetor has weaker defenses and a smaller ore bay than the other mining barges. Mining barges are equipped with electronic subsystems specifically designed to accommodate Strip Mining and Ice Harvesting modules.

Mining Barge skill bonus per level
4% bonus to Strip Miner yield
3% reduction in Ice Harvester duration

Skill Requirements

• Mining Barge I
  • Industry V
  • Astrogeology III
    • Science IV
    • Mining IV

Fitting:

• High Slots: 3
• Medium Slots: 1
• Low Slots: 2
• Base Cargo: 350 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 7,000 m3
  

Exhumers

Exhumers are the final 'tier' of direct mining ships. Although the Exhumers are classed as T2 versions of each of the mining barges, each ship is specialized for a particular task like mining barges. Between the shield resist bonus and four midslots, all Exhumers can fit a good shield tank.

Exhumers require the skills Mining Barge and Astrogeology at 5 plus the Exhumers skill.

Skiff

The Skiff is an exhumer with exceptional defensive capabilities.

Development
The exhumer is the second generation of mining vessels created by ORE. Exhumers, like their mining barge cousins, were each created to excel at a specific function, the Skiff's being durability. With that in mind, the designers could only make space to fit one mining or ice harvesting module. To mitigate the effect this would have on its mining output, they came up with a unique loading system that allows this one module to work at triple efficiency. Exhumers are equipped with electronic subsystems specifically designed to accommodate Strip Mining and Ice Harvesting modules.

Mining Barge skill bonus per level:
5% bonus to shield hit points
5% bonus to all shield resistances

Exhumer skill bonus per level:
1% bonus to Strip Miner yield
1% reduction in Ice Harvester duration

Role Bonus:
200% bonus to Strip Miner yield
66.66% reduction in Ice Harvester Duration and capacitor use

Fitting:

• High Slots: 1
• Medium Slots: 5
• Low Slots: 2
• Base Cargo: 350 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 15,000 m3
  

Mackinaw

The Mackinaw is an exhumer with an extensive ore bay.

Development
The exhumer is the second generation of mining vessels created by ORE. Exhumers, like their mining barge cousins, were each created to excel at a specific function, the Mackinaw's being storage. Although it only has space to fit two mining or ice harvesting modules, a fast loading system allows those two module to do the work of three modules. Exhumers are equipped with electronic subsystems specifically designed to accommodate Strip Mining and Ice Harvesting modules.

Mining Barge skill bonus per level:
5% bonus to ore hold capacity
5% bonus to all shield resistances

Exhumer skill bonus per level:
1% bonus to Strip Miner yield
1% reduction in Ice Harvester duration

Role Bonus:
50% bonus to Strip Miner yield
33.33% reduction in Ice Harvester Duration and capacitor use

Fitting:

• High Slots: 2
• Medium Slots: 4
• Low Slots: 2
• Base Cargo: 450 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 35,000 m3
  

Hulk

The Hulk is a exhumer with superb mining yield.

Development
The exhumer is the second generation of mining vessels created by ORE. Exhumers, like their mining barge cousins, were each created to excel at a specific function, the Hulk's being mining yield. The additional yield comes at a price, as the Hulk has weaker defenses and a smaller ore bay than the other exhumers. Exhumers are equipped with electronic subsystems specifically designed to accommodate Strip Mining and Ice Harvesting modules.

Mining Barge skill bonus per level:
3% bonus to Strip Miner yield
5% bonus to all shield resistances

Exhumer skill bonus per level:
3% bonus to Strip Miner yield
4% reduction in Ice Harvester duration

Exhumers Skill Bonus
3% additional better yield for Strip Miners per level
3% reduction in Ice Harvester duration per level

Fitting:

• High Slots: 3
• Medium Slots: 4
• Low Slots: 2
• Base Cargo: 350 m3
• Ore Hold Capacity: 8,500 m3
  

Support Ships

Support ships are ships commonly found in mining fleets that do not directly mine asteroids.

Industrials

T1 Industrials are the most common hauling ship. While weak, they are generally fitted for maximum cargo capacity since they only make short journeys to nearby stations; the biggest threat should be a few rats. A tractor beam is a common addition since industrials will spend most of their time taking cans from the mining ships or an Orca, and a salvager or survey scanner can be added if these modules are not present on other ships. Note regarding industrials: New players often make the mistake of assuming that industrial vessels are ideal for mining due to their large cargo bay; however, industrials lack adequate turret slots and the absence of mining bonuses makes them extremely inefficient as mining vessels.

Orca

The Orca is a specialized mining command ship, able to provide multiple mining links to fellow miners and/or act as a hauler. While an Orca theoretically needs to boost a squad of several miners in order to replace an additional mining ship, the added convenience and utility it provides often outweigh the throughput downsides.

Rorqual

The Rorqual is a capital version of the Orca, and is generally only seen in nullsec. As well as fielding similar bonuses to the Orca, it can carry a mining fleet to their destination and compress ore to make it easier to haul. Often, though, the Rorqual is seen as too risky to deploy in an asteroid belt and is set up within a POS shield instead; miners still get the bonuses and ore compression, and most pilots see this as a worthwhile tradeoff.

Top Cover

Top Cover refers to combat pilots guarding a mining fleet in a belt. The lower the security level in which the op is located and the fewer miners involved, the more desirable having a dedicated combat pilot positioned in overwatch becomes. In hisec, a few combat drones between the mining ships may be all that is needed. In 0.4 space, a destroyer that can tractor and salvage the wrecks is a welcome addition. In 0.0, a cloaked Raven provides enhanced security against both NPCs and hostiles. An Orca's ship hangar may hold a couple of combat ships for pilots to use when the need arises.

The responsibility of the top cover is to engage any threat to the op and either destroy it or provide the op an opportunity to escape. Often, the top cover pilots also loot and salvage since they have more freedom of movement than the other members of the team.

See Also

Mining

ORE Basic Ship and Skill Guide