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'''Ice Mining''' is the process of mining ice field (commonly called "ice belts"). This mined ice can then [[refining|refined]] and used to fuel capital ship [[jump drive]]s, manufacture fuel for [[POS|player-owned starbases (POS)]], and light [[cyno|cynosural fields]]. Ice mining can only be done with specialized modules (ice miners) which can only be fit to [[ORE Basic Ship and Skill Guide|Mining Barges and Exhumers]]. Unlike [[Mining|ore mining]], ice miners mine one block of ice (with a volume of 1000 m<sup>3</sup>) per cycle; as it's not possible to increase this yield, the only way to mine ice more efficiently is to decrease the ice miners' cycle times. | '''Ice Mining''' is the process of mining ice field (commonly called "ice belts"). This mined ice can then [[refining|refined]] and used to fuel capital ship [[jump drive]]s, manufacture fuel for [[POS|player-owned starbases (POS)]], and light [[cyno|cynosural fields]]. Ice mining can only be done with specialized modules (ice miners) which can only be fit to [[ORE Basic Ship and Skill Guide|Mining Barges and Exhumers]]. Unlike [[Mining|ore mining]], ice miners mine one block of ice (with a volume of 1000 m<sup>3</sup>) per cycle; as it's not possible to increase this yield, the only way to mine ice more efficiently is to decrease the ice miners' cycle times. | ||
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Like asteroid ore, unrefined ice takes up a large amount of space and can therefore be time-consuming to transport. The best sub-capital ship for transporting ice (and ore) is the [[Miasmos]], a Gallente industrial which can transport up to 63,000 <sup>3</sup> (63 blocks, or about twice the capacity of a [[Mackinaw]]) of ice. If you need to haul even larger quantities, it may be worth training to fly a [[freighter]] (which can hold over ten times as much), or to ship the ice by courier contract. | |||
== Ice Mining Mechanics == | == Ice Mining Mechanics == | ||
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=== Skills === | === Skills === | ||
:''Main article: [[Mining#Skills|Mining skills]]'' | :''Main article: [[Mining#Skills|Mining skills]]'' | ||
The core skill for ice mining is the (appropriately named) {{sk|Ice Harvesting|icon=yes}}, which reduces the cycle time of ice mining modules by 5% per level. Train this to level V to use the Tech 2 ice miner. {{sk|Mining Upgrades|icon=yes}} is needed to install mining upgrade modules (which further decrease the cycle time of ice miners). Lastly, the {{sk|Mining Barge|icon=yes}} and/or {{sk|Exhumers|icon=yes}} skills are needed to fly ice mining ships; training higher levels of these skills also decreases the cycle time of ice mining modules (depending on the bonuses of the ship being flown). | The core skill for ice mining is the (appropriately named) {{sk|Ice Harvesting|icon=yes}}, which reduces the cycle time of ice mining modules by 5% per level. Train this to level V to use the Tech 2 ice miner. {{sk|Mining Upgrades|icon=yes}} is needed to install mining upgrade modules (which further decrease the cycle time of ice miners). Lastly, the {{sk|Mining Barge|icon=yes}} and/or {{sk|Exhumers|icon=yes}} skills are needed to fly ice mining ships; training higher levels of these skills also decreases the cycle time of ice mining modules (depending on the bonuses of the ship being flown). Since most mining modules are fairly CPU-intensive (and fitting ice mining upgrades only makes this worse), you will probably need to train some [[Mining#Fitting_skills|fitting skills]] to take full advantage of your ice mining ship. | ||
=== Ice Mining ships === | |||
{{main|Mining Ships}} | |||
==== Mining Barges ==== | |||
Of the three mining barges, only the [[Covetor]] has a bonus to ice mining (3% reduction in cycle time per level of {{sk|Mining Barge|icon=yes}}); at Mining Barge V it can mine about 15% more ice than its counterparts. However, its ore hold is fairly small (7000 m<sup>3</sup>), and will fill up in about ten minutes. The [[Procurer]] and the [[Retriever]] have the same ice mining yield, and each ship has a different strength (the Retriever has a very large ore hold, and the Procurer a very tough tank). As when using these ships for ore mining, the choice depends on your play style. Flying in a dangerous region of space? Use a Procurer. Want to mine for long stretches without returning to a station? Use a Retriever. Want to get the absolute maximum amount of ice you can? Use a Covetor. | |||
The other thing to note is that the Covetor, Retriever and Procurer can fit three, two, and one ice miners (respectively), but the Retriever and Procurer have an in-built bonus to cycle times (to arrive at similar overall yields, as above). Therefore, when mining with a Procurer you will have very short cycle times but can only mine one block of ice at a time, whereas a Covetor has much longer cycle times but can mine three blocks of ice at once. | |||
==== Exhumers ==== | |||
Exhumers are straight upgrades from their Mining Barge counterparts, and the same reflections hold true for them. One small difference is that both the Skiff and the Mackinaw get a small (1%) reduction to ice harvester cycle time per level of {{sk|Exhumers|icon=yes}} (the Hulk gets a 3% reduction per skill level, like its counterpart the Covetor). | |||
=== Improving yield === | === Improving yield === | ||
{{main|Mining Yield}} | {{main|Mining Yield}} | ||
In contrast with ore mining, all ice mining modules mine exactly one unit (1000 m<sup>3</sup>) of ice per cycle; therefore, the only way to increase your mining efficiency is to decrease your modules' cycle time. This can be done by training skills (see above), installing more advanced [[ORE_Basic_Ship_and_Skill_Guide#Ice_miners|ice mining]] and [[ORE_Basic_Ship_and_Skill_Guide#Mining_laser_upgrades_and_ice_harvester_upgrades|mining upgrade modules]], fitting [[ORE_Basic_Ship_and_Skill_Guide#Ice_harvester_accelerator|Ice Harvester Accelerator]] rigs, | In contrast with ore mining, all ice mining modules mine exactly one unit (1000 m<sup>3</sup>) of ice per cycle; therefore, the only way to increase your mining efficiency is to decrease your modules' cycle time. This can be done by training skills (see above), installing more advanced [[ORE_Basic_Ship_and_Skill_Guide#Ice_miners|ice mining]] and [[ORE_Basic_Ship_and_Skill_Guide#Mining_laser_upgrades_and_ice_harvester_upgrades|mining upgrade modules]], fitting [[ORE_Basic_Ship_and_Skill_Guide#Ice_harvester_accelerator|Ice Harvester Accelerator]] rigs, flying more advanced ships (Exhumers instead of Mining Barges), or using [[implants]] (the IH-100x Inherent Implants 'Yeti' Ice Harvesting series). Additionally, if you are in a fleet, you can receive further bonuses through [[Mining_Yield#Fleet_boosts|fleet boosts]]. | ||
While each bonus may seem small, when taken together they can make a significant difference | While each bonus may seem small, when taken together they can make a significant difference: | ||
{{example|A beginning ice miner with very basic skills ({{sk|Mining Barge|I}} and {{sk|Ice Harvesting|I}}) fits her [[Covetor]] with three Ice Harvester I modules and goes looking for ice. Once she finds a suitable ice field, each of her three miners can mine a block of ice every 4 minutes and 36 seconds. | {{example|A beginning ice miner with very basic skills ({{sk|Mining Barge|I}} and {{sk|Ice Harvesting|I}}) fits her [[Covetor]] with three Ice Harvester I modules and goes looking for ice. Once she finds a suitable ice field, each of her three miners can mine a block of ice every 4 minutes and 36 seconds. | ||
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She then upgrades her ship to a [[Hulk]] (with some training to {{sk|Exhumers|IV}}), and installs an Ice Harvester Accelerator rig for good measure, which brings her cycle time down to 2 minutes 40 seconds. Going for broke, she upgrades all her modules to their Tech 2 variants and trains her skills to level V, dropping her cycle time down to 1 minute 49 seconds, for a total reduction of 60%.}} | She then upgrades her ship to a [[Hulk]] (with some training to {{sk|Exhumers|IV}}), and installs an Ice Harvester Accelerator rig for good measure, which brings her cycle time down to 2 minutes 40 seconds. Going for broke, she upgrades all her modules to their Tech 2 variants and trains her skills to level V, dropping her cycle time down to 1 minute 49 seconds, for a total reduction of 60%.}} | ||
As mining ice often turns into a race, with large number of miners competing to mine as much ice before the belt is emptied, having short cycle times can be an advantage beyond simply mining more ice in a given period of time. This allows you to beat your competition to those last few pieces of ice in a belt (as, if two miners are attempting to mine the same asteroid with only one unit of ice left, whoever finishes their cycle first gets that block of ice, and the other gets nothings). | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
*[http://forum.eveuniversity.org/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=70477 A Newbro's Guide to Ice Mining] | *[http://forum.eveuniversity.org/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=70477 A Newbro's Guide to Ice Mining] | ||