A repeatable early-game ore loop for building and upgrading ships, using local asteroid sectors and a nearby depot.
PC / Global, current base game
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Where to farm
Asteroid sectors near your starting area that the galaxy map identifies as containing Iron or Titanium. Favor a faction-controlled sector while learning the route.
Iron and Titanium are the first material tiers most ships can use. Mine asteroids in a sector where the galaxy map shows the desired material, then unload the ore before making another pass. You can mine directly or send a captain on a Mining Operation; the remote route needs a mining turret and a crewed ship.
Ship equipped with a mining turret suited to the selected sector.
Cargo capacity for raw ore, especially when using R-mining.
Crew and a captain if assigning a remote Mining Operation.
A visited Resource Depot for unloading or refining the collected ore.
Open the galaxy map and inspect nearby sectors for Iron or Titanium; choose a sector your ship can reach safely.
Check the mining ship’s turret and cargo before departure. R-mining produces raw ore that must be carried and refined later.
Enter the asteroid sector and use the mining turret on asteroids, or select the ship’s Mining Operation and set that sector as the target.
For an operation, confirm the ship has a mining turret and that its crew and captain are available for the assignment.
When the ship has collected enough ore or its hold is nearing capacity, return it to a Resource Depot.
Open the depot interface and refine or sell only what you intend to process; keep any ore reserved for ship construction.
Repeat in the same sector if the map still shows the needed material, or move to another nearby sector when returns or safety make the route less useful.
Farming tips
A Mining Subsystem can help reveal ore and improve operation area scoring; scouting the candidate sector first can also improve that score.
Check the cargo-efficiency display on a remote operation. If it is poor, add cargo capacity before dispatching another R-mining run.
Repeat, collect and use
Repeatable while suitable asteroids and a useful target sector remain; each operation produces a variable result rather than a fixed allotment.
Common mistakes
Sending a miner toward a sector it cannot reach: move it closer or select a reachable target before restarting the operation.
Expecting raw R-mined ore to become usable ship materials automatically: take it to a Resource Depot and process it.
Leaving too little cargo room: unload first or expand capacity so the ship does not make inefficient depot trips.
When to stop or switch
Stop this route when you have enough Iron and Titanium for the next build or upgrade. Switch to a sector showing the next needed material tier when your progression allows.
Asteroid sectors near your starting area that the galaxy map identifies as containing Iron or Titanium. Favor a faction-controlled sector while learning the route.
Ship equipped with a mining turret suited to the selected sector.
Cargo capacity for raw ore, especially when using R-mining.
Crew and a captain if assigning a remote Mining Operation.
A visited Resource Depot for unloading or refining the collected ore.
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Related guides
More guides for gathering materials and making progress.
