Automation and logistics
Mining Output Expansion
Improving drill coverage and removing bottlenecks increases useful ore delivery from Nauvis patches.
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Mining Output Expansion
An operating Nauvis ore patch where drill coverage, output placement, or belt handling can be improved.
Before you go
- An active patch of iron, copper, coal, or stone.
- Mining drills appropriate to the patch and available power or fuel.
- Belts or compatible direct output destinations.
- A downstream smelting or production line able to accept added output.
Farming steps
- Find the resource line that is failing to supply its consumers and follow it back to the patch.
- Inspect each drill to confirm its mining area touches resource tiles and that it is operating.
- Check the drill’s displayed output and the belt or direct destination receiving its mined material.
- Reposition or add drills where uncovered resource tiles can be mined without obstructing the output route.
- Connect added output to the same resource’s smelting or processing line, keeping unlike resources separate.
- Run the array and check for backed-up belts, idle drills, or consumers that still lack input.
- Expand the downstream route if the patch now produces more than its belts or processing equipment can accept.
- Use the drill’s mining area overlay when planning coverage; a drill must touch mineable resource to operate.
- Drills can place output directly into belts, furnaces, and other compatible entities, which can simplify layouts.
Repeat, collect and use
Repeatable as remaining patch tiles and downstream capacity allow; expansion does not make a finite patch inexhaustible.
Common mistakes
- Adding drills that do not touch resource; verify coverage before extending the line.
- Increasing mining while the output belt is already blocked; clear or widen downstream handling first.
- Combining different ores in one feed; maintain separate routes through processing.
When to stop or switch
Stop adding drills when the consumer receives enough material or the patch is covered; switch to transport or smelting improvements if those stages limit flow.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.