These ores support distinct production outputs: magnesium ore becomes magnesium powder, while silicon ore becomes silicon wafer.
PC / Global, current base game
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Where to farm
Separate planetary or asteroid ore deposits. Magnesium can occur near nickel and silicon near magnesium; placement varies by world settings.
Prospect for magnesium and silicon as separate ores, mine each confirmed deposit, and process each in a powered Refinery. Keep the outputs straight: silicon ore does not become silicon ingot, and neither material is a byproduct of the other.
Powered Ore Detector and a Hand Drill or mining ship.
Cargo capacity to carry the two ore types.
Powered Refinery with conveyor access or direct input.
Set the detector to maximum range and scan a planetary area or asteroid voxels for ore signals.
Mark promising signals, then approach and confirm the displayed ore type before mining.
Mine magnesium-bearing and silicon-bearing voxels separately; do not treat one as a processing route to the other.
If a signal continues beneath the first cut, scan lower layers before abandoning that deposit.
Bring both ores to a powered Refinery, using separate cargo or careful inventory checks to track what is being processed.
Allow the Refinery to process magnesium ore into magnesium powder and silicon ore into silicon wafer.
Transfer each output to storage or production that uses that specific material.
Farming tips
Label or separate cargo for each ore to prevent confusion during refining and later production.
Check the Refinery output inventory for powder and wafer rather than expecting ordinary ingots.
Repeat, collect and use
Repeat prospecting and processing as supplies run low. Each new trip collects raw ore; the powered Refinery turns each type into its own output.
Common mistakes
Expecting silicon ore to produce silicon ingots: collect the silicon wafer output instead.
Putting magnesium ore into an O2/H2 Generator or treating powder as an ore: refine magnesium ore in a Refinery.
Mixing the raw ores without tracking them: check inventories and output types during processing.
When to stop or switch
Stop when you have enough powder and wafers for the planned production, or when the cargo or Refinery input is full; resume the relevant ore run when stocks fall.
