We Turned CIG’s Mining Vision into Reality

Cloud Imperium Games envisions mining in _Star Citizen_as a deep, multi-layered profession that evolves far beyond simple resource extraction. Their goal is to create a fully immersive mining experience that spans from solo starter ships like the MISC Prospector to massive industrial platforms like the Orion. This includes the integration of scanning for resource-rich areas, managing overheat and fracture mechanics, coordinating multi-crew operations, and eventually refining and transporting materials as part of a larger player-driven economy. With future updates, CIG plans to expand mining gameplay with new tools, ship types, and roles—including medium-tier mining vessels and base-based mining operations—ensuring that mining is both a viable and rewarding career path within the game’s evolving ecosystem.

That being said, as of Star Citizen 4.1.1, mining in Star Citizen is already quite fletched out with Cloud Imperium Games constantly bringing improvements to the game loop, the latest being the possibility to ferry ore pods on freight elevators and refining from the local inventory. Well, today, with the Erad Club, we were able to fully use these game mechanics and put CIG's vision for mining in motion. Here is how it played out.

So, in today’s operation, we had two Moles while I piloted a C2 Hercules—and this, truly, is the addition that changes everything about group mining. In the past, once a Mole's pods were full, the team had no choice but to head back to a refinery, breaking the flow and potentially abandoning high-value nodes. But now, with the ability to swap ore pods in the field and refine directly from local inventory, that loop has been fundamentally upgraded. Miners can keep working without interruption, and valuable sites can be fully exploited. That’s why I loaded up my C2 Hercules with 16 empty ore pods—8 for each Mole—so the teams could stay in the field and keep mining without missing a beat.

Of course, carrying so many ore pods required a fair bit of organization. The last thing we wanted was to mix up the pods—and believe me, it almost happened a few times. To keep things running smoothly, we assigned Mole 1 to take pods from the front of the C2 and Mole 2 to load from the back. We also designated the starboard side of the ship for empty pods, while full pods were stored on the port side. This simple but effective system helped us keep track, especially since there's currently no way to visually confirm whether a pod is full or what it contains. It may sound basic, but without it, things would have quickly turned into chaos.

As the Moles got filled, my role shifted to managing the logistics—swapping out the full pods and hauling them to the refinery. Before heading out, I’d always check the current raw purchase prices to ensure I could fairly pay the miners for each load being turned in. Once that was settled, I’d take care of refining and eventual selling, with the refining margin and transport profits being my share of the operation. I think that’s a fair deal, considering I’m the one taking on the risks—whether it’s getting pirated en route, crashing with a full load, or even losing everything if patch 4.2 drops before the refining process is complete.

Eventually, it was time to wrap things up. After one final mining run, we loaded all the remaining pods into the C2 and set course for the refinery. The miners who were still around hopped aboard and helped with the unloading process. It’s worth mentioning that we discovered a neat trick during this phase—the ore pods roll surprisingly well down the C2’s ramp. Using this method made unloading much faster and more efficient, cutting down what would’ve otherwise been a slow and tedious task. It’s these little details that make the difference in a well-executed group mining operation.