Mining is the secondary activity most players pick up around level 30 and then ignore until they need something to put in a bracelet. Refined ore does not raise an item's upgrade level. It boosts the fixed bonuses on jewellery for a limited time, which is a different job, and it is the reason a stack of copper can be worth more than the ore you started with.
What you need to start
- A pickaxe, 80,000 Yang from Deokbae in Map2 or Dong Gwang Plain
- Level 30, the minimum level to use the pickaxe
- The Mining skill, learned by reading the Mining Guide book
Pickaxe upgrades
Every mining attempt gives the pickaxe a point, whether or not you actually pull ore out of the vein. Once the pickaxe reaches its point cap, Deokbae can upgrade it. Only the first upgrade is guaranteed, and every failure costs ten percent of the accumulated points. A higher pickaxe level raises the chance of ore dropping.
- +0: 6,000 points, 100 percent success
- +1: 12,000 points, 39 percent success
- +2: 24,000 points, 39 percent success
- +3: 48,000 points, 39 percent success
- +4: 96,000 points, 39 percent success
- +5: 192,000 points, 39 percent success
- +6: 384,000 points, 39 percent success
- +7: 768,000 points, 39 percent success
- +8: 1,536,000 points, 39 percent success
- +9: maximum level
Ore is refined in stacks of 100 at an Alchemist, who asks for Spirit Powder and 200,000 Yang on the old continent, or 1,000,000 Yang in Yohara. Diamond is the exception: it needs no Spirit Powder.
Each Alchemist specialises in one ore and refines that ore with a 60 percent success rate. Any other ore can still be processed, but the success rate drops to 30 percent. Refining at the specialist is the difference between keeping a stack and losing it.
Putting ore into jewellery
Refined ore goes into bracelets, earrings, necklaces and belts, and only into items that carry default bonuses. Changeable bonuses are not affected.
1. Open a slot with a Diamond. This can fail, and the item accepts a maximum of three slots.
2. Insert the matching refined ore. Copper goes into copper jewellery, silver into silver, and so on. Each ore type only fits its own accessory family.
3. Watch the timer. Slot one runs 24 hours for a 10 percent bonus, slot two runs 12 hours for 10 percent, and slot three runs 6 hours for 20 percent, so a fresh accessory carries 42 hours of coverage in total.
Only the most recently inserted ore counts down, and it counts down only while the item is equipped. When it expires the ore disappears and the empty slot stays, then the next ore starts running. Adding another ore before the current one expires resets the current ore to full duration.
Where the veins are
There are more than twenty vein types, and each one is tied to specific maps. Diamond, fossil trunk, copper, silver, gold, jade and ebony veins are found on the early maps around Joan, Bokjung, Waryong, Pyungmoo, Bakra, Imha, Yongan, Yayang and Jungrang. Pearl, white gold, crystal, amethyst and heaven's tear appear further out, in the Valley of Seungryong, Yongbi Desert, Mount Sohan, Hwang Temple and Doyyumhwan. Soul crystal, ruby, garnet, emerald, sapphire and tourmaline are later ores from Cape Dragon Fire, Nephrite Bay, Thunder Mountains and Gautama Cliff.
Veins last up to fifteen minutes once they spawn. They can also be spawned from an Ore Lode Mystery Box or a Portable Jadite Vein, which is the usual answer when a map is crowded.
FAQ
Do I need the Mining skill to mine at all?
You need the pickaxe and level 30. The skill raises how much ore you get per attempt.
Why did my refine fail?
Most likely you used an Alchemist who is not specialised in that ore. The specialist rate is 60 percent and everything else is 30 percent.
Can refined ore go into a weapon?
No. Refined ore goes into jewellery only.
Does refined ore change an item's upgrade level?
No. It raises the item's default bonuses for a limited time and nothing else.
What is Diamond for?
Opening ore slots on jewellery. It is also the one ore that does not need Spirit Powder to refine.
Do the timers run while the item is in the warehouse?
No. The timer runs only while the item is equipped.
Sources
[1] Metin2 Wiki (Gameforge): Mining
[2] Gameforge: Metin2 Mining guide
[3] Metin2 Wiki: Mining Guide book