Planets
Introduction
Mine a Planet features five core planets plus their biome variants — Earth, Mars, Europa, Volcano, and Nebula. Each planet drops a different ore tier, has its own recommended drill, and contains hidden chests that respawn on a long cooldown. This hub lists every biome, ore drop, and unlock requirement so you always know which planet to grind next. Each planet drops a different ore tier, has its own recommended drill, and contains hidden chests that respawn on a six-hour cooldown. Planet unlock requirements are tied to your drill progression rather than to a quest chain — once you craft the Iron Hammer, Mars and Europa unlock simultaneously and you can grind them in any order. The hub lists every biome, ore drop, and unlock requirement so you always know which planet to grind next. Use the recommended drill tier for each planet to avoid burning through repair kits.
Planet Unlock Order
| Planet | Difficulty | Recommended Drill | Key Ore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earth | Beginner | Wooden Pickaxe / Copper Drill | Stone, Copper |
| Mars | Beginner | Iron Hammer | Iron Ore, Coal |
| Europa | Intermediate | Quantum Borer | Ice Shards, Crystal |
| Volcano | Advanced | Titanium Spire | Magma Ore, Titanium |
| Nebula | Endgame | Mythril Destroyer | Stardust, Void Shards |
Planet Roster
Earth
Starter planet — the safest biome to learn the mining loop and farm your first 50 Drill Pieces. Starter planet — the safest biome to learn the mining loop and farm your first 50 Drill Pieces. Earth drops Stone, Copper Ore, and small amounts of Coal in dense veins, perfect for the bulk smelt bonus. The biome has no hostile mobs, so beginners can grind without burning through repair kits and learn the mining loop at their own pace.
Mars
Red desert biome — Iron Ore and Coal spawn here in dense veins, perfect for batch smelts. Red desert biome — Iron Ore and Coal spawn here in dense veins, perfect for batch smelts. Mars mobs hit harder than Earth, so make sure you have crafted the Iron Hammer before grinding. Hidden chests respawn every six hours per planet, so a single 90-minute session is more efficient than three short sessions across the same day.
Europa
Frozen ice biome — Ice Shards and Crystal drop here, plus hidden caverns with bonus chests. Frozen ice biome — Ice Shards and Crystal drop here, plus hidden caverns with bonus chests. Europa mobs deal cold damage, so bring heat-resistant drills and stock up on repair kits before grinding. The biome unlocks after you smelt 10 Iron Alloy and is the best mid-game farm for Crystal before you push into Mars Deep or Volcano.
Volcano
Magma-core planet with lava boss arenas — requires heat-resistant drills and stack of repair kits. Magma-core planet with lava boss arenas — requires heat-resistant drills and stack of repair kits. Volcano drops Magma Ore and Titanium Ore in dense veins, and the lava boss arena is the toughest combat encounter in the game. Clear the arena with a full stack of repair kits and you will walk out with enough Mythril Ore for your first Mythril Bar.
Nebula
Late-game planet — Stardust and Void Shards drop here, and only legendary drills survive more than ten minutes. Late-game planet — Stardust and Void Shards drop here, and only legendary drills survive more than ten minutes. Nebula is gated behind the Mythril Bar smelt, so you must craft at least one Mythril Bar before unlocking it. The Void biome inside Nebula deals 30 damage per second to drill durability, so bring the Cosmic Wolf pet to push Void Shard drop rates.
Core Mechanics
Planets are procedurally generated so each mining run has slightly different ore placement, chest spawns, and lava boss patterns. Planets are gated by your highest drill tier rather than by a quest — once you craft the Iron Hammer, Mars and Europa unlock simultaneously. Hidden chests respawn every six hours of real-world time per planet, so a single long session is more efficient than several short ones. Planets are procedurally generated so each mining run has slightly different ore placement, chest spawns, and lava boss patterns, which means you cannot memorize chest locations. Planets are gated by your highest drill tier rather than by a quest chain — once you craft the Iron Hammer, Mars and Europa unlock simultaneously. Hidden chests respawn every six hours of real-world time per planet, with up to three chests available at once. Private servers do not share chest cooldowns between players, so a focused solo run is often more efficient than a public server.
Advantages
Each planet offers a unique ore mix, so the progression curve is natural — you move from Earth starter ores to Mars metals to Europa crystals and finally Nebula mythic drops. Hidden chests reward players who explore thoroughly and provide bonus Drill Pieces for casual miners. The Volcano lava bosses add a combat layer for players who enjoy miniboss fights as part of their mining loop. Each planet offers a unique ore mix, so the progression curve is natural — you move from Earth starter ores to Mars metals to Europa crystals and finally Nebula mythic drops. Hidden chests reward players who explore thoroughly and provide bonus Drill Pieces for casual miners. The Volcano lava bosses add a combat layer for players who enjoy miniboss fights as part of their mining loop. Procedural generation means no two runs feel identical, which keeps the grinding loop fresh over long sessions.
Challenges
Planets can feel grindy when you are stuck waiting for a higher drill tier — beginners who try to mine Volcano with the Wooden Pickaxe will burn through durability in minutes. Hidden chests have a six-hour respawn timer per planet, which can feel punishing during short play sessions. The procedural generation also means you cannot memorize chest locations, so completionist players will never reach 100% chest discovery. Planets can feel grindy when you are stuck waiting for a higher drill tier — beginners who try to mine Volcano with the Wooden Pickaxe will burn through durability in minutes. Hidden chests have a six-hour respawn timer per planet, which can feel punishing during short play sessions. The procedural generation also means you cannot memorize chest locations, so completionist players will never reach 100% chest discovery. Treat exploration as a feature rather than a grind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which planet should I grind first?+
How often do hidden chests respawn?+
What is the hardest planet in the game?+
Quick Tips
Always switch to the highest tier drill you can craft before entering a new planet — grinding a high-tier planet with a low-tier drill costs more in repair kits than you save in Drill Pieces. Repair kits cost 25 Drill Pieces each at the lobby vendor and add up quickly across a long grinding session. A higher tier drill deals more damage and lasts longer per swing, which means fewer trips back to the lobby vendor. The savings typically add up to 30-40% less repair kit usage across a single 90-minute grinding session on a tier-2 biome like Europa.
Hidden chests respawn every six hours per planet, so a single 90-minute session is more efficient than three short sessions across the same day. With up to three chests available per respawn window per planet, a single 90-minute session captures more chests than three short 30-minute sessions spread across the day. The chests respawn independently for each player, so private servers do not share chest cooldowns between players. Focus your longest sessions on a single planet to maximize chest captures within each respawn window.
The Volcano lava boss drops rare Mythril veins on defeat — clear the arena with a full stack of repair kits and you will walk out with enough Mythril Ore for your first Mythril Bar. The lava boss drops rare Mythril veins on defeat, which is one of the two reliable sources of Mythril Ore in the game (the other being Nebula). Clear the arena with a full stack of repair kits and you will walk out with enough Mythril Ore for your first Mythril Bar. The arena also drops bonus Drill Pieces on every boss kill, so it is worth grinding even mid-tier miners.
Featured
Mine a Planet Earth Planet Guide: Ores, Tips & Progression
Mine a Planet Earth planet guide covering Stone, Copper, and Coal ore drops, the best drill tier, fastest farming routes, and the optimal Earth-to-Mars transition.
Mine a Planet Mars Planet Guide: Iron, Coal & Strategy
Mine a Planet Mars planet guide covering Iron, Coal, and Titanium ore drops, the best drill tier for Mars, and Mars Deep farming for Titanium Spire materials.
Mine a Planet Europa Planet Guide: Crystal & Ice Shards
Mine a Planet Europa planet guide covering Crystal, Ice Shards, and Silver ore drops, the best drill tier for Europa, and the transition to Volcano.
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Mine a Planet Volcano Planet Guide: Mythril & Magma Ore
Mine a Planet Volcano planet guide covering Mythril, Magma Ore, and Stardust drops, the best drill tier for Volcano, and the transition to Nebula.
Mine a Planet Nebula & Void: Stardust & Void Shards
Mine a Planet Nebula and Void planet guide covering Stardust, Void Shards, and Cosmic Core materials, plus best drill tier and end-game strategy.