I’m trying to understand how mining supposed to fit into this game. Some people say just sell the ore, others say you should always refine it first and then others say mining only makes sense if you’re also building stuff.
What I’m confused about is when each option makes the most sense. Refining and industry both add extra steps, skills, and time and it’s hard to tell if that’s something I should be working toward now or if it’s better to keep things simple.
Is there a general rule miners follow or it basically always situational?
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Usually refining makes sense if you have a few levels in refining, preferably many levels.
Otherwise you’re better off selling to someone else who can refine it, or asking someone else to refine it for you for a fee.
Industry is an option to turn ore into goods that players regularly buy on the market, because most players do buy ships from time to time, but won’t buy ore.
As someone who occasionally mines I usually never bothered with the industry step myself. Either I compressed the ore and sold it like that, or refined it (or got it refined by someone else) and sold that on the market.
Compressing ore makes it a lot easier to haul by the way, do that before you refine it, because refined ore again takes a lot of volume and is hard to move. So if you refine, refine in a system where people use the ore.
It can be an interesting experience for everyone to manufacture their first venture.
There can be a reason for teaching yourself this lesson and if you like it then decide whether you continue with the current path or make changes to suit a future experience in Eve Online.
Gerard said it best. There is no wrong or right way. You do do what you find the most fun out of mining. But I do agree that either selling or refining the compressed version of ore I better than non-compressed.
The exception to that is Kernite and Omber. More so Kernite. Those are more profitable to sell non-compressed as they are needed in L3(omber) and L4(kernite) storyline missions. Runners are more apt to just buy the ore instead of mining it.
All of that. Try and find out what you like. EVE is a game, not a job.
I was quite proud flying my first Megathron I’ve built on my own with minerals I refined from ore that I had mined spending hours in belts.
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It isn’t about mining fitting into the game, it is a question, Do I fit into mining? I am an alpha player not against anyone buying omega. Omega miners make more this is true, but as an alpha miner I make enough ISK to enjoy casual gaming here.
What is you end objective? Gerard there is a builder, cost don’t matter he wants to build the end product even at a great loss. Chad sounds like a tinker, he likes to fiddle with making ships. I could go on about the different types of mining and production, but here is my thing.
I mine ore to sell it for profit, then I buy those ventures Chad probably built, so I can give them away to other miners. If you are in this for the ISK, selling the raw ore is going to be the most profit to a solo alpha player with low skills. When I mine kernite, one load pays for the venture I am flying 8 times over. I don’t worry about getting blasted. Kernite is worth 800 to 1000 ISK per unit. Then venture can hold 4166 units. Get some EP-S Gaus Lasers and mine kernite in low sec.
An item builder will convert it to isogen. If I were to convert it, I lose up to 50% in the process, this amount can be changed with skills and modules, but that takes time and/or money. The isogen is only good to build stuff with, you don’t want to sell it on market at the price they offer. Take a look at the materials needed to make something then break the materials down by time to build. I rather buy the venture, than build it.
I also make enough ISK mining to get other things too. The game is full of objectives, you just need to find your objective. Being an ISK billionaire is no fun without an objective.
Mine Safe 
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This morning while drinking coffee I was sitting out on a belt partially afk while catching up on the forum here.
The Ore was Scordite.
I added some to my existing stock and compressed it for a single jump to a NPC station which doesn’t charge for the reprocess fee as I am level 10 with these agents.
Still though I would not recommend reprocessing this Ore as there are losses that I would rather hold off loosing.
/
Can I transport compressed ore in a Venture’s ore hold or do I need some kind of freighter?
Do I have to go to a players station to compressed it? How much does it cost?
Compressed ore fits within an ore hold so you could move it in a Venture if you wanted.
Just be wary not to put too much value in a little frigate that way, Ventures are cheap to kill.
As far as I know any station or structure with reprocessing facility can also compress ore for free. You can find those in the structure browser ingame.
@Tharshe_Bloes any player owned base with the engineering module will be free to use, as long as, the owner has it open to the public for docking.
Go to your Neocom menu → Utilities → Structure Browser
Under All Structures select the 2 listed under refineries called Anthor and Tatara.
Select in Service Filter → Reprocessing Plant
That will get you a list of all the stations with free compression. Don’t compress raw kernite level 1 it greatly reduces the value.
Mine Safe