This page includes everything you need to know about mining in Tradelands that isn’t included in the wiki. This includes mining locations, drop rates, and tips/tricks to maximizing your profitability while mining.

Where To Mine

Most of the islands in the Grand Isles has at least one rock that you can use to mine. Each location will drop different materials though, so the island you pick will make a difference. Below is the map of the Tradelands with icons representing what materials drop at each location. You can click the map to view a larger version if it is hard to read.

Drop Rates

NOTE: We will be updating the drop rates with the most current data once we are closer to the end of the year.  The data presented below is from last year's analysis.

For a detailed review of the drop rates, you can view the Mining Statistics Update. Drop rates for materials are based on three factors:

  1. The Location at which you are mining.
  2. The type of material your pickaxe is made from
  3. The weather and time of day you are mining.

Tips and Tricks

The F&BP Trading Company does a lot of mining and we’ve learned a few things over the years. Here are some quick tips to help you improve your mining skill. We have also addressed some misconceptions as well:

  • TRICK: Once you pull out a pickaxe and start mining, don’t put it away! It probably sounds crazy, but anytime to put your pickaxe away and pull it out again, your chance of getting a drop in your next few hits decreases by 50%! This includes switching to a different pickaxe as well.
  • MISCONCEPTION: Most of the community believes that Onyx is the rarest gemstone in the game, but it is actually Sapphire. DO NOT GET TRICKED into selling your Sapphire for Onyx. There is also a very small market for Onyx and it has limited uses in game. On the other hand, Sapphire is a critical component to collecting Electrosteel and Ice, which are the two most sought after materials in the game.
  • TIP: Most rocks in Tradelands have between 4 to 5 drops per rock. After you received 4 drops (5 if you are risking it), switch to a less expensive pickaxe (oak and iron is recommended) to finish off the rock so it will re-spawn. This approach will reduce the chance of you wasting durability and getting nothing in return.
  • MISCONCEPTION: Gemstorms (rain during the daytime) do not give better gem drop rates, despite what the community claims. The F&BP have noticed a slight increase in iron drop rates but no statistically relevant change in gem drop rates. This means it’s actually a bad time to do your mining as you will earn less overall.
  • TIP: If you are mining Electrosteel and Freeport looks like it has miners already, make your way to Fenwick instead. It’s usually unpopulated and is secretly one of the better places for silver/e-steel drops. This is because there is a rock on the island that has twice as many drops as normal, meaning you will get a slightly better drop rate for Electrosteel than at other locations.
  • TIP: If you are mining Onyx on Freeport, don’t go into the basement unless you have a lantern, glowie, or other light source. If night time hits, you may lose your ability to get out without resetting, because the entire screen will go black.
  • TRICK: If you are on a really bad run, you can reset your RNG table by putting your pickaxe away and pulling it back out again. If you do this right after you just hit a rock that dropped something, the game will “forget” your history of drops and won’t penalize your next drop, allowing you to improve your odds.
  • MISCONCEPTION: You can get rare drops at any level, making it worthwhile to mine on a non-spawn island as early as Level 4. Previously, it was believed that you couldn’t get a return on investment until Level 7, so some older players and mining companies may still hold to this belief.