🌌 What is High-Sec Belt Mining
- Asteroid belts spawn in almost every 0.5–1.0 security system.
- Contain common ores like Veldspar, Scordite, Pyroxeres, Plagioclase, Kernite, Omber, etc.
- Respawn daily after downtime.
- Generally safe — CONCORD punishes ganks, though not instantly.
- Accessible solo, but scales better in fleets.
⚙️ Ore Selection
In high-sec, yield comes from mining the right ore, not just the closest rock.
- Veldspar → Always valuable because Tritanium is core to industry.
- Scordite, Pyroxeres, Plagioclase → Solid mid-tier choices, better ISK/m³ than veld sometimes.
- Kernite & Omber (found in Amarr/Gallente space) → Niche but often more profitable due to Isogen/Nocxium.
- Ore anomalies (from The Agency) → Richer than belts, often with larger rocks and higher-tier ores.
🔑 Advanced miners keep a spreadsheet or use tools like fuzzwork to check ISK/m³ daily before undocking. Mine for value per m³, not yield per hour alone.
🚀 Ship Progression & Roles
Solo Miners
- Venture → Starter ship, agile, dirt cheap.
- Procurer / Skiff → Tanky solo miners, best for anti-gank setups.
- Retriever / Mackinaw → Large ore holds, fewer trips. Great for semi-AFK.
- Covetor / Hulk → Highest yield, fragile. Only worth it if boosted/hauler alt is present.
Fleet Support
- Orca → Core of advanced belt mining.
- Fleet boosts (+25–35% yield, cycle reduction, capacitor stability).
- Ore compression.
- Huge ore bay (to eliminate hauling downtime).
- Porpoise → Budget Orca, great for small ops.
- Haulers → Miasmos (ore specialized), DSTs, freighters for bulk hauling.
🛠 Advanced Fitting Philosophy
Yield Hulk (with Orca support)
- 2x Modulated Strip Miner II + correct T2 crystals.
- Survey Scanner II (to avoid wasted cycles).
- Minimal tank (1–2 mids for shield extender/hardener).
- 2x Mining Laser Upgrade II in lows.
- Mining Drones II.
⚠️ Only safe if Orca/hauler present.
Balanced Mackinaw (semi-AFK solo)
- 2x Modulated Strip Miner II + crystals.
- Survey Scanner II.
- Shield Extender II + Multispectrum Hardener.
- 2x Mining Laser Upgrade II.
- Ore Hold Optimization rigs.
- Mining + Light drones.
Good mix of yield + independence.
Orca (Fleet Boss)
- 3x Mining Foreman Burst II (Laser Field Enhancement, Equipment Preservation, Shield Harmonizing).
- Ore Compression modules.
- Large Shield Extenders + Hardeners.
- Flight of light drones for anti-frigate defense.
📦 Logistics Optimization
- Compression: Always compress in Orca/refinery before hauling. Moon/belt ores are bulky.
- Hauling alt: While main mines, alt hauls ore to station/citadel.
- Freighters: Use only when stockpiling ore in Orca for bulk runs — never blind autopilot full freighter in high-sec.
🧭 Efficiency & ISK Maximization
- Survey Scanners — never mine half-empty rocks. Time = ISK.
- Ore selection by ISK/m³ — not all belts are equal. Track daily prices.
- Boosts matter — mining solo in a Hulk = ~20–25M ISK/hr; in a boosted Orca fleet = 50M+ ISK/hr.
- System choice:
- Avoid trade hubs (gankers).
- Prefer quiet 0.5–0.6 systems near a hub for selling.
- Check ore anomalies via The Agency — bigger rocks, better yield.
- Multiboxing:
- Main in Hulk.
- Orca alt boosting + compressing.
- Hauler alt running compressed ore.
→ 3-box setups can exceed 100M ISK/hr in high-sec.
⚔️ Risks & Survival
- Gankers: Even in 1.0, you’re not safe. They alpha fragile Hulks/Mackinaws.
- Use Skiff/Procurer if you expect trouble.
- Stay aligned and keep D-Scan up in busy systems.
- Ore thieves: Jetcans can be flipped → don’t solo jetcan mine in populated systems.
- Competition: Belts get stripped fast in high-traffic areas. Bookmark anomalies to get ahead of random miners.
💰 ISK Expectations
- Solo Venture: 2–4M ISK/hr.
- Solo Barge (Retriever): 10–15M/hr.
- Exhumer (Mackinaw): 20–30M/hr.
- Hulk w/ Orca boosts: 40–50M/hr.
- Multibox fleet (Hulks + Orca): 60–100M/hr.
🔑 Advanced Tricks
- Time after downtime: Belts reset after downtime — fresh ores, less competition.
- Bookmark “deep rocks”: In anomalies, some high-value rocks are far from warp-in. Bookmark them for faster mining.
- Refining strategy:
- Max reprocessing skills = refine locally.
- Poor skills or high tax = sell compressed ore raw in Jita/Amarr.
- Industrial integration: Feeding your own production (ammo, T1 hulls, rigs) can yield more ISK than raw sales.
- Corp buyback programs: Many mining corps run buyback at 90–95% Jita, streamlining ISK flow.
✅ In summary:
High-sec belt mining is low-risk, lower-profit than moon mining, but with logistics, boosts, and ore selection, you can turn it into a steady ISK machine — especially with multibox setups or corp fleets.