Mining guide: which pickaxe mines what
Every ore boulder in Permafrost has a required tool tier, and every pickaxe and sledgehammer has a tier. This page lists the requirement for each ore, the first tool whose tier meets it, and where the boulders are, from the retained game-file map capture. The October 14 announcement updates Moon Rock yield; coordinates, counts and tool tiers have not been refreshed for that patch.
Quick answer: how do I mine Moon Rock?
Moon Rock boulders need the Quality Metal tool tier. The first pickaxe at that tier is the Quality Pickaxe. The developers confirm in their known-issues post that the basic Iron Pickaxe cannot mine it despite its item text. The Refined Iron Pickaxe makes the same claim, and its tier (Iron Refined) is also below Quality Metal in the game data. The October 14 developer announcement says each boulder gives 5–7 Moon Rock, and the retained map capture lists 58 Moon Rock boulders.
The Quality Pickaxe costs 2 blueprint points to learn and is crafted at the Crafting Bench from 2 × Quality Metal, 4 × Wood, 1 × Processed Plastic. Quality Metal is smelted from 5 × Iron and 5 × Scrap at the Makeshift Smelter, or 2 × Iron Ingot and 2 × Scrap at the Professional Smelter.
Where to find Moon Rock
- Solar Fields: 23 boulders · show on map
- Crater: 13 boulders · show on map
- Woods: 8 boulders · show on map
- Shallow Rift: 7 boulders · show on map
- Hot Springs Cave: 4 boulders · show on map
- Bone Cave: 2 boulders · show on map
- Bunker 21: 1 boulder · show on map
Ore requirements
| Ore | Tool tier needed | First pickaxe that qualifies | Per drop | Boulders | Most boulders at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone | None | Stone Pickaxe | — | 413 on the map | Solar Fields (113), Open world (84), Woods (62) |
| Flint | None | Stone Pickaxe | 4–5 | 267 on the map | Solar Fields (121), Open world (40), Woods (24) |
| Coal | Improved | Flint Pickaxe | 5–8 | 213 on the map | Solar Fields (86), Woods (31), Open world (27) |
| Copper | Improved | Flint Pickaxe | 3–6 | 136 on the map | Solar Fields (65), Woods (17), Rift Cave (17) |
| Sulfur | Improved | Flint Pickaxe | 2–4 | 137 on the map | Solar Fields (115), Solar Facility (14), Shallow Rift (3) |
| Iron | Advanced | Copper Pickaxe | 8–12 | 196 on the map | Solar Fields (144), Solar Facility (18), Shallow Rift (10) |
| Gold | Advanced Refined | Refined Copper Pickaxe | 1–3 | 109 on the map | Solar Fields (54), Woodcutters Outpost (13), Woods (9) |
| Moon Rock | Quality Metal | Quality Pickaxe | 5–7 (October 14 announcement) | 58 on the map | Solar Fields (23), Crater (13), Woods (8) |
Tool tiers, lowest to highest, as the game orders them: Basic → Basic Refined → Improved → Improved Refined → Advanced → Advanced Refined → Iron → Iron Refined → Scrap → Quality Metal → Moonrock → Moonrock Refined. In the game data, sledgehammers have the Pickaxe tool type and the same tier ladder as pickaxes. The “or higher” reading of this ladder is inferred from the game's tier order; only the Moon Rock case is confirmed by the developers.
Every pickaxe and sledgehammer
| Tool | Tier | Can break (by tier) | Item text check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Pickaxe | Basic | Stone, Flint | — |
| Stone Sledgehammer | Basic | Stone, Flint | — |
| Refined Stone Pickaxe | Basic Refined | Stone, Flint | — |
| Refined Stone Sledgehammer | Basic Refined | Stone, Flint | — |
| Flint Pickaxe | Improved | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur | — |
| Flint Sledgehammer | Improved | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur | — |
| Refined Flint Pickaxe | Improved Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur | — |
| Refined Flint Sledgehammer | Improved Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur | — |
| Copper Pickaxe | Advanced | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron | — |
| Copper Sledgehammer | Advanced | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron | — |
| Refined Copper Pickaxe | Advanced Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | — |
| Refined Copper Sledgehammer | Advanced Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | — |
| Iron Pickaxe | Iron | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | Item text does not list Gold; by tier order it qualifies (not confirmed in game). Item text lists Moon Rock, but Moon Rock boulders need Quality Metal tier. |
| Iron Sledgehammer | Iron | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | — |
| Refined Iron Pickaxe | Iron Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | Item text does not list Gold; by tier order it qualifies (not confirmed in game). Item text lists Moon Rock, but Moon Rock boulders need Quality Metal tier. |
| Refined Iron Sledgehammer | Iron Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | — |
| Scrap Pickaxe | Scrap | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | Item text does not list Gold; by tier order it qualifies (not confirmed in game). |
| Scrap Sledgehammer | Scrap | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold | — |
| Quality Hammer | Quality Metal | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold, Moon Rock | — |
| Quality Pickaxe | Quality Metal | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold, Moon Rock | — |
| Moonrock Pickaxe | Moonrock | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold, Moon Rock | — |
| Moonrock Sledgehammer | Moonrock | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold, Moon Rock | — |
| Refined Moonrock Pickaxe | Moonrock Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold, Moon Rock | — |
| Refined Moonrock Sledgehammer | Moonrock Refined | Stone, Flint, Coal, Copper, Sulfur, Iron, Gold, Moon Rock | — |
“Can break” compares each tool's tier with the boulder's required tier. Where the item description disagrees, both are shown. The developers have confirmed the Moon Rock case; other mismatches are not yet confirmed either way.
Mining tips from the data
- Each ore boulder has two loot tables in the game data: a progressive one that pays out while you mine, and a final one for when it breaks.
- The Pickaxes skill raises damage against ore and reduces durability loss.
- Iron and gold are concentrated around Solar Fields; copper also turns up in the caves (Landscar Cave, Rift Cave). Use the interactive map layers to plan a route.