Mining & Mine Items

______________________________________________________________________ // // // Mining // // // // "Genius is the gold in the mine. Talent // // is the miner who works and brings it // // out." -Marguerite Blessington // // // //___________________________________________________________________// |/ | After farming, ranching and fishing comes mining. Mining is actually | typically more profitable than fishing, but isn't quite as deep and | nuanced. | | _________________________________________________________________________ | / / | / Mining Basics / | / / |/_________________________________________________________________________/ | | Mining is a rather simple process. To start, just grab your hammer (not | your hoe, like in some past Harvest Moon games) and enter the mine | | Descend the first staircase at the entrance to find yourself on the 1st | floor of the mine. Every floor (with a few exceptions) operates in the same | way: a large area with several characteristic items. These include: | - Stairs: Each floor contains two staircases: one going up, and one going | down. The staircase you'll be looking for differs based on which mine | you're in. | - Cracks: Most floors contain some cracks in the ground, marked by 'X's. | These X's, when stepped on, become either holes or geysers, plummeting | you down or rocketing you up a random number of floors. | - Rocks: Rocks are the foundation of the mine. Smashing them can yield | Ores, items or afflictions. | - Crystals: Crystals are like rocks, except they house more valuable | treasures, called Wonderfuls, and can also hold afflictions. | - Items: There are also some items that can be immediately spotted on the | mine floor. These can be picked up just like any other item. | | When you break a rock or crystal, you will sometimes find an item contained | in the rock - this is the entire purpose of mining. If you do, you can | either pick it up or leave it - if you leave it, it will remain on the | ground indefinitely (until you leave the floor, that is). You'll need to | put your tool away to pick it up, and you can obviously only put it in your | rucksack if you have space. Ores and wonderfuls dug up in the mine DO stack | this time, and Pontata Roots, Mushrooms and Toadstools will as well. | | How you behave in a mine will depend on what you intend to do. Sometimes | you'll want to get down to a certain level, sometimes you'll just want to | get down as far as you can, and sometimes you'll just want to find a | particular item. | | Regardless of what you're there to do, though, the controls remain the | same. Break rocks to try to find Ores; break crystals to try to find | Wonderfuls; to descend, get to the staircase; and to ascend and leave the | mine, get to the up staircase and choose 'top floor'. | | There's one important note to make, though. There are three mines in the | game, and for one of them (the Upper Garmon Mine), you'll actually be | ascending, not descending. So, when you move through this mine, look for | the up staircase, not the down one. For consistency, though, I'll usually | refer to this as "descending" the mine as well. | |\________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Stairs, Holes & Geysers \ | \ | There are two ways to descend the mine: stairs and holes. Stairs are the | reliable way: when you approach the downward staircase, you'll be | automatically transported down one level in the mine - never more than one. | | Oftentimes the stairs are visible immediately upon entering a level of the | mine. However, sometimes - especially at lower floors - the staircase is | hidden under a rock. To find it, look for a rock that has nothing bordering | it, on the sides or diagonally. Only rocks with nothing bordering them can | cover up staircases. Bust these rocks until you find the staircase. | | Cracks are a riskier, but often faster, way of descending. If you step on | an 'X', you will fall down a random number of floors in the mine, between 1 | and 5. Additionally, cracks are often much more accessible than the stairs, | given that a particular floor will contain several cracks but only one | staircase. So, cracks are often a more efficient method for descending the | mine - and, though you might suspect otherwise, holes carry no stamina | penalty. | | Cracks have a risk associated with them, however: sometimes when you step | on a crack, it will become a geyser instead of a hole. Geysers propel you | upwards a random number of floors. | | Geysers become more frequent at lower floors, making it more difficult to | get to the deepest sections of the mine. It's best to stick to stairs once | you get down to the last few floors. | | Ascending to the top of the mine can also be done by simply touching the | upwards staircase: you'll receive the option to automatically ascend all | the way to the surface. | | Note that in the Upper Garmon Mine, where you're ascending instead of | descending, the geysers suddenly become beneficial while holes become | detrimental. Fortunately, the proportions shift too -- you'll find mostly | geysers on the lower levels of Upper Garmon Mine, and mostly holes as you | get toward the top. | |\____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Afflictions \ | \ | "I think I have the black lung, pop." Zoolander quotes aside, Ores and | Wonderfuls aren't the only things that pop up when you break a rock or | crystal. There are multiple afflictions that come in the form of different | colored gases. These afflictions will affect your efforts to descend the | mine: | Red : Stamina loss (your character loses stamina points - 20 for 'lost a | : little stamina', 50 for 'lost a lot of stamina') | Blue : Stamina immunity (no stamina penalty for using any tool). | Green : Stamina restoration (your character regains around 300 stamina | : points). | Purple : Temporary confusion (joystick directions no longer map to the | : character's direction, and randomly change). | Orange : Blindness (the visibility around your character drastically | : shrinks). | White : Slowness (your character's movement speed is severely restricted) | or | : Quickness (your character's movement speed is drastically raised). | Yellow : Drowsiness (your character becomes drowsy, which can only be cured | : by a Stay Awake or Super Stay Awake) or illness (your character | : becomes sick, which can only be cured by a Cold Medicine). | | You can get rid of any non-stamina related afflictions by changing floors. | Any lost stamina will remain though, and if you hit some yellow gas to make | you drowsy, that effect will remain as well. | | Afflictions will spread outward from the initial location in various | patterns and at different speeds. Oftentimes you'll be able to avoid the | affliction before it hits you - just run away as soon as you hear the sound | of a gas spewing. Unfortunately you'll likely also miss the stamina | restoration gasses, but that's a small price to pay. | | If you do get hit with an affliction, there are multiple items you can use | to relieve the effect. For red gas (stamina loss), food or Bodigizers will | restore that lost stamina. For purple, orange or white gas, a Remedy will | remove the effect. For yellow gas, a Stay Awake or Super Stay Awake will | fix the problem.) | | Different afflictions appear more often in | different mines. To come prepared, it's good to bring a medication | specifically for the afflictions most common to the mine you're going to. | The recommendations are: | | - Remedy for Lower Garmon Mine. | - Remedy for Upper Garmon Mine. | - Cold Medicine and Stay Awake for Watery Cave. | |\__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Ores & Wonderfuls \ | \ | The two main items that can be found in the mine are Ores and Wonderfuls. | Both are only accessible by smashing apart rocks (for Ores) and crystals | (for Wonderfuls). When a rock or crystal is smashed, an ore or wonderful | may appear on the ground for you to pick up. | | If I could italicize this next sentence, I would: Ores and Wonderfuls, by | themselves, are essentially worthless. They have very low shipping values | and cannot be used for tool upgrades, jewelry creations or effective gifts. | | Instead, Ores and Wonderfuls hold within them Metals and Gems. It's as if | the true "identity" of the Ore or Wonderful is hidden from you, and can | only be established by a gifted refiner - and conveniently, there is a | gifted refiner on the island: Mira. | |\________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Refining \ | \ | Every Ore and Wonderful houses an item. Sometimes the item is of a greater | value, but sometimes the item is junk. The item an Ore or Wonderful holds | corresponds to the color/type of the Ore or Wonderful: for example, Gold | Ore contains either Gold (the treasure) or scrap iron (junk). Wonderfuls | have three different levels of treasure: for example, a blue-colored | Wonderful can contain a Sapphire (high-value), a Aquamarine (medium-value), | a Lapis Lazuli (low-value) or glass (junk). | | So how are you to tell what your Ores and Wonderfuls are? That's where Mira | comes in. Mira works at the Accessory Shop every day after you meet talk to | her at the Church and convince her to return to work. She is a specialist | at refining your Ores and Wonderfuls. To get Mira to refine your materials, | talk to her over the counter and choose 'Refine' - don't just talk to her | with the item in your hands or you'll inadvertently give it to her. Mira | will let you know what the item truly is and will give it back to you: | after that, the item will be identified in your rucksack as the Metal or | Gem instead of an Ore or Wonderful. After that, you can use it for jewelry | or tool upgrades. It will also make a better gift, and the shipping value | will will be much higher. Metals and Gems will stack as well. | | Refining isn't free, though. For every item you ask her to refine, you'll | have to fork over 35G. It's usually worth it -- every refined item sells | for more than 35G, as long as it's not junk. Junk items sell for only 10G | each. | | This presents a minor problem with mining though: wouldn't you hate to go | to the mines and grab 8 Wonderfuls, only to find out that they're all | glass? Or to pick up a bunch of Gold Ore, only to find out they're all | scrap? Well, that's just too bad. Tree of Tranquility let you identify | Ores' and Wonderfuls' true item when they were in your rucksack, but Animal | Parade isn't nearly as kind. The item you get is determined randomly, and | there's no way to know what it'll be until you get the item back from Mira. | | However, there's a catch! The true 'identities' of the Ores and Wonderfuls | are established at the time you have Mira refine them, not when you dig | them up. That means that you could dig up a whole lot, save your game, and | then reset after refining if you didn't get as many good gems and metals as | you'd hoped. Generally speaking, if almost half of the stuff you have | refined turns up to be something valuable, that's about as good as you're | going to get. | |\______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Refining Trick \ | \ | There are, however, a couple tricks to at least improving your odds of | getting something good. | | _ _ _ _ _ | Trick #1 | | This is the easier trick, but less rewarding. Basically, what you get when | Mira refines your Ores and Wonderfuls is set when you enter the Accessory | Shop -- but, you won't know exactly what you're going to get until after | she refines them. | | So, what you can do is dig up a bunch of Ores and Wonderfuls in the Mines, | take them back to your farm and save, and then go to Mira. If you don't get | as much good stuff as you'd like, reset and try again. | | Statistically, you won't be able to use this to get a HUGE amount of extra | profit, but it's a good safeguard against getting a particularly bad haul. | Take a look at the percentages in the listing below before deciding whether | to reset or not. If what you get mirrors the percentages listed, you're | probably better off just sticking with what you get. | | _ _ _ _ _ | Trick #2 | | What you'll get when you have Mira refine a stack of Ores or Wonderfuls is | determined when you walk in the Accessory Shop. However, if you don't have | enough slots in your rucksack for the different products she'll give you, | she'll tell you to come back when you have more slots open. | | How does that help you? Using this, you can guarantee you'll get at least | one higher-level Gem or real Metal. To do this, follow these steps: | - Get at least one disposable item, like a mushroom to eat or any item | that can be given as a gift. You'll also want one stack of several of | one type of Ore or Wonderful. Aim for more than 5, but fewer than 15. | - Next, you want to fill your rucksack to almost full. How full? First, | figure out how many TYPES of items you want to receive from ONE stack | of Ores or Wonderfuls. For Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold and Rare Ore, | that number is always two: Junk Ore and a real Metal. For Purple, Red | and Yellow Wonderfuls, that number is three: Glass and two types of | Gems. For White, Green and Blue Wonderfuls, that number is four: glass | and three types of Gems (though you could stop at three if you just | want to guarantee you'll get a mid-level gem). | - Once you've figured out how many types of items you want, fill your | rucksack so that one FEWER slot than that number is open. So, if you | want two types of items, leave only one slot open; two slots open for | three items; and three slots open for four. | - Talk to Mira over the counter and choose Refine, then select the Ore or | Wonderful stack. If she lets you, cancel out -- don't let her refine | them. Exit and re-enter. | - Repeat that until she eventually says that you don't have enough open | slots. That means that you're getting as many types of items as you | wanted. Cancel out, get rid of your disposable item, then talk to her | again. This time, let her refine the Ores or Wonderfuls. | | Doing that, you've guaranteed you'll receive at least one of a higher-level | type of object. For example, with a stack of Blue Wonderfuls, you could | enter with only three spots open and keep re-entering until she told you | that your rucksack didn't have enough slots. That means you're getting at | least four items, which means you're getting a Glass, Lapis Lazuli, | Aquamarine and Sapphire. | | There is a minor danger to this trick, though. First of all, when she | offers to actually refine them, you still don't know what the result could | be. You could possibly have gotten all of a high-quality gem and no Glass. | | To avoid this, only use this trick if you have at least 5 of that type of | Ore or Wonderful. Statistically, if you have at least 5, you're almost | guaranteed to get at least one Junk Ore, so there's no chance of missing | out on an all-quality haul. | | Additionally, this trick's value drops notably once you get above 15 | Wonderfuls. At that point, you're almost guaranteed to get one of each type | anyway -- but you could still use this trick just to be safe. | | Credit goes to Quicksilver9448 for originally suggesting this trick. | |\______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Moles \ | \ | Sometimes when you're mining, you'll come across a little mole in the | field. Make sure PETA isn't watching, then smash the mole with your hammer. | If you succeed, the mole will cough up an item: typically just a Mushroom | or a Toadstool, but sometimes something more valuable, like a Bodigizer. | How the mole got his hands on one of those is beyond me. | | Moles have been observed dropping seven different items: Mushrooms, | Toadstools, Pontata Roots, Stay Awake, Super Stay Awake, Bodigizer and | Bodigizer XL. They might also drop Remedies, but I've never seen one. | |\__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Why Mine? \ | \ | So, there's this great big part of the game called mining where you can dig | up random stuff from the ground. So what, why bother? | | There are several useful reasons to make use of the mines: | - Tool upgrades. For each tool upgrade, you need three of a particular | type of metal. That means if you plan to upgrade your tools all the | way, you'll need eighteen of each metal. The best way to get those? The | mines. | - Jewelry. In order to make jewelry, you must supply the Metals and Gems. | And since there's nowhere else to get them except the mine, you're | locked into that option if you want to make jewelry. | - Profit. Mining in Animal Parade is a notably profitable task. Just | picking up a few Coppers and Silvers can yield a quick 500G, and your | profits will soar even higher if you start digging up some gemstones, | which sell for everything from the 170G Crystal to the over 1000G | Diamond. Additionally, harvesting the Toadstools, Mushrooms and other | items from the mine is hugely profitable. Make Marinated Mushrooms with | an herb, mushroom and a cutting board for an even larger profit. | - Even More Profit. No, really, Mining has gotten wildly profitable now | that Wonderfuls and Ores stack. You're no longer limited by rucksack | size in how much you can bring back -- even with the smallest rucksack | you can bring back some of every type of Wonderful and Ore. You're only | limited by stamina, making Mining a potentially extremely profitable | endeavor. | - Power Berry and Pontata Roots. Two of the game's eight Power Berries | are at the bottom of the Lower and Upper Garmon Mines, and the mines | are also the best place you can find Pontata Roots, a key ingredient in | the medicine category of recipes. | - Completion. One of the trophies in the game is a "Mining Trophy", which | is rewarded if you obtain one of every mining item. | - Farm Degree. One of the farm degrees available is for mining. With | plenty of time and luck, it can be easier to become a King of Mining | than some other areas. | - Plot Relevance. The mines play a huge role in various plot events. | You'll descend the mines to meet villagers, find items, use hot | springs, and to finally complete the plot. | |\____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Descending the Mines \ | \ | If your goal is to descend pretty deep into the mine, here are a few tips: | | - Bring recovery items. Stamina will be a major threat to your descent, | and you'll be kicking yourself if you get down to the last 5 floors and | run out of stamina. The best item for stamina recovery is the Bodigizer | XL, any type of Pizza or Spaghetti, or most Buckwheat recipes. | | - Start early. You don't want to stay there all night and into the next | day unless you brought some Super Stay Awake, so get there early. | | - Plan to spend the whole day. You never know how long it will take you | to get as far down as you want to go, so don't leave any chores - like | watering the crops or feeding the animals - for when you get back. | | _________________________________________________________________________ | / / | / The Mines / | / / |/_________________________________________________________________________/ | | There are three mines in the game: | - Lower Garmon Mine: the mine that you have access to from shortly after | the beginning of the game. It's accessed at the far west side of Garmon | Mine District. The Lower mine is the one on the left. | - Upper Garmon Mine: this mine is accessible as soon as you ring the Red | Bell, shortly after the game begins. It's accessed in the same place as | the Lower Garmon Mine, but head right at the Entrance to the Mine. | - Watery Cave: this mine is accessed during the steps that take you to | the Blue Bell. It's in Harmonica Town, at the far left. | | Each mine is different, with different things to offer: | - All three mines offer all the different types of Ores. | - The mines have different colored Wonderfuls: Blue, Green and Purple | Wonderfuls are only found in the Watery Cave, and you'll also find Red | Wonderfuls there. The Lower Garmon Mine has both Red and Yellow | Wonderfuls, while the Upper Garmon Mine has Red, White and Yellow | Wonderfuls. | - The Lower Garmon Mine and Watery Cave both descend, but the Upper | Garmon Mine is actually a mind that you ascend. So, in Upper Garmon | Mine, look for stairs upwards, not downwards. | - At the bottom of the Lower Garmon Mine and at the top of the Upper | Garmon Mine, you'll find Power Berries -- just wander around until your | character finds it. | - At the bottom of the Watery Cave is a fishing spot. There's also one at | the top of the Watery Cave, but the fish you find there aren't quite as | good. The Watery Cave is also the only place you'll find Pearls and | Black Pearls. | - You'll find Hot Springs in both Garmon Mines, on the 20th floor in the | Lower mine and the 45th floor in the Upper mine. You'll also find one | on the 20th floor of the Watery Cave. | - The Upper Garmon Mine is also how you find the Harvest King, once | you've rung all five bells and become a Hero in something. | - All three mines are different sizes: the Lower Garmon Mine has 30 | floors, the Upper Garmon Mine has 45 floors, and the Watery Cave has 50 | floors. | | _________________________________________________________________________ | / / | / Mine Items / | / / |/_________________________________________________________________________/ | | There are three broad categories of Mine items: Ores (and the Metals that | they refine into); Wonderfuls (and the Gems that they refine into); and | mine items, that can just be found on the floor of the mines. | |\____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Ores \ | \ | _ _ _ _ _ | Junk Ore | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Ore | Sale Price : 10G | Refines To : Scrap Metal (100% chance, sells for 10G) | | _ _ _ _ _ | Iron Ore | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Ore | Sale Price : 20G | Refines To : Scrap Metal (50% chance, sells for 10G) | : Iron (50% chance, sells for 50G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ | Copper Ore | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Ore | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Scrap Metal (60% chance, sells for 10G) | : Copper (40% chance, sells for 70G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ | Silver Ore | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Ore | Sale Price : 40G | Refines To : Scrap Metal (70% chance, sells for 10G) | : Silver (30% chance, sells for 30G) | | _ _ _ _ _ | Gold Ore | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Ore | Sale Price : 50G | Refines To : Scrap Metal (80% chance, sells for 10G) | : Gold (20% chance, sells for 150G) | | _ _ _ _ _ | Rare Ore | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Ore | Sale Price : 150G | Refines To : Scrap Metal (90% chance, sells for 10G) | : Rare Metal (10% chance, sells for 240G) | | |\__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Wonderfuls \ | \ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Blue Wonderful | | Found In : Watery Cave | Type : Wonderful | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Glass (60% chance, sells for 10G) | : Lapis Lazuli (20% chance, sells for 300G) | : Aquamarine (15% chance, sells for 420G) | : Sapphire (5% chance, sells for 620G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Green Wonderful | | Found In : Watery Cave | Type : Wonderful | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Glass (60% chance, sells for 10G) | : Peridot (20% chance, sells for 350G) | : Jade (15% chance, sells for 190G) | : Emerald (5% chance, sells for 690G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Purple Wonderful | | Found In : Watery Cave | Type : Wonderful | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Glass (70% chance, sells for 10G) | : Spinel (20% chance, sells for 220G) | : Amethyst (10% chance, sells for 420G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Red Wonderful | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Wonderful | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Glass (70% chance, sells for 10G) | : Garnet (20% chance, sells for 270G) | : Ruby (10% chance, sells for 830G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Yellow Wonderful | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine | Type : Wonderful | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Glass (70% chance, sells for 10G) | : Amber (20% chance, sells for 250G) | : Topaz (10% chance, sells for 550G) | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | White Wonderful | | Found In : Upper Garmon Mine | Type : Wonderful | Sale Price : 30G | Refines To : Glass (60% chance, sells for 10G) | : Crystal (20% chance, sells for 170G) | : Opal (15% chance, sells for 330G) | : Diamond (5% chance, sells for 1330G) | | |\________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [MINEE] _ | Other Mine Items \ | \ | _ _ _ _ _ _ | Black Pearl | | Found In : Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 150G | Note : Only on 25th and 44th floor. | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Common Mushroom | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 40G | Note : Can be used in any 'Mushroom (any)' recipe. | | _ _ _ _ _ | Mushroom | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 80G | Note : Can be used in any 'Mushroom (any)' recipe. | | _ _ _ | Pearl | | Found In : Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 90G | | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Pontata Root | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 40G | | _ _ _ _ _ | Rock Salt | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 50G | Note : Milled into Salt for use in recipes | | _ _ _ _ _ | Toadstool | | Found In : Lower Garmon Mine; Upper Garmon Mine; Watery Cave | Type : Item | Sale Price : 20G | | \____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________/

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