Guide – Hi Sec Mining
High-Sec Mining
“Every industrial empire in New Eden begins with a single mining laser.”
Mining is one of the oldest and most reliable professions in EVE Online. Whether you’re looking to fund your PvP adventures, build ships, or become an industrial tycoon, mining provides a steady source of income and valuable resources.
High-security space (High-Sec) is the ideal place for new pilots to learn the fundamentals. With CONCORD protecting lawful space, the risks are lower than in Low-Sec or Null-Sec, making it the perfect environment to develop your skills.
The Four Types of High-Sec Mining
High-Sec offers four primary mining activities:
- Asteroid Belt Mining
- Ore Anomaly Mining
- Ice Mining
- Moon Mining
Each has its own advantages, challenges, and profitability.
1. Asteroid Belt Mining
What Is It?
Asteroid belts are permanent locations found in almost every High-Sec solar system. They contain common ores that respawn after downtime.
These belts are ideal for new players learning how mining works.
Common Belt Ores
- Veldspar
- Scordite
- Pyroxeres
- Plagioclase
Advantages
✔ Easy to find
✔ Suitable for Venture pilots
✔ No corporation required
✔ Excellent for learning
Disadvantages
✖ Lower ISK/hour
✖ Often mined out quickly
✖ Popular hunting grounds for gankers
Recommended Ships
- Venture
- Procurer
- Retriever
2. Ore Anomaly Mining
What Are Ore Anomalies?
Ore anomalies are special asteroid sites that appear throughout High-Sec and are scanned automatically—you don’t need probes to find them.
They often contain significantly larger quantities of ore than standard asteroid belts.
Many corporations prefer mining anomalies because they offer more ore and require less travelling.
Typical Ores
- Veldspar
- Scordite
- Pyroxeres
- Plagioclase
- Mordunium
- Kernite
- Omber
- Hebergite
Advantages
✔ Large asteroid fields
✔ Good for fleet mining
✔ Excellent for barges and exhumers
✔ Usually less crowded
Disadvantages
✖ Can disappear once depleted
✖ Still vulnerable to suicide gankers
Recommended Ships
- Retriever
- Procurer
- Covetor
- Mackinaw
- Hulk
3. Ice Mining
What Is Ice Mining?
Ice belts contain large blocks of ice rather than standard ore.
Ice is refined into products essential for New Eden’s infrastructure, including:
- Fuel Blocks
- Heavy Water
- Liquid Ozone
- Strontium Clathrates
- Isotopes
These materials power Upwell structures, jump drives, cynosural fields, and other industrial activities.
Ice belts appear in selected systems and are visible through the Probe Scanner when available.
Advantages
✔ Consistent demand
✔ Stable market
✔ Essential industrial resource
✔ Great for organised fleets
Disadvantages
✖ Longer mining cycles
✖ Limited locations
✖ Can attract competition
Recommended Ships
- Procurer
- Mackinaw
- Skiff
4. Moon Mining
What Is Moon Mining?
Moon ore is created when a corporation-owned refinery extracts a chunk from a moon and fractures it into a temporary asteroid field.
These fields contain valuable moon ores used in Tech II manufacturing.
Unlike asteroid belts, moon fields only exist for a limited time before disappearing.
Moon Ores
Moon ores range from common to exceptionally valuable and refine into:
- Minerals
- Moon Materials
- Advanced Industry Components
Advantages
✔ Highest High-Sec mining income
✔ Fleet boosts almost always available
✔ Excellent buyback opportunities
✔ Great for new and experienced miners alike
Disadvantages
✖ Requires access to active moon extractions
✖ Temporary mining fields
✖ Popular targets for gankers
Recommended Ships
- Procurer
- Covetor
- Hulk
- Mackinaw
Which Type Should You Choose?
| Activity | Best For | Difficulty | Income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asteroid Belts | Brand-new pilots | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Ore Anomalies | Regular miners | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Ice Mining | Fleet operations | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Moon Mining | Organised corporations | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ |
Essential Equipment
Regardless of what you’re mining, you’ll eventually want:
- Mining Lasers or Strip Miners
- Survey Scanner
- Mining Upgrades
- Shield Tank
- Mining Drones
- Appropriate Mining Crystals (Tech II)
Always fit a proper tank before adding extra mining upgrades. A ship that survives earns more ISK than one destroyed by a ganker.
Mining Safely
High-Sec is safer than other areas of space—but it is not completely safe.
Follow these rules:
- Stay alert and avoid mining AFK.
- Watch Local chat for known gankers.
- Keep your Overview clear and up to date.
- Stay within range of your fleet booster.
- Align to a station or structure if danger appears.
- Fit an appropriate shield tank.
- Ask for help if you are unsure.
Why Join a Mining Corporation?
Mining with a corporation offers many benefits that solo pilots cannot easily match.
At Last Stand Enterprises, members enjoy:
- Regular moon mining operations.
- Fleet boosts from experienced Orca pilots.
- Ore compression in fleet.
- Competitive ore buyback programme.
- Access to over 100 refinery stations.
- Advice from experienced industrial pilots.
- Friendly fleets and an active community.
Mining together is safer, more efficient, and far more enjoyable than mining alone.
Final Thoughts
Every mining activity has its place.
Asteroid belts are perfect for learning the basics. Ore anomalies provide larger deposits for everyday mining. Ice mining supplies the fuel that keeps New Eden running, while moon mining offers some of the best income available to High-Sec industrialists.
As your skills improve, you’ll naturally move from a Venture to mining barges and eventually exhumers, opening the door to greater efficiency and higher profits.
Whether your goal is to earn your first million ISK or build an industrial empire, High-Sec mining is an excellent place to begin—and Last Stand Enterprises is here to help you every step of the way.