Digging
Choose a tool for the ground you need to clear.
Right-click to dig by hand. Once you have copper, make a Hand Drill at a workbench from 3 Copper + 2 Wood. It clears more ground than digging by hand.
Mining tools
| Tool | Radius | Bite per swing |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Drill | 18 cells | 40 |
| Rock Auger | 28 cells | 72 |
| Thermal Lance | 42 cells | 144 |
| Disruptor | 64 cells | 336 |
Each upgrade reaches farther and clears more material per swing. All four tools can dig the same materials, including titanium. If a tool will not break something, upgrading it will not help. Stratum, the sealed floor between cave layers, and machines cannot be dug. See Going down for how to get through Stratum.
Hold Q and use the mouse wheel to change the brush size. If you are farming, make a Harvesting Sickle from 3 Copper + 2 Wood. It cuts crops without digging up the floor.
Sand and dirt fall and slide into tunnels. Dig through stone where you can, and support a powder ceiling before standing under it. If mining a cell does not give you an item, check its material page. The Mining section tells you what it drops; some materials drop something other than themselves.
Acid dissolves cells without collecting them. Glass, gold, and ceramic resist it and can be used to contain it.
For recipes that use what you collect, see Crafting stations.