How to find ores using a prospector's pick

ak_snowfiend
By ak_snowfiend in Guides,
Have you had enough flipping over rocks in search of measley small cassiterites? Do you want get down to the REAL mining? Have you scrimped and saved miniscule amounts of tin and finally managed to take your first tentative steps out of the stone age? Great! Now let's get you into the dirt and start PROSPECTING! You will need: A pickaxe A prospector's pick A shovel (probably) Ok. You've probably found a likely biome with loads of starter ores. (If you're not sure, the place where you found the small cassiterite/bismuthinite/sphalerite ores is a great place to start) Now, you wanna know how you find larger veins of these ores.It's EASY! As you wander through this biome, simply right-click on the ground with your prospector's pick (or 'propick' for short) With any small amount of luck, you'll get a hit. You're looking for ANY type of sample. (Traces, Small, Medium, Large, and Very Large). Once you get this, you're 95% done! Here's how I find ores: 1)Right-click the next block in your path (keep moving forward in a straight line if possible. If not, turn toward a direction where you can walk forward without having to scale a cliff or swim through a lake.) It will likely tell you the same thing. If you found a Medium sample, keep checking each block until it changes to a Small sample or a Large sample (it may say 'nothing found', in which case, check the block to the left or right of it, or the next block in your path, but keep moving FORWARD)You're looking for the point where the largest sample becomes smaller. 2)When you find the block where the sample size changes, turn around and COUNT BACK 12 BLOCKS. (You may need to start digging into a hill to proceed) 3)Turn left or right (perpendicular to the last path you were on). Start moving forward and right-click each of these blocks until you, once again, find the block where the sample size changes. 4)Again, turn around and COUNT BACK EXACTLY 12 BLOCKS. You are now somewhere above (or below, if you are now underground) the vein. 5)Dig down until you find your ore! (If you've gone 12 blocks down and have not found it, it may have been above you, or you miscounted) This method works well deep underground, where ore veins are enormous, too. Now, you may have found only a small amount of the ore you suspected was there. Don't worry! The starter metals close to the surface often spawn in small, scattered formations. Dig into the walls around you and, eventually, you will uncover more. Good luck, and happy prospecting!
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