mining Drone Comparison
Crystal Harvester vs Ore Picker
Comparing the Crystal Harvester (Tier 2) and Ore Picker (Tier 1), both mining drones in Starforge MMO. Both deploy from carrier hulls and fill the same wing slot, so they compete directly for your drone bay.
Stat Comparison
| Attribute | Crystal Harvester | Ore Picker |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T2 | T1 |
| Max per carrier | 15 | 20★ |
| production Boost | 0.35★ | 0.2 |
| crystal Boost | 0.5 | — |
★ marks the higher raw value for each attribute. Higher is not always better — match the stat to your carrier doctrine.
Crystal Harvester
Specialized mining drone with crystal-tuned extraction lasers. More efficient than Ore Pickers on crystal deposits. Its frequency-matched laser array resonates at the exact lattice frequency of crystalline formations for maximum yield.
Carriers: base
Unlock tech: mining 2
Ore Picker
The Ore Picker is the standard entry-level mining drone, deployed from mining bases to harvest surface-level asteroid deposits. It is inexpensive, easily replaceable, and gets the job done on common ore fields.
Carriers: base
Unlock tech: basic mining
Which Drone Should You Build?
The Crystal Harvester sits a tier higher, giving it the stronger stat ceiling and making it the upgrade target once its unlock tech is researched. The lower-tier drone stays viable as an early-game filler while you tech up.