Motherlode Mine
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Activity type | Mining and ore cleaning |
| Start point | Sarim Hub → Motherload mine |
| Participation | |
| Requirements | 30 Mining and a usable pickaxe |
| Rewards | |
| Reward currency | Golden nuggets |
| Rewards | Ore, Prospector outfit and mining supplies |
Motherlode Mine is a Mining activity where you mine pay-dirt, wash it through the hopper and collect ore or golden nuggets from the sack. Start at 30 Mining and save your nuggets for mining gear or a bigger sack.
Getting there and supplies
Open Sarim Hub and search Motherload mine. That is the teleport's spelling; it takes you beside Prospector Percy.
Bring a pickaxe you have the Mining level to use, plus a hammer for repairs. The pickaxe can be carried or equipped. Leave the rest of your inventory free for pay-dirt.
Your first load
- Mine an ore vein until your inventory fills with pay-dirt. Move to another vein when it depletes.
- Use Deposit on the hopper to put your pay-dirt into the washing system.
- If the water is not running, click a broken strut beside a water wheel to repair it. One working wheel is enough to move your load.
- Wait for the pay-dirt to reach the sack, then collect it with free inventory space.
- Bank the ore and nuggets, empty any remaining ore from the sack, and repeat.
Wait until your load reaches the sack before logging out. If your inventory fills while collecting, the rest stays in the sack for another trip.
Repairs and blocked paths
Keep a hammer with you for wheel repairs. If you forgot one, search the crate near the wheels, southwest of Percy, for a free hammer. You need a free inventory slot to take it.
Mine rockfalls with your pickaxe to clear a path. Move through once the path opens; falling rocks can hurt you when they return.
Ore and golden nuggets
The ore you can collect depends on your unboosted Mining level when you empty the sack.
| Mining level | Possible ore |
|---|---|
| 30 | Coal |
| 40 | Gold ore |
| 55 | Mithril ore |
| 70 | Adamantite ore |
| 85 | Runite ore |
Higher levels add those ores to the rewards; you can still receive lower-level ore. Each pay-dirt collected from the sack has a 1/6 chance of a golden nugget instead of ore. Nuggets are rolled when you collect, so keep emptying the sack as part of your training loop.
Use the coal and metal ores for Smithing. Motherlode does not supply the copper, tin or iron ore needed for the first Smithing levels.
Spend your nuggets
Right-click Prospector Percy and choose Trade to open his nugget shop. Carry the nuggets in your inventory and leave room for your purchase. Both regular accounts and Ironmen can use it.
| Reward | Golden nuggets |
|---|---|
| Prospector helmet | 40 |
| Prospector jacket | 60 |
| Prospector legs | 50 |
| Prospector boots | 30 |
| Coal bag | 100 |
| Gem bag | 100 |
| Soft clay pack | 10 |
| Bag full of gems | 40 |
The four-piece Prospector outfit costs 180 nuggets altogether. Wear the pieces for a Mining XP boost while mining pay-dirt. The outfit is separate from the Prospector player perk.
A coal bag is useful if your next goal is smelting bars: carry the filled bag and the furnace can draw coal straight from it.
Bigger sack
Talk to Percy, choose Can I go up the ladder to mine there?, then choose the bigger sack option. It costs 200 golden nuggets and is a permanent upgrade.
The hopper stops accepting more pay-dirt once the sack holds 81, or 162 with the upgrade. A load already being washed can take the total higher. Collect the stored rewards before trying to deposit again.
Upper floor
Use the ladder north of Percy at 72 unboosted Mining. Stat boosts do not meet this requirement. The upper veins stay active for a short time after mining starts, so they are useful once you reach the level.
You do not need to buy Percy's separate 100-nugget restricted-mine option to use this ladder.
Common problems
- Percy says his shop is unavailable: close the conversation and use his right-click Trade option.
- Pay-dirt is stuck in the water: repair a broken strut to get a wheel running.
- The sack will not empty: free some inventory slots, then collect again.
- The hopper refuses a load: empty the sack first.
- Mining will not start: check both your 30 Mining requirement and the pickaxe's own level requirement.