Miners
Population type

Miners

#Miners
🔒 Locked
Value: 3 pts

Extract minerals - production varies by island resources.

Description

Hardened laborers who extract precious resources from the depths of the earth. Miners consume 4 Food per tick. Production depends on island mineral deposits (Stone, Coal, Mineral, Gems, Mithril). Requires Mining research.

📖 Full Encyclopedia Entry

Miners descend into dark tunnels where stone, metal, and ancient secrets await. Their relentless labor fuels the foundries, forges, and magical engines of the realm. Each vein uncovered strengthens the empire's economy and war potential. Though their work is perilous, miners are revered as those who draw power directly from the bones of the world. Unlike other workers, Miner output depends entirely on what mineral resources exist on the island - islands with Mineral deposits yield metals, while those with Gems or Mithril produce rare treasures.

Creation

Requirements

Must be present (NOT consumed)

Researches:
📖 Mining
💰

Costs

Consumed when created

Time 3000
3s
💰 Gold 8
Population
Citizen
👤 Free 1

Maintenance

💰

Periodic Costs

Consumed repeatedly over time

Resources
💎 Food 4

Strategic Context

Advisory information only. Does not affect gameplay mechanics.

Role Mineral extraction - output determined by island resources
Relevance 🌱 Early Game
Type Quantifiable

Advantages

  • + Extracts island mineral resources (Stone, Coal, Mineral, Gems, Mithril)
  • + Only way to produce most mineral resources
  • + Essential for metal weapons and advanced buildings
  • + Gems and Mithril enable late-game technologies

Disadvantages

  • - Requires Mining research to unlock
  • - Training cost: 8 Gold, 3000ms (higher than basic workers)
  • - Consumes 1 Free Citizen per training
  • - 3 population points (high capacity burden)
  • - Maintenance: 4 Food per tick (highest food cost)
  • - Production varies - useless on islands without minerals
  • - No city event modifiers

Warnings

  • ! Check island resources BEFORE training Miners
  • ! Mining research required - plan tech path accordingly
  • ! Higher maintenance than Harvesters/Foresters (4 vs 3 Food)
  • ! Production output defined by island, not by Miner count formula
🤝

Synergies

Mountain field: +30% mineral production bonusCavern building: Increases mining efficiencyFoundry: Processes mineral output into refined materialsGemMining research: Improves gem extraction
🚫

Countered By

Plains field: -25% mineral production penaltyForest field: Limited mineral depositsIslands without mineral resources
📈

Scaling

Each Miner consumes 4 Food. Production depends on island mineral resources - check island details for available minerals. Quantity increases extraction rate from existing deposits.