Neurotic Dofus player rejoice, there is hope for you yet. I have discovered a profession completely geared towards players who have a deep seated root of repetitive behavior, and it is a desirable profession. Mining. Yes you read right. Mining.
Think being in a dark cave picking at rocks sounds like a bore? Well far be it from the truth. I have found mining to be rewarding and extremely profitable.
When you decide to take on a profession in Dofus, a whole new world seems to open up. You now have a talent, desirable to other players, and you start to make some serious bank. Mining has padded my bank account in a way which I wish translated into the real life world.
Mining is extremely easy to start at. First you need to go to (9,-23) in Astrub and talk to Chipo Atufe [Inside Cave] or you can talk to Casper Van Brushing in Amakna (-1, 5). From either one of those conversations, you must either buy a miners axe or barter for it. And guess what? You are now a Miner! That’s it! No complicated or tedious hoops or quests to conquer. Just spend 150 Kamas and you are now an official cave dweller.
Next you need to find a cave, or series of caves. You will start with simple plentiful metals. As you go on, you will not only gain experience with each level, but you will become more efficient at mining. Your time to harvest metals will decrease, and your types of harvest-able metals will increase.
But don’t think it’s all rosy and perfect, there are obstacles. You will have to research your mines on the Dofus wiki- because you might get yourself into a mine with aggressive monsters. That is not a fun process, and take that from someone who kept trying over and over to get around the evil beasts, with little to no success. So if you have strong aggressive attacks with your character, then my all means, give those mines a shot. But if you are like me, and are not an aggressive or powerful character, stick to the mines without the monsters or dark miners. They are a real drag!
You will also encounter other miners, competition can be fierce, but if you plan right, you can really be a mining machine. Plan your routes; look for mines near each other, so you can literally do rounds. If you run through a mine, and see it’s been picked over, run to the next mine, and so on. You might have to do this a few times, but if you keep a tight loop, you will always be getting something in your inventory. Speaking of inventory, keep a close eye on it. There is nothing worse than getting a good chunk of rock, only to have to drop it because you didn’t notice you were at maximum capacity!
My recommendation is to invest in potions, a recall potion, and a portion which will take you close to your bank of choice. You will need it! Metals are heavy, and you will need to drop them into your bank account to amass any real substantial quantity. Then once your deposits are made, hit that recall potion to get back to your mining stomping grounds. It’s a great way to spend time in-between dungeon runs and doing souls in the arena.
Another good investment is a mount. Using your Dragon Turkey as a pack mule can really pay off. It will save you a lot of running back and forth to the bank. You might even consider investing in a Bwork. This strange looking little troll increases you load capacity dramatically. I never realized how handy this little guy was, or I would have invested in him right away. Don’t get me wrong, he ain’t a cheap pet, you will shell out a very serious amount of Kamas, but with increased carrying capacity, you can make that money back quickly with only a few runs of ore to the Market.
If you find you are running short on cash then you need to hit the Miner’s Markets! There is one in each of the three major cities. You can sell in single, tens, or hundreds of any metal. Do your research and know the current selling price. Don’t go crazy...keep your prices close to current, that way you will make the most bang for your rock. And trust me, those rocks move! In one hour I made over $100,000 Kamas on iron alone!! And that was in one market!
Be respectful of other miners and don’t try to sell way under market value. We all want the same thing, to sell ore and make some Kamas. But it is very annoying to have someone posting metal at a fractional price, trust me; the demand is high enough you don’t need to do those kinds of things. Be smart about pricing and keep within 5 Kamas of lowest current price if you want to sell fast. It works and keeps the market price in good standing.
Mining will afford you to able to fund all those wonderful toys we all want! But be warned, you will have to check on your market items every now and then. I usually go directly to the market before I go to the bank so I can see if my items are still competitively priced. Do not be afraid to take rocks of the market, to reprice them, or even pull them completely until a later time. Just like anything else when it comes to the market, timing is everything. You will find hot times when you notice your items sell. If you actually pay attention to that, you can make a killing. Think of it as an MBA in Dofus selling strategies. Using the market is no different than using your character attacks in battle, it’s all about strategy and it really does pay off. Personally I have found the best routine is to hit the market, and place anything I need to up for sale, than hit the bank. I hate paying to access a bank account if it’s not necessary.
As you become a more skilled miner you will run into Crackrock monsters. They will just be there- kinda like picking possessed rock. They will surprise you and you will never know when or where they will pick a fight with you in a mine. They are easy to defeat, and seem to be just a fact of mining live. But don’t fret; they make the hassle worth the while. When you defeat the Crackrock he will give you a bag of metal. It will get dropped into your resources. The trick is to click on the bag of metal, and it will unpack into your harvested metals. Think of it as a give from the Mining Gods. They just bestowed you with a bag of free metal which you can now go and sell guilt free on the Miner’s market for a very nice profit. You will learn to appreciate those Crackrock monsters.
If you are in a guild, or have friends in different professions, you can barter and trade precious metals for other goodies. This way you can always have a good market, everyone trades-person needs supplies, and metals are in hot demand. So be prepared to have lots of new friends, and a heck of a lot of money!
Mining may sound like an unglamorous profession, and maybe to some extent it is...but if you stick to it, you will be up to your eyeballs in Kamas. And who doesn’t love that?
