Ranking criteria
Rank the bottleneck you can measure
This Mine a Planet tier list weighs active mining time, travel time, Cargo-blocked time, repeatability, upgrade cost visibility, and replacement risk. Rarity alone is not a ranking method.
Mine a Planet Tier List: role-first rankings
Current ranking readiness: Power, Speed, Cargo, and Balanced can be compared from measured cycle time. Exact named drone tiers are held because the public sources do not provide a complete current roster and stat table.
Role tiers
Power, Speed, Cargo, or Balanced
Use the row that matches the largest share of one repeatable cycle. A gap under ten percentage points is treated as balanced by the site's disclosed measurement heuristic.
Power role
Confidence: Current pickBest use: long mining time, controlled upgrade test
Test Power when active material-breaking time is the largest share of a repeatable cycle.
Source note: Power is an official upgrade axis; the priority is based on the player's measured cycle.
Speed role
Confidence: Current pickBest use: long travel time, route efficiency
Test Speed when movement, reacquisition, or return time consumes the largest share.
Source note: Speed is an official upgrade axis; value depends on the player's route and fleet.
Cargo role
Confidence: Current pickBest use: cargo stops, capacity-limited cycles
Test Cargo when full capacity repeatedly stops production or forces early returns.
Source note: Cargo is an official upgrade axis; no official universal upgrade order is published.
Beginner
Start with the largest visible time loss
New players should avoid copying a named meta list. One controlled upgrade test shows which role improves the next few cycles.
Farming and later planets
Re-rank after evolution
A new planet can change material-breaking time, travel, or capacity pressure. The best role can change even when the fleet does not.
FAQ
Tier-list questions
What is the best Mine a Planet drone?
A named ranking is not source-safe yet because no complete current roster and stat table was found. Compare whether your fleet needs Power, Speed, or Cargo instead.
Why is this tier list role-first?
Mine a Planet output depends on where a cycle loses time. Role-first guidance stays useful without inventing named drone stats.
How do I choose between Power and Speed?
Time one cycle. Test Power if active mining dominates; test Speed if travel or reacquisition dominates.
When does Cargo rank first?
Cargo becomes the first test when full capacity repeatedly blocks production or forces an early return.