Resource Extraction¶

Stage 1 focuses on gathering raw materials and setting up basic Create automation.

Key mods¶

Create — mechanical power, shafts, cogwheels, deployers, mechanical drill
Create Ore Excavation — drill veins for renewable ore output
Almost Unified — ore item unification

Getting iron¶

Iron is the first bottleneck. You need it for:

Create shafts, cogwheels, and gearboxes
Mechanical drill (5 iron ingots)
Anvil repairs

Mining¶

Standard mining works. Iron ore generates at Y=-64 to Y=320, with the best distribution around Y=16.

Drilling (renewable)¶

Once you have a mechanical drill and rotational power:

Find an ore vein (underground deposits)
Place a mechanical drill facing the vein
Supply rotational power (water wheel, windmill)
The vein produces raw iron continuously

Drill tiers

The basic drill handles coal, copper, iron, lead, sulfur, and zinc. Diamond and netherite ores require upgraded drills — see Steel Industry.

Ore vein tiers¶

Basic drill (`createoreexcavation:drill`)¶

Ore	Stress	Ticks per item
Coal	512	40
Copper	512	60
Iron	512	60
Lead	512	90
Sulfur	512	60
Zinc	512	90

Diamond drill (`createoreexcavation:diamond_drill`)¶

Ore	Stress	Ticks per item
Diamond	2048	600
Emerald	1024	900

Netherite drill (`createoreexcavation:netherite_drill`)¶

Ore	Stress	Ticks	Notes
Netherite	2048	4000	Requires lava (1000 mB). Outputs ancient debris (20%), gold nuggets (80%), netherrack (80%), magma blocks (50%)

Zinc¶

Zinc is essential for Create brass (zinc + copper = brass in a mixer). Zinc ore generates in the standard ore veins and is extracted with the basic drill.

Charcoal dust¶

Charcoal dust is made by processing charcoal. It is a key ingredient for steel:

Iron ingot + Charcoal dust → Steel ingot (heated mixing)

Practical setup¶

Water Wheel → Shaft → Mechanical Bearing → Mechanical Drill
                                              ↓
                                         Ore Vein

Force-load the chunk containing your drill so it runs while you are away.