Mine a Planet Best Planet Order: Optimal Progression Path

The single most common question new Mine a Planet players ask is "which planet should I grind first?" and the answer changes depending on whether you are a brand-new player still on Earth, a mid-game player trying to push into Europa, or an end-game player chasing Stardust on the Void planet. The optimal planet order is not just a list — it is a timing window where each planet represents a specific level of gear, specific drill tier, and specific Prestige Point milestone, and skipping ahead of that window costs you hours of wasted swings.

This guide walks through every planet in the game, the recommended drill tier for that planet, the right moment to leave each one, and the optimal grinding path for players who want to reach the Void planet as fast as possible. Whether you are following the standard 60-hour progression or the speedrun 25-hour path, the windows below will keep you from spending time on planets that no longer serve your current gear.

The Standard Six-Planet Progression

The game ships with six planets in the standard progression, and the official unlock order is Earth → Mars → Europa → Volcano → Nebula → Void. Each planet requires a specific crafting milestone from the bench, and the moment you craft the milestone drill the next planet unlocks automatically. The table below summarizes the unlock gates and the recommended player level for each planet.

Notice that the "Grind Time" column roughly doubles with each new planet. This is intentional — the developers tuned late-game planets to require significantly more ore per crafting milestone, which means each cycle takes longer even with optimized drills. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

Why Earth Is the Best Starting Planet

Earth is the only planet tuned for brand-new players, and even with high-tier gear it remains the fastest Drill Piece source in the game because of its extremely short ore respawn timer. Many experienced players rotate back to Earth for short bursts of fast Drill Piece farming even after they have unlocked Void, particularly right after a rebirth when they need to rebuild their Drill Piece reserves before pushing back into mid-game planets.

The optimal Earth strategy is to drill in tight node clusters rather than running across the entire surface. Because Earth has the highest node density of any planet, a small loop of three to four nodes is enough to keep your drill constantly swinging. Once you have a full inventory of Stone and Copper, teleport to the smelter and queue a 50-stack bulk batch of both ores simultaneously. This entire cycle — drill, smelt, craft, equip — completes in roughly 15 minutes per iteration during the early game.

When to Leave Mars Behind

Mars is where most mid-game players get stuck, because the Iron and Coal nodes are noticeably harder to break than Earth ores, and the XP curve is steeper. The temptation is to grind Mars indefinitely to stockpile Iron Alloy for reforge material, but the smart play is to leave Mars the moment you craft the Titanium Spire and immediately move to Europa.

A useful indicator is when your Mars drill swings start to feel "free" — that is, when nodes break in two to three hits with your current drill. At that point you have out-scaled Mars, and your time is better spent farming Europa materials that will actually push your progression forward. Players who linger on Mars for an extra hour of grinding typically earn less than 100,000 additional Drill Pieces, while players who jump to Europa can earn 500,000+ in the same window because of the higher ore tier.

Europa, the Crystal Planet

Europa is the first planet that drops Ice Shards and Crystal, which are the materials you need for the next two crafting milestones. The biome is visually distinct — icy surfaces with frozen nodes — and the grind difficulty sits comfortably between Mars and Volcano. Most players spend 6-8 hours on Europa during their first playthrough, because the Titanium Spire and Plasma Drill both depend on Europa materials.

The optimal Europa strategy is to focus exclusively on Crystal nodes rather than splitting your time between Crystal and Ice Shards. Crystal has a much higher crafting value per node, and concentrating on Crystal lets you finish the Plasma Drill roughly 30% faster than a balanced grind. Save your Ice Shards for the smelter byproduct batches that you queue alongside the Crystal runs.

Volcano and the Mythril Grind

Volcano is where the grind difficulty jumps significantly, because Magma Ore nodes have very high HP and require a well-reforged Mythril Destroyer to break efficiently. Players who arrive at Volcano without a reforged Mythril Destroyer typically waste 5-10 minutes per node, which makes the entire planet feel punishing. Players who arrive with a reforged drill can clear the same nodes in 10-15 seconds.

The optimal Volcano strategy is to mine only the Magma Ore veins that are close to a smelter teleport point, because the high HP of the nodes makes long-distance swinging inefficient. Stack your inventory before each teleport, queue a 50-stack Mythril batch at the smelter, and return to a fresh cluster of veins. This cycle is slower than Earth grinding, but the per-node reward is roughly 5x higher.

Nebula and Void, the End-Game Loop

Nebula and Void are the end-game planets, and the only meaningful difference between them is the rarity of the dropped materials. Nebula drops Stardust and Void Shards, while Void drops the same materials with a higher Rare Drop Chance bonus. Most end-game players split their time between the two planets depending on which crafting milestone they are chasing — Stardust-heavy weeks favor Nebula, while Void Shard-heavy weeks favor Void.

The optimal end-game strategy is to alternate between Nebula and Void in roughly 2:1 ratio, because the Void planet has a slightly higher Rare Drop Chance bonus but a much smaller node density than Nebula. Grinding only Void feels inefficient because of the node scarcity, while grinding only Nebula caps your Void Shard income below the crafting requirement. For a complete deep dive into each planet's biome, recommended drill, and hidden chest locations, see our Mine a Planet planets guide.

Why Planet Order Matters More Than Drill Speed

The order in which you tackle the planets matters far more than the raw drilling speed of your active drill, because each planet unlocks a new tier of materials that the previous planet cannot produce. A player who rushes to Nebula before fully stocking up on Mars materials will find themselves bottlenecked by missing Mythril Bars, while a player who carefully sequences Earth, Mars, Europa, Volcano, Nebula, and Void in order will rarely encounter a bottleneck. The optimal order is always Earth → Mars → Europa → Volcano → Nebula → Void, in that sequence, with each planet completed to roughly 80% before moving to the next.

Deviating from this order — for example, going from Mars directly to Nebula — is a common mistake that costs players dozens of hours of stranded-inventory frustration. The Europa detour might seem wasteful, but it unlocks Crystal which is essential for the next tier of drills, and skipping it sets you up for a hard wall on Volcano.

Planet Skip Strategies for Veterans

Veterans who have completed multiple rebirths can occasionally skip planets entirely by trading for the materials they would have farmed on the skipped planet. The most common skip is Europa → Nebula, where veterans trade Crystal and Ice Shards for Mythril Ore and Stardust. This works because Europa's biome is fairly tedious compared to Volcano and Nebula, and the trade market for Europa materials is usually liquid enough to support the skip.

For new players, we do not recommend any planet skips. The familiarity you gain from completing each planet in sequence is invaluable for end-game play, and the trade market is not always liquid enough to support your skip attempts. Build a solid foundation first, then experiment with skips on your second or third playthrough.

Planet Completion Times

The time to complete each planet varies by progression stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I ever skip Earth and start on Mars?

No, Mars requires the Iron Hammer, which requires materials that drop on Earth. Without those materials you cannot craft the Iron Hammer, and without the Iron Hammer your Mars swings are inefficient. Always clear Earth first to unlock the Iron Hammer, then jump to Mars.

Can I grind Europa for Drill Pieces instead of materials?

Yes, Europa is a reliable Drill Piece source if you need to rebuild reserves between crafting milestones. The Drill Piece income is lower than late-game planets, but the respawn timers are short and the risk of wasting swings on nodes you cannot break is minimal.

Is it ever worth going back to early planets after unlocking Void?

Yes, many players rotate back to Earth or Mars for short bursts of fast Drill Piece farming between major crafting pushes. The lower node HP makes the early planets efficient for fast Drill Piece accumulation even with end-game drills. The exact answer depends on your current progression stage, but the baseline principle applies across most playstyles and biome

What is the fastest planet to grind for Drill Pieces?

Earth remains the fastest planet for Drill Pieces per hour because of its short respawn timers, even for end-game players. Nebula and Void offer higher per-node rewards but lower swing rates because of node HP, which means Drill Pieces per hour can be similar or lower than Earth grinding sessions.

Should I clear every chest on every planet or skip them?

Always grab chests when you pass nearby, because the Drill Piece reward is significant for the time investment. However, do not detour across an entire planet just for a chest — the optimal chest strategy is to grab them when you are already passing through the area on your way to the next cluster of ore nodes.

Use Planet-Specific Pets to Maximize Yield

Every planet has at least one pet that grants a passive bonus specifically tuned to that planet's ore type, and equipping the right pet before you grind can add 15-25% effective Drill Piece income per hour. The Moon Fox boosts rare ore drop chance on Europa, the Volcano Phoenix doubles smelt speed for Magma Ore, and the Astral Cat combines Drill Speed and Rare Drop multipliers for Nebula. Always swap pets before crossing into a new planet's biome, because the bonus does not carry retroactively — you have to be actively equipped on the planet when the node breaks.

Pairing the right pet with the right planet is the simplest way to compound your grinding efficiency, and it costs nothing to swap pets as long as you already own them. For a complete breakdown of every pet and which ones to prioritize, see our Mine a Planet pet tier list.