Mine a Planet Reforge Cost Strategy: Budget & Targets

The reforge cost strategy is the central decision-making framework for allocating Drill Pieces to reforge campaigns. Each reforge roll has a cost that scales with the drill tier, and the optimal budget depends on which drill you are reforging and which stat you are chasing. This guide covers the expected roll counts, the cost per tier, and the most cost-efficient reforge targets.

For the broader reforge strategy, see our Mine a Planet reforge strategy guide. For the rebirth timing strategy, see our Mine a Planet rebirth timing guide. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

Reforge Cost Per Tier

The reforge cost per roll scales with the drill tier. Common-tier drills have nearly free reforges, while Legendary-tier drills cost millions per roll. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles.

The Mythic tier is the Astral Annihilator, and the reforge cost is significantly higher than other tiers. Players who are pushing for the Astral Annihilator should budget 40-60 million Drill Pieces for the reforge campaign. Experienced players test this approach across multiple sessions before committing to a long-term strategy based on the outcome.

Expected Roll Counts for Perfect Reforges

The expected roll counts to achieve a perfect reforge depend on the drill tier and the stat you are chasing. Ore Multiplier is the most commonly chased stat, and the expected roll count for a high Ore Multiplier is roughly 20-30 rolls at the Legendary tier.

The variance is enormous — some players hit a perfect roll in 5 attempts, while others burn through 100 rolls without seeing a high Ore Multiplier. The expected roll counts above are statistical averages. Combining this insight with active pet bonuses and prestige multipliers yields compounding benefits that accelerate overall progression.

Reforge Budget Strategy

The optimal reforge budget depends on your Drill Piece reserves and your current progression stage. A practical rule of thumb is to spend no more than 10% of your Drill Piece reserves on any single reforge campaign. The optimal application of this strategy depends on your current biome and active pet slot configuration.

Spending more than 10% of your reserves on a single reforge campaign is risky because it can leave you without enough Drill Pieces for the next crafting milestone. For specific biome-by-biome breakdowns, see our detailed planet guides which cover each scenario in depth.

Most Cost-Efficient Reforge Targets

The most cost-efficient reforge target depends on which stat you are chasing and which drill tier you are reforging. The optimal target for most players is the highest-tier drill they can afford to reforge. Veteran players typically learn to recognize these patterns within the first 10-15 hours of focused play.

For end-game players who are pushing the absolute highest grind efficiency, the optimal target is a Mythic-tier Astral Annihilator with perfect Ore Multiplier, Drill Speed, and Rare Drop rolls. This requires a 60+ million Drill Piece investment but yields the maximum grind efficiency in the game.

Common Reforge Cost Mistakes

The most common reforge cost mistake is to spend more than your budget allows, leaving you without enough Drill Pieces for the next crafting milestone. Players who go all-in on a reforge campaign and end up broke are a common sight in the trade market — they sell materials at a loss to recover Drill Pieces.

The second mistake is to reforge a drill you intend to replace within the next few hours. The reforge cost is sunk, so reforging a drill that will be replaced soon is wasted Drill Pieces. Always reforge drills that you intend to keep for at least 5-10 hours of gameplay.

The third mistake is to reforge during a smelter bottleneck, which inflates the per-roll effective cost. When your smelter is already overflowing with queued batches, the ore you mine after each reforge sits in your inventory unused, meaning every Drill Piece spent on a roll during that window has zero ore-income return until the queue clears. A reforge roll that normally costs 500,000 Drill Pieces of equivalent ore income effectively costs 750,000 Drill Pieces once you factor in the idle inventory loss. Track your smelter queue length before each roll and pause the reforge campaign until the queue is below 25% capacity to keep the cost-per-effective-roll in line with your budget model.

How to Save Drill Pieces on Reforges

The biggest Drill Piece savings come from rolling for the right stat. If you are chasing Ore Multiplier, only roll when the current Ore Multiplier roll is below your target. Otherwise, re-equip the previous drill and continue farming. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

The second biggest savings come from rolling during off-peak hours. Reforge costs do not change with time, but the inventory of available drills does. Rolling during off-peak hours lets you take advantage of the trade market, where players sometimes sell reforged drills at a discount to the reforge cost.

The third biggest savings come from bulk reforge events. The developers occasionally run events where all reforge costs are reduced by 25-50%. Saving your reforge campaigns for these events roughly halves your Drill Piece spend. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles.

When to Skip Reforge Entirely

There are a few scenarios where reforge is not worth the cost. If you are about to replace the drill within the next hour, reforge is wasted. If your Drill Piece reserves are below 1 million, reforge is too expensive. If you have not yet unlocked the Smelter III upgrade, you are missing the bulk bonus that makes reforging most impactful.

For these scenarios, save your Drill Pieces for higher-priority investments like crafting or pet upgrades. Reforge is a luxury optimization, not a core progression requirement. Experienced players test this approach across multiple sessions before committing to a long-term strategy based on the outcome.

How Reforge Cost Has Changed Across Patches

The reforge cost per roll has been adjusted several times since launch. The original cost for Legendary drills was 1,000,000 DP per roll, which was reduced to 500,000 DP in the UPDATE1 patch. The Mythic tier (Astral Annihilator) was added later, and the reforge cost was set at 1,500,000 DP per roll from the start.

The developers have not announced plans to adjust the reforge costs further, but the values above are reliable for at least 6-12 months from the date of this guide. Combining this insight with active pet bonuses and prestige multipliers yields compounding benefits that accelerate overall progression.

Reforge Budget Recalculation

For players who are recalculating their reforge budget for the current patch, the key formula is roughly: reforge budget = your Drill Piece reserves × 0.10. So if you have 50 million Drill Pieces, your reforge budget for the next campaign is roughly 5 million Drill Pieces.

Players who exceed the 10% rule typically end up overspending on reforges and underfunding their crafting pipeline. The optimal strategy is to keep a healthy Drill Piece buffer for crafting milestones and use the 10% allocation for reforges. The optimal application of this strategy depends on your current biome and active pet slot configuration.

Save Reforges for Limited-Time Events

The developers run limited-time events roughly every 4-6 weeks, and many of these events grant reduced reforge costs. The savings range from 10% to 50% off the base reforge cost, depending on the event. Players who save their reforge campaigns for these events can save millions of Drill Pieces across multiple cycles.

The most common discount event is the "Forge Frenzy" event, which runs alongside major patches. The discount applies to every reforge roll across every drill tier, which makes it the single best time to invest in reforges. For specific biome-by-biome breakdowns, see our detailed planet guides which cover each scenario in depth.

Reforge Cost Compared to Crafting Bench Costs

The reforge cost per roll is significantly lower than the crafting bench cost for a new drill. For a Mythic-tier drill like the Astral Annihilator, the crafting bench cost is 10 million Drill Pieces plus materials, while the reforge cost per roll is 1.5 million Drill Pieces. A reforge campaign of 30 rolls costs roughly 45 million Drill Pieces, which is 4.5x the crafting cost.

The fact that reforges are more expensive than crafting in the long run is why the reforge strategy is so important. Each roll should be carefully considered, and the budget cap should be respected. Players who over-roll end up spending more on reforges than they saved by crafting.

Reforge Cost Optimization for Casual Players

Casual players who cannot afford the full 10% budget allocation can use a smaller reforge budget. The optimal casual budget is roughly 1-5 million Drill Pieces per cycle, which is enough for 2-10 rolls on Rare or Epic drills. Casual players who chase high Ore Multiplier rolls on Rare drills can find acceptable stats within 5-10 rolls.

The trade-off is that casual players will not find perfect reforge rolls, but they can still get meaningful bonuses that improve their grinding efficiency. The compounding effect of even modest reforges is significant for casual players who cannot afford to grind multiple reforge campaigns.

How Reforge Cost Interacts With the Trade Market

Players who buy drills from the trade market should factor in the reforge cost when evaluating the purchase price. A drill that appears cheap on the market may be a poor value if it requires extensive reforging to reach competitive stats. Conversely, a drill that appears expensive may be a good value if it already has high stat rolls that the buyer would otherwise have to pay to reforge.

A practical rule of thumb: any drill priced more than 2x the crafting cost (which includes the reforge campaign cost) is a poor trade market value. Most pre-reforged drills on the market are priced at 1.5-2x the crafting cost, which reflects the value of the existing reforge stats.

Final Reforge Cost Recommendation

For the best results with reforge cost management, follow these rules: Veteran players typically learn to recognize these patterns within the first 10-15 hours of focused play.

1. Set a hard budget cap of 10% of your Drill Piece reserves

2. Roll for Ore Multiplier first, then Drill Speed, then Rare Drop

3. Stop rolling when you hit your budget cap or your target stat roll

4. Save high-cost reforges for limited-time discount events

5. Buy drills from the trade market only if the price includes meaningful existing reforges

6. Avoid reforging drills you plan to replace within the next hour

Following these rules ensures that your reforge investment is sustainable and aligned with your long-term progression goals. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main takeaway from this guide?

The key insight is that consistent application of the recommended strategy yields compounding benefits across multiple progression vectors, especially when paired with active pet bonuses and prestige multipliers in the appropriate biome context. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles.

How does this compare to the standard approach?

This approach is significantly more efficient than the standard method because it stacks multiple bonuses simultaneously rather than focusing on a single optimization lever, which is why experienced players consistently use it. Experienced players test this approach across multiple sessions before committing to a long-term strategy based on the outcome.

What is the biggest mistake to avoid?

The most common mistake is over-investing in a single progression vector without considering the synergies with other systems, which is why the recommended approach balances multiple bonuses for maximum cumulative effect. Combining this insight with active pet bonuses and prestige multipliers yields compounding benefits that accelerate overall progression.