Mine a Planet Reforge Timing Tips: When to Roll for Stats

Reforge timing is the art of knowing when to invest in a reforge campaign. This guide covers when to roll, how to budget Drill Pieces, the stat priority order, and the most cost-efficient reforge timing windows. Following these tips will save you millions of Drill Pieces over the course of your progression.

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

Tip 1: Reforge Immediately After Crafting

The optimal time to reforge a freshly crafted drill is the moment the bench finishes the craft, because the new drill is at its base damage and you want to push it to maximum damage as fast as possible. Reforging immediately after crafting gives you the strongest drill for the next grinding session, which compounds into significantly more Drill Pieces over the next few hours.

For the Mythril Destroyer specifically, the recommended post-craft reforge is to roll for high Ore Multiplier first, then high Drill Speed second. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles. This principle is well-documented across the community and applies consistently across all progression stages.

Tip 2: Set a Reforge Budget Before You Start

The biggest reforge mistake is to roll without a budget and end up spending your entire Drill Piece reserve. Set a hard budget before you start rolling, and stop when you hit that budget. The recommended budget is 10% of your Drill Piece reserves.

Spending beyond the budget cap is rarely profitable because the cost per roll stays constant but the expected value per roll decreases. Experienced players test this approach across multiple sessions before committing to a long-term strategy based on the outcome.

Tip 3: Save Reforges for Limited-Time Events

The developers run limited-time reforge discount events roughly every 4-6 weeks. The discount applies to every reforge roll across every drill tier, and the savings range from 10% to 50%. Saving your reforge campaigns for these events roughly halves your Drill Piece spend on average.

The most common discount event is "Forge Frenzy," which runs alongside major patches. The discount applies to every reforge roll, making it the single best time to invest in reforges. Combining this insight with active pet bonuses and prestige multipliers yields compounding benefits that accelerate overall progression.

Tip 4: Roll for Ore Multiplier First

The single most impactful reforge stat is Ore Multiplier, because it compounds with every swing across every planet. A high Ore Multiplier reforge on a Mythril Destroyer yields roughly 8x ore income per swing, which translates into massive Drill Piece income over time.

The second most impactful stat is Drill Speed, which compounds with every swing by reducing the time between swings. The third is Rare Drop Chance, which compounds with every rare material drop. Smelt Speed and Damage Bonus are situational and should be lower priority.

Tip 5: Don't Reforge Drills You'll Replace Soon

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

For most players, this means the Mythril Destroyer is a great reforge target because it will be the active drill for 10-20 hours of progression. The Cosmic Reaper is an even better target because it persists across multiple rebirths. The optimal application of this strategy depends on your current biome and active pet slot configuration.

Reforge Window Comparison

Different windows have different outcomes. Veterans confirm that the recommended approach reliably yields the expected outcome within the standard playtime estimate.

Stat Pool by Tier

Reforge stat pool scales with tier. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles and biome contexts.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to reforge?

The best time is immediately after crafting the drill, so the new stats are active for your next grinding session. Also save your reforges for limited-time discount events. Yes, this is generally the optimal choice because it maximizes the synergy with your active reforge and prestige bonuses.

How many Drill Pieces should I budget for reforge?

A safe budget is 10% of your Drill Piece reserves. For mid-game players, this is typically 1-5 million DP. For end-game players, it can be 40-60 million DP. Generally yes, but the optimal timing depends on your current resource reserves and your active biome's node HP profile.

Which stat should I prioritize?

Ore Multiplier first, then Drill Speed, then Rare Drop Chance. The other stats are lower priority. Generally yes, but the optimal timing depends on your current resource reserves and your active biome's node HP profile. For specific biome-by-biome breakdowns, see our detailed planet guides which cover each scenario in depth.

Can I reforge during a smelter bottleneck?

No, reforge and smelter bottlenecks are independent. The optimal time to reforge is when your smelter is empty and your inventory is ready to be smelted immediately. Save high-tier reforges for drills you intend to keep across rebirths, since reforges persist on bound drills and compound over time.

Should I reforge a Common-tier drill?

Only for practice. Common drills have low reforge returns because the maximum stat rolls are limited. Save your reforge budget for Rare or higher drills. Generally yes, but the optimal timing depends on your current resource reserves and your active biome's node HP profile.

Tip 6: Reforge After Reaching Your Highest Drill Tier

Players who reforge a drill and then immediately craft a higher-tier drill have wasted their reforge investment. The optimal strategy is to reforge only after you have reached your highest available drill tier, so the reforge persists until the next tier upgrade.

For most players, this means reforging the Mythril Destroyer aggressively and the Iron Hammer only modestly. Reforge campaigns on lower-tier drills are wasted once you craft the next tier. Veteran players typically learn to recognize these patterns within the first 10-15 hours of focused play.

Tip 7: Combine Reforges With Event Bonuses

Limited-time events occasionally offer reforge bonuses (like 2x reforge success rates or free reforge rolls). Combining your reforge campaign with these events roughly doubles your expected value per roll. Save your reforge budget for these events whenever possible. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

The developers have shipped reforge bonuses roughly every 6-8 weeks in the past year. Watch the official Discord for announcements and save your big reforge campaigns for these windows. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles.

Tip 8: Trade Drill Reforges When Possible

Players who are willing to trade for reforged drills can save 50-70% on the reforge cost. A pre-reforged Mythril Destroyer on the trade market typically sells for 5-10 million Drill Pieces, which is roughly the cost of reforging it yourself plus a small markup. Players who are short on time can buy pre-reforged drills and skip the reforge grind entirely.

The trade market is most active for Mythril Destroyer and Cosmic Reaper reforges. Astral Annihilator reforges are rarer and more expensive, but they are also where the biggest savings come from for end-game players. Experienced players test this approach across multiple sessions before committing to a long-term strategy based on the outcome.

Tip 9: Reforge After Every Major Patch

Major patches sometimes adjust the reforge stat pool or the maximum roll values. The optimal time to reforge is immediately after a major patch, when the new values are most favorable. Players who reforge before a patch may end up with suboptimal stats if the patch adjusts the rolls.

Watch for patch notes that mention reforge changes, and save your reforge campaigns for the post-patch window. The savings can be significant if the patch increases the maximum roll values. Combining this insight with active pet bonuses and prestige multipliers yields compounding benefits that accelerate overall progression.

Tip 10: Don't Reforge Drills You Will Trade

If you are planning to trade a drill on the market, do not reforge it first. The reforge cost is sunk if the drill sells, and most buyers prefer to reforge their own drills rather than buy a pre-reforged one. Save your reforge campaigns for drills you intend to keep.

The exception is if you are selling a "premium" reforged drill at a high markup. In that case, the reforge cost is a business expense and should be factored into the sale price. The optimal application of this strategy depends on your current biome and active pet slot configuration.

Tip 11: Reforge Stat Interaction With Reforge Tier

The five stats in the reforge pool have different max rolls based on drill tier. Ore Multiplier can roll up to roughly +100% at the Mythic tier but only +30% at the Common tier. This means lower-tier drills are never worth aggressive reforging, because their max rolls are limited.

For end-game players, the optimal reforge target is the Mythic tier (Astral Annihilator), where the max rolls are highest. Mid-game players should reforge Legendary drills (Mythril Destroyer, Cosmic Reaper), and early-game players should focus on Rare drills (Iron Hammer, Titanium Spire).

Tip 12: Reforge Investment Compared to Pet Investment

A common strategic dilemma is whether to invest Drill Pieces in reforges or in pets. The answer depends on your progression stage. For most players, reforges provide a higher per-Drill-Piece return than pets, because reforge stats persist across rebirths and apply to every drill you equip.

However, pets provide value in the form of passive bonuses that are independent of the drill tier. A high-level pet provides bonuses regardless of which drill you equip, while a reforge is tied to a specific drill. For players who switch drills frequently, pets may be a better investment than reforges.

Tip 13: Reforge Persistence After Trade

Reforges are bound to the specific drill they were rolled on. If you trade a reforged drill, the reforge stats transfer to the buyer. This is intentional — the reforge is part of the drill's value. For specific biome-by-biome breakdowns, see our detailed planet guides which cover each scenario in depth.

Players who are trading high-value reforges should verify that the reforge stats persist by inspecting the drill before completing the trade. Some scams involve reforges that have been "stolen" by a rollback bug, but this is rare. Veteran players typically learn to recognize these patterns within the first 10-15 hours of focused play.

Tip 14: How Long Reforge Campaigns Take in Real Time

The time investment for a reforge campaign depends on the roll count and the time per roll. A typical Mythic-tier reforge campaign of 30 rolls takes 5-10 minutes, because each roll is instantaneous. A Legendary-tier campaign of 20 rolls takes 3-5 minutes.

The time investment is small compared to the time investment of crafting the drill itself (which takes hours of farming). Reforge is one of the fastest optimization activities in the game, which makes it a high-leverage time investment. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

Tip 15: Reforge Quality vs Quantity

The reforge quality (max stat roll) is more impactful than the quantity (number of drills reforged). A perfectly rolled single Mythril Destroyer is worth more than 10 stock Mythril Destroyers. Players who focus on quality over quantity typically see better long-term results.

For most players, the optimal strategy is to reforge one drill at a time, pushing it to perfection before moving to the next. This approach ensures that every reforge campaign delivers a meaningful upgrade. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles.

Tip 16: Reforge Strategy for Beginners

For brand-new players who have never reforged a drill, the optimal strategy is to start with a Common-tier drill (Wooden Pickaxe or Copper Drill) and practice the reforge mechanics. The Common-tier reforge cost is essentially free, which makes it a safe training ground.

Once you understand the stat pool and the bonus spreads, move to Rare-tier reforges (Iron Hammer or Titanium Spire). The cost is higher but the max rolls are also higher, which makes the reforge investment more meaningful. Save your serious Drill Pieces for Legendary reforges once you have mastered the system.