Mineral
From SpiralKnights
Minerals are large chunks of crystalline material that can be found throughout the Clockworks. Three types of mineral are used to make food for battle sprites. All types of mineral can be requested by the occasional prestige mission Geological Survey. Minerals cannot be traded, although the sprite food made from them is tradable.
Prior to release 2013-10-16, minerals were deposited into pre-operative Arcade gates. Each mineral earned the knight some crowns and potentially influenced the gate's stratum themes. There were also achievements for depositing many minerals. However, deposition into gates is no longer possible.
Contents
Types
There are five types of mineral that are found in the Clockworks, each associated with a particular color and type of power.
Crimsonite
A fabled mineral of a fiery, red color said to contain the passion, anger and strength of the life surrounding it. Small pieces of Crimsonite called Red Shards are used in crafting. Crimsonite is a key ingredient in food for drakon sprites.
Moonstone
A fabled mineral of a brilliant, blue color said to contain the knowledge and origins of all worlds. Small pieces of Moonstone called Blue Shards are used in crafting. Moonstone is not used to make any sprite food.
Valestone
A fabled mineral of a vibrant green color said to contain the essence of all natural life. Small pieces of Valestone called Green Shards are used in crafting. Valestone is not used to make any sprite food.
Luminite
A fabled mineral of a radiant, golden color said to contain the faith, wisdom, and zeal of the life surrounding it. Small pieces of Luminite called Light Shards are used in crafting. Luminite is a key ingredient in food for seraphynx sprites.
Dark Matter
A fabled mineral dark and ominous in color said to contain the essences of both chaos and nothingness. Small pieces of Dark Matter called Dark Shards are used in crafting. Dark Matter is a key ingredient in food for maskeraith sprites.
Obtaining
Large mineral deposits can be found commonly throughout the Clockworks, often in one or two rooms per level. After three hits by any weapon, each giant crystal is reduced to a more manageable size. There are four such sizes, worth 1, 2, 4, or 6 minerals respectively:
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A knight may carry only one piece of mineral at a time. The mineral is moved to the knight's arsenal at the end of the level, when the party goes up or down on the elevator. More precisely, each knight gets all of the minerals carried by the party.
Frequency
Minerals can be found much more commonly within certain strata, which originally corresponded to how gates were constructed.
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Strategy
Because all party members get the same minerals at the elevator, there is no reason to fight over who picks up which mineral. Also, playing in large parties earns you minerals much more quickly than does playing solo.
Other than the small amount of time required to find and break minerals, there is no reason not to pick up a mineral on each level. Even if you do not want any minerals, your teammates benefit from those you carry.
The different mineral types have wildly different value among knights. Broadly speaking, players seem to employ one of three strategies in choosing which minerals to pick up:
- If your sprite is not yet finished, then you might choose the largest mineral needed by your sprite, even if larger minerals in other types are available. This strategy is simple but not highly efficient.
- Instead, choose the largest Crimsonite, Luminite, or Dark Matter mineral available. Use your unwanted minerals to make sprite food, and trade that food for the food you want. Finding trades is especially easy if your guildmates are following the same strategy.
- Some players simply pick up the largest mineral available, regardless of type. Often these players have finished sprites and suspect that Valestone and Moonstone will someday be valuable again.
