- Introduced
- 1.0 / Drilling Thunder
- Movement
- Flying / airborne
- Environment
- Underground and mining operations
- Attack pattern
- Rock shower / ranged geological pressure
- Defeat behavior
- Crashes when shot down
- Health
- 140
- Player need
- Ranged answer and upward visibility
- Guaranteed material
- Component Kit
- Ore drop
- Nuggets matched to the spawn tier
Routes and locations
Minerbots belong to the 1.0 mining and underground progression rather than ordinary early meadow patrols.
Mining progression
Encounter them as the story moves through the Mining Hub and underground facilities.
Open related entry →Underground routes
Prepare for limited space, industrial hazards, and repeated combat states.
- Carry light and a clear return route.
- Avoid placing the player between the bot and an environmental hazard.
- Treat unfamiliar attacks as a reason to create distance first.
Minerbot recipes and properties
- Vertical threat
- Attacks from above the dig face
- Crash hazard
- Falling body can hit drills, players, or cargo
- Lighting
- Glowsticks / vehicle lights to spot silhouettes
- Spudgun estimate
- 5 hits at 28 damage
Scan the Ceiling Before the Bore
A Plasma Drill run that only watches the rock face will miss Minerbots overhead. Pause at each chamber expansion, look up, and clear airspace before extending another long bore. Tunnel vision is the real damage multiplier.
- Carry a Spudgun underground even on pure mining days.
- Avoid ceilings that block player view while bots still fit above.
- Stage cargo behind the active dig, not under the flight path.
Rock Shower Spacing
When rocks start falling, lateral movement beats standing under the drill arm. Break contact with the machine briefly, engage the Minerbot, then resume excavation. Operators who clutch the controls through the shower lose both health and the vehicle.
Plan the Crash Zone
Shot-down Minerbots fall. Finish them over empty floor or back toward already-cleared stone—not over the drill head, fuel, or a parked ore sled. If the only angle is above cargo, relocate the cargo first.
- Identify a clear crash pocket.
- Draw the Minerbot over that pocket with movement.
- Shoot it down and confirm the wreck before restarting the drill.
Light the Vertical Column
Dark shafts hide flying outlines until the first rock hits. Place lights that illuminate upward volume, not only the floor path. Sound cues plus a lit column turn Minerbots into readable targets instead of surprise damage.
Five Spudgun Hits Set the Ammo Floor
At 140 HP, five 28-damage Spudgun hits remove the normal health bar if every shot lands. Carry more than that per encounter: misses, additional underground bots, and the return route all compete for the same Potato reserve.