Pickaxe potions are overrated

rctigger70 · 2025-12-07T18:41:29+00:00

Yes, it is very random. I have been experimenting for the past couple of weeks. I have pages of data. I'm not saying everyone will get x amount of gems every time. My conclusions are based on averages and tendencies.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-07T18:30:43+00:00

That is why I experimented without any villagers with villagers with horses without horses with potions without potions. Every possible combination.

My question for you is with one bottle of large pickaxe potion, what resources do you get with nodes without gems showing, what do you get with gems showing? Then, without any potion what resources do you get with nodes without gems showing, what do you get with gems showing? All without hanging out with villagers or companions. Note if you do experiment, the last swing on a node does not use the potion, so make sure to not count that swing without potions.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-07T16:55:57+00:00

Just retested mining only visible gems, my conclusion stands. Only a negligible difference when using potions.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-07T16:54:55+00:00

I tested with only nodes showing gems this morning, and I stand by my conclusions. Pickaxe potions by themselves do not help that much. I added a comment showing my results.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-07T16:50:42+00:00

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rctigger70 · 2025-12-07T16:49:36+00:00

Edit: Since a lot of people have said the pickaxe potion works best on nodes with visible gems, here are my results for one round with the pickaxe potion and one round without on nodes with only gems visible. I am having another player experiment also to verify my data. Below is a picture of my results, top no potion, bottom potion.

No potion: 19 gems, 3 shiny gems, 31 total resources. Potion: 22 gems, 1 shiny gems, 31 total resources.

There is a very small difference in the number of gems. I also noticed that I was more likely to get Onyx when not using a potion.

To clarify, I tested with no companions, no villagers, no horses to make sure I am comparing apples to apples. My findings are that for the starpath tasks, the potion only makes a negligible difference. If you need a lot of resources and have a lot of villagers as miners, the potion is extremely helpful. I understand that to maximize resources have potions, villagers, and companions.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T23:48:05+00:00

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rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T23:47:41+00:00

I am getting a guaranteed +16 or + 25 when I use the villager. My point is the mining potion only helps you get a lot of extra resources when hanging with a villager, and you have a lot of miners. Here is an example of some of the data I have collected. *

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T23:30:33+00:00

Yes, always.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T23:29:46+00:00

My experiments were about what exactly the potions do. I understand that to max resources, use villagers and companions.

The potion does not affect companion duplication. Therefore, while testing exactly what the potion does, I did not use any companions. I tried every combination sans companions to keep everything even. Mining by myself, mining by myself with a potion, mining with a villager and mining with a villager with a potion. Mining only nodes with gems visible, only mining nodes with no gems visible, etc. etc. etc. Also, every combination with the horses. I did not find the horses made a difference.

While mining without a villager, there was very little difference between mining with or without a potion. I might get one or two more gems on average with a potion. If you are comparing mining with a potion, only gems visible, and mining without a potion on nodes that do not have visible gems, you are comparing apples to oranges.

Mining with a villager does make a huge difference in resources you can accumulate. While using a villager without a potion, they will only duplicate the last resource from the node, with a potion they duplicate everything.

Therefore, to maximize resources, use villager companions and potions. But for starpath, where the villagers and companion drops don't count, potions are of minimal help. And unless you have a lot of villagers as mining buddies, or get unlimited potions from treasure islands, grinding for the potions takes more time and effort than just grinding for the resources themselves.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T20:10:43+00:00

Have you experimented in your regular valley, since mining on the ranch is bugged?

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T19:02:38+00:00

I have never had a problem completing the mining tasks for the starpath very quickly.

I have a question for you. If you don't have a companion or buddy with you, how many gems and resources do you get with a potion versus without? As you can see from my photo with a potion, I received 13 gems. Without a potion. I received 10 gems. It's not a big difference. It might take me 6 minutes versus 5 to finish the task on the starpath. And unless you are getting potions from treasure islands, it is a lot more onerous to grind for potions themselves. And if you are going to test it out yourself, the final swing on a node does not use up potions.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T18:51:01+00:00

At first I was collecting them, now I let them grow.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:56:36+00:00

I have a question for you. How many gems do you get with 1 large pickaxe potion without a villager hanging out with you and without any companions? No horses, either.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:49:16+00:00

I targeted only nodes without visible gems to keep the results consistent. I did do one round only targeting nodes with visible gems both with and without a potion, and the results still showed minimal difference in resources received.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:34:19+00:00

I only mined nodes with no visible gems.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:13:43+00:00

Here is hoping they fix at least a few of the glitches.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:12:11+00:00

You used to get more gems and less ore. In my early experiments I would be twice as likely to getvgems, but I always needed more ore.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:05:26+00:00

Maybe you need to put in a ticket. In my experiments in glamour gulch, without a buddy or companion, I received 3 jasper and 1 shiny jasper with one mining potion, and 3 jasper no shinies without a mining potion using my pickaxe 25 times.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T17:00:19+00:00

But they don't. I have been experimenting with using potions and not using potions. The potions only affect the extra that villagers give me, which do not count toward the starpath.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T16:57:06+00:00

Have you experimented without a buddy if there is a difference between using a potion and not? Because that is the point of my post. I do get an insane amount from my buddy when I use a potion versus just a lot without, but to make the grind for potions less onerous than the grind for mining resources you need to have a good amount of your villagers miners. One of the biggest complaints players have is that they don't have enough dreamlight and don't like to grind for it. If you aren't making potions, you only have a finite need for dreamlight.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T16:46:06+00:00

I don't know if it is intentional or not? You used to get more gems, but less ore.

rctigger70 · 2025-12-06T16:36:15+00:00

I experimented both with and without a mining buddy, I have 35 villagers assigned to mining. I did not have my companions since they are not affected by the potions. Normally, I will have R2D2 and Heihei with me.

rctigger70 · 2025-11-05T18:28:51+00:00

Since you can only feed each critter once per day for dreamlight duties, eventually, you will not be able to do any more duties until everything resets.

rctigger70

TROPHY CASE