plasma bore

The Plasma Bore is a mining block that extracts resources from beneath the surface by using a directed plasma beam. It occupies a 2×2 footprint and mines multiple adjacent tiles in a straight line in front of it. The Plasma Bore consumes hydrogen as its fuel and requires power to operate; when active it fires its plasma beam across its reach to harvest ores and tiles, making it well suited for deep, linear mining operations and for quickly clearing veins of high-value materials.

Plasma Bores can be overdriven with boosts (using the game’s overdrive/booster mechanics) to increase mining speed and fuel efficiency. A boosted Plasma Bore mines more tiles per second and uses hydrogen more effectively than an unboosted Large Plasma Bore: boosted Plasma Bores are faster per tile while consuming less hydrogen in total. This makes boosted units the preferred choice for demanding extraction tasks such as harvesting scarce resources that are quickly depleted during heavy construction.

Practical notes and recommendations:

• For high-throughput setups, run multiple boosted Plasma Bores in parallel. Eight boosted Plasma Bores arranged to cover 16 tiles of front line will effectively reach a duct’s maximum throughput of 15 items/sec when output is funneled properly.
• To save space and simplify logistics, route the liquid or conveyor line beneath the area where the Plasma Bore beams strike; this keeps transport infrastructure compact and avoids interference with the mining arc.
• Plasma Bores are especially effective for beryllium extraction and other high-value ores that can be consumed quickly by building projects; prefer boosted Plasma Bores when continuous, heavy mining is required.
• Ensure a steady hydrogen supply and sufficient power; interruptions to fuel or electricity halt the beam and stop extraction immediately.

Historical note:

• During early development on the Erekir map, placing Plasma Bores produced a placement arrow inherited from the Cliff Crusher block.