Before stepping foot into the dark depths, inspect your hotbar. Striking a rare mineral vein with inadequate equipment destroys tool durability in seconds while yielding nothing but basic stone pebbles.
Deposit hardness in Pokopia uses a binary gating system. A node either recognizes your tool's penetration value or resists it entirely:
| Pickaxe Tier | Gold Harvesting Capability | Average Swings Per Node | Durability Burn Per Vein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: Stone / Bone | Deflected (0% Harvest) | N/A | 100% (Instant Break) |
| Tier 2: Refined Iron | Viable (Baseline Yield) | 8, 10 swings | 18, 22 points |
| Tier 3: Hardened Steel | Optimal (+25% Critical Hit Chance) | 4, 6 swings | 8, 12 points |
| Tier 4: Obsidian Core | Maximum (+50% Bonus Drop Rate) | 2, 3 swings | 4, 6 points |
Attempting to harvest with an Iron Pickaxe is functional, but carrying repair kits is mandatory. A single Tier 2 pickaxe will degrade completely after clearing roughly 5 to 6 full nodes. Upgrading to Hardened Steel before embarking on prolonged subterranean expeditions prevents catastrophic equipment failure deep inside hazard territory.
