Equipment in Ultimate Mining Tycoon
Pickaxes, backpacks, and explosives — full gear reference.
Equipment determines how fast and deep you mine in Ultimate Mining Tycoon. Three categories — pickaxes, backpacks, and explosives — are sold at Generico Mining Gear (pickaxes/backpacks) and Madattak’s Dynamite Shack (explosives). Vehicles are covered separately on Vehicle Logistics and Vehicles Tier List.
Pickaxes (11 tiers)
Purchased from Happy Pickaxe Man. Pickaxe strength (formerly hardness) gates ore breaking; speed approaches 0.08s minimum with upgrades.
| Pickaxe | Approx. cost | Strength | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusty Pickaxe | Free | 1 | Tutorial |
| Copper Pickaxe | ~$50 | Low | First upgrade |
| Iron Pickaxe | ~$500 | Mid-low | Silver access |
| Steel Pickaxe | ~$5,000 | Mid | Bedrock standard |
| Gold Pickaxe | ~$50,000 | Mid-high | Optional bridge |
| Titanium Pickaxe | ~$250,000 | High | Deep entry |
| Infernum Pickaxe | ~$750,000 | High | Pre-Diamond skip option |
| Diamond Pickaxe | $2,500,000 | 400 | Mines ALL ores and gems |
| Mithril Pickaxe | $5,000,000 | 600 | Underworld speed |
| Unobtainium Pickaxe | $25,000,000 | 1000 | Maximum power |
Rankings: Pickaxes Tier List. Depth gates: Mine Layers.
Pickaxe speed mechanics (v0.5.x)
Increasing pickaxe power reduces mining time toward 0.2s, further reducible toward 0.08s with prestige Pickaxe Speed (+10%/level). Strength and speed are independent multipliers — both matter.
Backpacks (6 tiers)
Purchased from Backpack Man at Generico Mining Gear. Higher tiers carry more ores and gems per walk trip.
| Backpack | Cost | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro Backpack | Free | 8 | Starter — upgrade ASAP |
| Small Backpack | $100 | 12 | First cheap expand |
| Medium Backpack | $5,000 | 16 | Pair with Iron/Steel pickaxe |
| Large Backpack | $100K | 24 | Mid Bedrock hauls |
| XL Backpack | $1.50M | 36 | Pre-Underworld |
| XXL Backpack | 399 Robux | 64 | Permanent — kept after Prestige |
Cash backpacks reset on Prestige; only XXL (Robux) persists. Upgrade backpack before vanity explosives. Vehicle cargo still dominates late hauls — see Vehicle Logistics.
Explosives hierarchy
Purchased from Madattak at Madattak’s Dynamite Shack. Used to clear stone faster than pickaxes and destroy low-value ore blocking inventory.
| Explosive tier | Role |
|---|---|
| Dynamite | Entry explosive; small blast radius |
| Advanced sticks | Mid-tier tunnel clearing |
| High-tier charges | Deep mine stone removal |
| Nukes | Mass clearing; expensive; late game |
Obsidian (v0.5.0+) requires explosives — pickaxes cannot break large obsidian chunks. Essential for certain Underworld paths.
Explosive usage ethics
- Clear stone walls, not valuable ore clusters, unless inventory management requires it.
- Mobile placement fixed v0.5.0 — explosives no longer place accidentally when unequipped.
- Factory Explosive Maker exists but early game shop purchases are faster — Machines Tier List.
Equipment and drill vehicles
Drill vehicles (Mini-Muncher, Power Drill, Exa-Drill) scale drill speed/strength as percentage of equipped pickaxe. Exa-Drill at 100%/100% still benefits from Unobtainium Pickaxe for maximum tunnel speed.
Equipment loss on prestige
Prestige resets pickaxes, backpacks, and explosives — must rebuy from cash. Prestige store Pickaxe Strength/Speed and Starting Money ease rebuild — Prestige and Medals.
Recommended upgrade path (combined)
- Copper Pickaxe + Backpack tier 2
- Iron → Steel pickaxe + Backpack tier 3–4
- Minidumper vehicle (see vehicles page)
- Titanium pickaxe at Deep Caverns entry
- Save → Diamond pickaxe ($2.5M)
- Dynamite stock for Obsidian zones
- Mithril pickaxe for Underworld
- Unobtainium pickaxe (optional endgame)
Controls
Mine (E), equip from hotbar, place explosives — platform bindings in Controls.
Related pages
- Ores Reference — what pickaxe strength unlocks
- Gems Reference — Diamond pickaxe mines all gems
- Items Hub — category overview
- Getting Started — first purchases
Gear is the gate — no Unobtainium pickaxe means no Unobtainium ore, no matter how good your factory is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Where do I buy pickaxes and backpacks?
Generico Mining Gear near The Mine. Happy Pickaxe Man sells pickaxes; Backpack Man sells carry upgrades.
Where do I buy explosives?
Madattak's Dynamite Shack. Madattak sells the full explosive hierarchy from Dynamite to Nukes.
Which pickaxe mines every ore?
Diamond Pickaxe ($2.5M) with strength 400 is the first pickaxe that breaks all ores and gems.
Do I lose equipment on prestige?
Yes. Pickaxes, backpacks, and explosives reset and must be repurchased. Prestige stat upgrades persist.
Why do I need explosives?
Obsidian blocks require explosives. Explosives also clear stone and unwanted low-tier ore faster than pickaxes.