Free-to-Play Space Mining Mission

A repeatable daily mission at Howling Mine that nets ~0.74 PED profit per run. Once you’re there, the mission itself costs nothing — the NPC gives you the ship, tools, and ammo. The catch: Howling Mine is a station floating in the middle of deep space, and getting there (and back) is the real challenge for new players.

⚠️ READ THIS FIRST — Howling Mine is NOT near any planet. It sits in open space between planets. There is no teleporter to it. You cannot simply fly there from a planet surface with a starter ship. You need to either hitch a ride with another player, take a mothership/warp service, or already have interplanetary travel capability. If you go there without a plan to get back, you may get stranded. Read the “Getting There” section below before committing.

Overview

This mission is one of the few truly free-to-play activities in Entropia Universe that generates positive returns. Unlike sweating (which requires finding buyers for your sweat), this mission pays out in universal ammo, credits, and tradeable ores — all with guaranteed value. But only once you’ve solved the travel problem.

💡 Credit: This guide is based on the video by Scotty_C93 — “Entropia Universe - A Free to Play Space Mining Mission, to Build your PED and Loot Stock.”

⚠️ Getting There (and Back) — The Hard Part

Howling Mine is a space station floating in open PvP space between planets. It is not attached to any planet and has no direct teleporter link. This is the biggest barrier for new players.

How to reach Howling Mine

1. Hitch a ride — Type /j #space_travel in your in-game chat and ask if anyone is heading near Howling Mine. Mothership operators sometimes run scheduled routes. This is free but unreliable.
2. Warp service — Some players run warp shuttle services between space stations. Check /j #taxi in-game, Planet Calypso Forum (PCF) trade section, or the EU Discord for schedules. May cost a few PED.
3. Fly yourself — If you own a space-capable ship with a thruster, you can fly there manually. Be aware: all of open space is PvP. You can be looted if killed. Fly light (don’t carry valuables).
4. Teleportation tokens — The interplanetary token teleporter system may reach some space stations, but check if Howling Mine is included.

How to get back

This is the part people forget. Once you’re at Howling Mine:

• The NPC gives you a Sleipnir — but it’s a basic ship meant for the nearby asteroid field, not long-distance interplanetary travel
• You can fly back manually in the Sleipnir, but it’s slow, burns fuel, and you’re in PvP space the entire time
• Your best bet is to coordinate a return ride before you go — or plan to stay and repeat the mission daily until you arrange transport
• If you’re truly stuck, ask in local chat or /j #space_travel — space travelers pass through eventually

💡 Pro Tip for F2P players: The smartest approach is to coordinate with a society member or experienced player who already travels to Howling Mine regularly. Tag along both ways. Don’t go solo until you understand space travel — read the Space Travel Guide first. See our Community Hub for all the Discord servers and in-game channels where you can find transport.

Step 1: Get Your Ship at Howling Mine

You’ve made it to Howling Mine — nice. Now the mission itself is straightforward.

At the spaceport, find the Spaceport Engineer NPC and interact with them. The NPC provides:

• Refurbished Sleipnir — a basic spaceship for getting to the nearby asteroids
• Refurbished Space Thruster — needed for maneuvering in the local area

These are loaned/provided items — you don’t need to own a spaceship to do the actual mining mission. If you already have these items equipped from a previous run, you can skip this step.

📝 Note: The Sleipnir is a bare-bones ship designed for short hops to the nearby scrap field. It is NOT a long-range interplanetary vessel — don’t plan your return trip around it.

Step 2: Accept the “Cleanup Job” Mission

Find the Employer NPC at the same spaceport/station (positioned near the Spaceport Engineer).

Talk to the NPC and accept the “Cleanup Job” mission. The objective is simple: destroy 15 small scrap asteroids in the nearby scrap field.

First-Time Bonus

On your first completion, the Employer NPC provides:

• Salvaged Weak Mining Laser — a starter tool for breaking asteroids
• ~1 PED of Universal Ammo — enough to complete the mission and then some

On subsequent runs, you’ll use remaining ammo/equipment from prior completions or purchase replacements with mission earnings.

Step 3: Equip Your Mining Laser

Open your inventory and equip the Salvaged Weak Mining Laser (or any equivalent low-tier mining tool you’ve purchased or received).

Checklist before heading out:

• ✅ Mining laser equipped
• ✅ Universal ammunition loaded (mission provides enough)
• ✅ Sleipnir available with thruster attached

The salvaged laser is specifically matched to scrap asteroids — it has minimal decay cost on these targets, keeping your operating expenses low.

Step 4: Destroy 15 Scrap Asteroids

Board the Sleipnir and fly the short distance from the station to the scrap fields. The mission area is very close — you won’t burn much fuel.

The Process

1. Fly into the scrap field
2. Target a small scrap asteroid
3. Fire the mining laser using universal ammo
4. Asteroid breaks → loot drops
5. Collect loot (some drops automatically, some manual)
6. Repeat until you’ve destroyed all 15 asteroids

Expected Loot Per Run

⚠️ Important: Don’t TT your ores! Lysterium and Belkar often sell above TT value on auction. Check current markup before selling.

Step 5: Turn In the Mission

After clearing all 15 asteroids, fly back to the Employer NPC at the station.

Submit your 260 Space Mining Scripts (collected as asteroid destruction rewards during the mission).

Mission Rewards

The credits and ammo from the turn-in essentially refund your operating costs, making any loot collected during the run pure profit.

Step 6: Equipment Maintenance

After completing the mission, handle any maintenance:

• Mining Laser Replacement: If your laser has decayed, buy a replacement from the vendor — costs ~50 credits (covered by your mission earnings)
• Fuel: The Sleipnir uses oil for fuel. Round-trip consumption is roughly 1.08 PED — this is your main operating cost
• Thruster: The space thruster has negligible decay on short-range trips

Storing Your Loot

Keep your collected ores and Scottium stones. You have two strategies:

1. Sell immediately — list on auction for quick PED
2. Stockpile — accumulate across multiple runs for a larger auction listing (saves on auction fees proportionally)

Step 7: Profit Check & Daily Repeat

Per-Run Economics

Scottium stones are a bonus on top of this — they increase your profit further when received.

The Daily Grind

This mission resets daily. That means:

• Per week: ~5.18 PED profit (7 runs)
• Per month: ~22.20 PED profit (30 runs)
• Plus: Accumulated Scottium stones, ores at markup

It’s not get-rich-quick money, but it’s guaranteed positive return with zero deposit. Combine with sweating and codex grinding for a solid F2P income stream.

💡 Pro Tip: This mission stacks well with other F2P activities. Do your daily space mining run, then head planetside for sweat circles or low-cost codex grinding. Diversified F2P income beats single-source dependency.

Tips for Maximum Efficiency

1. Don’t over-shoot — destroy exactly 15 asteroids and return. Extra asteroids cost ammo without mission credit
2. Batch your auction listings — sell ores in larger stacks to minimize auction fee overhead
3. Track Scottium prices — Scottium stone value fluctuates. Sell when markup is high
4. Minimize fuel waste — fly directly to the field and back. Don’t sightsee on mission runs
5. Keep a reserve — leave 1-2 PED of ammo in inventory so you’re never stuck unable to start a run
6. Check NPC inventory — the Employer may offer upgraded tools as you build rapport through repeated completions

Who Is This Mission For?

This mission shines brightest for players who have zero PED and need a reliable way to start building capital. Once you’ve accumulated 10-25 PED from repeated runs, consider transitioning to low-cost hunting (Opalo + Puny mobs) for faster progression.

Related Tools

• Hunt Optimizer — Once you’ve built up PED, find the most efficient mobs to hunt
• Quickstart Wizard — Get a personalized session plan based on your budget
• Space Travel Guide — Full guide to navigating space safely
• Sweating Guide — Another core F2P income source
• EU Glossary — Look up any term you don’t recognize