Mining is an important part of Stardew Valley, as it offers a great way to make a ton of money and is necessary for upgrading your tools and crafting important machines. Because mining is so important, it makes the decision between the two skill paths, Miner and Geologist, that much more difficult. Unlike the choice between Tiller and Rancher, the answer is a little less obvious.
The Miner path is better for making money, but the Geologist path can help you complete the Museum collection faster.
Miner increases the number of ore (copper, silver, gold, and iridium) by one piece per vein. This is a relatively substantial boost, since it's guaranteed to give the extra ore. This makes it easier to upgrade tools in the early game and lets you stockpile materials early on. The level 10 skill options are Blacksmith, which makes Metal Bars worth 50% more. That means Iridium bars sell for 1,500G and the late-game Radioactive Bars sell for 4,500G. The other skill is Prospector, which doubles the amount of Coal found. Obviously, the Blacksmith skill is significantly better than the Prospector skill.
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Geologist adds a 50% chance for gems to spawn in pairs and it applies to Geodes found from breaking rocks. The level 10 skill Excavator doubles the chance to find Geodes, in addition to the chance for them to appear in pairs. With this skill you can easily get a triple digit amount of Omni Geodes from a single Skull Cavern run, which can be exchanged at the Desert Trade for Artifact Troves, which have a chance to contain some of the rarer Museum artifacts.
Ultimately, the Miner path is more profitable in the long run, but there are benefits to following the Geologist path. You can change skills at the Statue of Uncertainty in the Sewers for 10,000G per skill.
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Miner or Geologist
The Miner path is better for making money, but the Geologist path can help you complete the Museum collection faster.
Miner increases the number of ore (copper, silver, gold, and iridium) by one piece per vein. This is a relatively substantial boost, since it's guaranteed to give the extra ore. This makes it easier to upgrade tools in the early game and lets you stockpile materials early on. The level 10 skill options are Blacksmith, which makes Metal Bars worth 50% more. That means Iridium bars sell for 1,500G and the late-game Radioactive Bars sell for 4,500G. The other skill is Prospector, which doubles the amount of Coal found. Obviously, the Blacksmith skill is significantly better than the Prospector skill.
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Geologist adds a 50% chance for gems to spawn in pairs and it applies to Geodes found from breaking rocks. The level 10 skill Excavator doubles the chance to find Geodes, in addition to the chance for them to appear in pairs. With this skill you can easily get a triple digit amount of Omni Geodes from a single Skull Cavern run, which can be exchanged at the Desert Trade for Artifact Troves, which have a chance to contain some of the rarer Museum artifacts.
Ultimately, the Miner path is more profitable in the long run, but there are benefits to following the Geologist path. You can change skills at the Statue of Uncertainty in the Sewers for 10,000G per skill.
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