Expand or upgrade
A new mine usually beats a deep early upgrade.
A new TerraAcre adds a complete rent stream and another mini-game. An upgrade adds 1% to only one existing property. For most early accounts, spend available TB on new claims while useful nearby space remains.
Switch focus toward upgrades after your regular locations fill up, travel for new claims becomes inconvenient, or accumulated materials have no better use. The TerraMine beginner strategy explains the broader opening plan.
Priority order
Level rare mines first—but compare level and cost.
| Mine type | Official base multiplier | General priority |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond | 4× Rock | 1 |
| Gold | 2× Rock | 2 |
| Coal | 1.5× Rock | 3 |
| Rock | 1× | 4 |
This order assumes similar levels and material costs. A cheap low-level Coal upgrade may be more efficient than an expensive high-level Diamond upgrade. Compare the next 1% gained per material spent.
Materials
Higher mini-game levels unlock the rarer resources.
Daily activities can drop materials, but mini-games are the repeatable progression source. Community observations place the first consistent rare-material appearances around Rock level 10, Coal level 5, Gold level 3 and Diamond level 2.
The Coal Miner Maze guide focuses on fast TB around level 11. Continue deeper when upgrade materials matter more than immediate expansion.
Portfolio control
Sort your properties instead of scrolling the map.
Use the property list to filter by type and sort by mine level. This exposes the cheapest Diamond or Gold levels first. Also sort by inactivity so upgrades do not distract from maintaining older properties.
Compare the projected effect in the TerraMine earnings calculator and review the mine rates and odds before committing scarce materials.