When EVE Online’s Catalyst Expansion goes live on November 18, mining — one of the game’s oldest and most consistent professions — is getting a serious shake-up. This isn’t just a round of balancing tweaks or UI polish. It’s a genuine redesign of how mining feels, looks, and pays off.
Prismaticite and the Age of Hyperspace Fractures
At the center of it all is Prismaticite, a brand-new ore found in the unstable remnants of so-called hyperspace fractures. These fractures tear open temporary pockets of space that miners can enter using a new deployable structure called a phase anchor.
The catch? These sites don’t last. Once the fracture collapses, whatever isn’t mined is gone — and you can bet other players will be racing to strip it first.
Prismaticite itself isn’t your typical ore. When refined, it produces a randomized mix of minerals, forcing miners and industrialists to think differently about resource planning. Those who want more control can use reaction-based processing to steer the outcome, adding a fresh layer of strategy to the industrial chain.
Faster, Riskier, and More Rewarding Minin
Mining is also becoming more responsive. CCP has reworked mining cycles so they’re shorter and snappier, without changing total yield. The aim is to make the process feel less passive and more like an active part of gameplay.
There’s also a new critical hit mechanic for mining lasers. Every so often, your laser will strike a sweet spot on the rock and deliver a burst of bonus yield. Skills and modules can increase the chance of landing those criticals — meaning setup and timing actually matter again.
Cleaner Tools, Better Visibility
The mining UI is finally getting the attention it deserves. The new scanner is faster, clearer, and feeds directly into the space scene, giving miners a better sense of what’s worth targeting.
Color-coded overlays, sharper data displays, and a more streamlined interface should make it easier to manage multiple lasers, track yields, and react quickly when competition (or danger) shows up on grid.
High-Sec Isn’t Left Behind
High-sec miners aren’t being ignored either. The Catalyst Expansion brings back Omber and Kernite in new high-sec anomaly sites, giving miners more variety than the endless veldspar grind.
Some of these sites will be tied to hidden combat anomalies that can only be found with scan probes, adding a light touch of risk and discovery even in safer space. It’s a small but welcome step toward making high-sec mining a bit less predictable.
New Ships on the Horizon
A brand-new mining destroyer, the Pioneer, is being added to the roster. It fills the gap between a Venture and a mining barge — cheap, accessible to Alpha clones, but still powerful enough to be useful for veterans. It’s likely to become the go-to ship for new industrial players or quick, opportunistic mining runs.
On the higher end, the Odysseus — a new exploration command ship — ties together exploration and industry, offering tools for fleets venturing deeper into the new fractured regions.
The Bigger Picture
Taken together, these updates mark a real change in tone for mining. It’s faster, more engaging, and just a little more dangerous. The introduction of Prismaticite will almost certainly spark competition over the most lucrative fracture sites, and the critical hit system gives miners something to watch for during every cycle.
More than anything, the Catalyst Expansion looks like CCP’s attempt to bring mining into line with the rest of modern EVE — interactive, competitive, and rewarding for players who put in the time to master the details.
For years, mining in EVE has been the quiet backbone of the economy — essential but often monotonous. Catalyst seems set to change that. Between new mechanics, new ships, and a bit of unpredictability, miners are finally getting some love — and maybe even a little chaos — in their corner of the galaxy.
