Non-destructive node prospecting

[Mews]

Can the node mode prospecting be made so it doesn't have to destroy the block? 

[Rainbow Fresh]

And what would be the reasoning for this? You need to get samples from somewhere to determine what's around and if you could just pick up shiny rocks from the ground that tell you everything you wouldn't need a pick.

[Mark Watton]

Are you that hard up for rocks?

[Mark Watton]

11 hours ago, Mews said:

Can the node mode prospecting be made so it doesn't have to destroy the block? 

You tried mining with the prospecting pick, didn't you?

[Mac Mcleod]

On 10/1/2026 at 12:59 AM, Rainbow Fresh said:

And what would be the reasoning for this? You need to get samples from somewhere to determine what's around and if you could just pick up shiny rocks from the ground that tell you everything you wouldn't need a pick.

My reasoning is that while I need to click on the block with a pro-pic and the pro-pic needs to be worn by it, I don't see why I have to disintegrate an entire cubic meter of stone to get my reading.   Instead, I should just scrape at it for samples and then get the result without the block being destroyed.

[Mews]

On 9/30/2026 at 10:59 PM, Rainbow Fresh said:

And what would be the reasoning for this? You need to get samples from somewhere to determine what's around and if you could just pick up shiny rocks from the ground that tell you everything you wouldn't need a pick.

So you don't have to memorise several different spots and how hot or cold the ore vein is from that spot, i know you can just propick a block next to a previous spot but moving even one block could now be out of range of the ore.

 

On 10/1/2026 at 5:18 AM, Mark Watton said:

You tried mining with the prospecting pick, didn't you?

Nope

[Rainbow Fresh]

26 minutes ago, Mews said:

So you don't have to memorise several different spots and how hot or cold the ore vein is from that spot, i know you can just propick a block next to a previous spot but moving even one block could now be out of range of the ore.

...I really don't see how that would change anything. You'd still have to memorize previous results in some way or form, otherwise you just go back and forth between spots you have already been in getting the same measurements over and over again while wasting away your propick. There are more than enough way to deal with this - chatlog has the last results so if you follow a linear pattern you can count back how many measurements you took to read the old result; for when you e.g. dig a hole into the wall every 6 blocks in a tunnel. You can bring charcoal, chalk or other pigments and draw symbols on the wall representing if you have a small, medium or large amount measured. You can bring a book and write notes. You can make a waypoint on the map that you name accordingly. None of this has anything to do with the propick destroying the block in the measurement process and none of this changes if it wouldn't.