Mine

The Mine is the Folktails faction's primary underground metal extraction building, unlocked for 750 Science Points and representing one of the most significant construction investments in the game. Built from 250 Logs, 350 Gears, and 200 Treated Planks on a massive 5x5 footprint, the Mine must be placed directly on top of Underground Ruins. It employs up to 10 miners who extract Scrap Metal from deep below the surface, consuming 1 Treated Plank per cycle to produce 5 Scrap Metal every 1.8 hours. Internal storage holds 30 Treated Planks and 150 Scrap Metal, providing substantial buffering capacity for continuous operations.

The Mine represents the transition from finite surface Scrap Metal (gathered by the Scavenger Flag) to sustainable, unlimited underground extraction. Unlike surface Ruins, Underground Ruins never deplete, giving the Mine infinite production potential as long as Treated Planks keep flowing in. A single Mine running at full capacity with 10 workers and a steady Treated Plank supply can feed approximately 2.77 Smelters, producing a substantial stream of Metal Blocks for construction and advanced manufacturing. This makes supply chain planning critical: your Wood Workshop must produce enough Treated Planks (from Planks via the Lumber Mill and Pine Resin via the Tapper's Shack) to keep the Mine operational.

The enormous construction cost of the Mine (especially the 200 Treated Planks and 350 Gears) means you need a well-developed wood processing industry before you can even build one. Plan ahead by stockpiling materials from your Lumber Mills, Gear Workshops, and Wood Workshops well in advance. Position the Mine on an accessible Underground Ruin site with good path connections to your warehouses and Smelters. The Iron Teeth faction uses the Efficient Mine instead, which offers an enhanced recipe that doubles Scrap Metal output when supplied with Extract. For Folktails players, the standard Mine remains the only option for underground metal production, making it an absolutely essential building for any colony that wants to progress beyond the early game.