I never imagined I'd become a miner when I first started rebuilding Australia, but in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, these gaping holes in the earth became my lifeline. The sheer scale of infrastructure needed—monumental highways, bridges spanning toxic rivers, shelters against Timefall—drained facilities dry faster than I could haul ceramics. When my first distribution center ran empty, I stared at that holographic map realizing mines weren't optional; they were the brutal, crystal-fueled backbone of restoration. That's when my real journey began, stumbling through tar pits and wrestling with monorail logistics just to move mountains of metal. Rebuilding a nation isn't about grand speeches—it's about dirty hands and Chiral debts. 😅

My Early Mistakes with Small and Large Mines

Those first weeks taught me harsh lessons about mine types. Small mines? Like finding a single battery in a blizzard—convenient when you're stranded near the Western Glacier, coughing up just 500 Chiral Crystals for a quick ceramic fix. But large mines... oh boy. I remember restoring the Titanium Pit near Edge Knot City, watching 5,000 precious crystals vanish in an instant while metals clattered into my virtual inventory. That instantaneous transfer still shocks me—no partial payments, no gradual extraction. All or nothing, like gambling with BT souls. The restoration itself felt familiar though: scavenging resins from ruined shelters, begging other porters via the Chiral Network when my own stocks ran low. Funny how rebuilding a mine felt like rebuilding myself—piece by piece.

The Treasure Map of Materials

Discovering each mine's unique personality became my obsession. That abandoned ceramics quarry near the Coast? A moody beast requiring constant crystal bribes. But the real shock was realizing every mine had fixed outputs—no swapping alloys for resins when supplies got tight. I made this chart after weeks of frustration:

Chemicals nearly broke me. One massive mine for the entire continent? I camped there for days fighting BTs just to protect it. Madness! Yet those glittering Special Alloy deposits near timefall waterfalls... worth every nightmare. 💎

Hauling Hell: When Materials Won't Move

Transportation—the backbreaking reality they don't show in Bridges promotional holos. I learned the hard way: metals aren't worth squat sitting in a mine. That first large ceramics haul? Strapped so much to my back I sank into tar like a stone. Sam's strong, but 3,000kg turns you into BT bait. Then I spotted the monorail—glorious rusted angels singing on tracks! Sliding entire inventories between stations while sipping cryptobiotes? Heavenly. But outside rail zones... enter the Pickup Off-Roader. That beast carried more than my regrets after the Elder's pizza deliveries. Four key lessons from my hauling disasters:

1. Monorails first: Scout routes BEFORE restoring mines

2. Off-Roaders hate slopes: Route planning saves hours

3. Timefall protection: Cargo covers mandatory

4. Share vehicles: Park upgraded trucks for other porters!

Upgrades and the Chiral Crystal Trap

Upgrading mines felt like cheating at first. Pouring resins into the Mountain Pass mine and watching its output double? Pure magic. But the Chiral costs... Amelie's beaches, the hunger! My breaking point came needing 15,000 crystals for a large metals upgrade. That's when I became a BT hunter—stalking tar pools with grenade launchers, harvesting crystals from their oily remains. Found a trick too: every mine hides a tar pit nearby, shimmering with Chiral gifts. Still, the grind haunts me. Why do peaceful mines demand so much violence? 🤯

Now, standing on a rebuilt highway watching sunrise pierce Timefall clouds, I finally see it. Those mines aren't holes—they're stitches binding Australia together. Every crystal sacrificed, every alloy hauled across wastelands, they echo in the hum of monorails carrying new lives forward. Funny... rebuilding a nation starts with embracing the darkness underground so others can walk in light above. The mines giveth, and the mines taketh away—but by Odradek's spinning heart, they're worth it. 🌄