Mining

The mining game is a unique daily game found on the Games page under World that requires you to dig (click) repeatedly, with each dig giving you the opportunity to find items or WC in the Midnight Cave. To play you must have at least 300 WC on hand and a waja trained in mining. The game can be played once daily, and is over for the day when the waja runs out of digs.

The mining game was released on March 16 of 2010.

Mining Cave Basics

If you don't already have a mining waja, you will need to select one to play with and pay 10,000 WC to teach it to mine, giving it a mining level of 1. After a waja has been trained once, it does not have to be trained ever again. Level 1 gives a waja a total of 30 digs. Each additional level the waja gains will grant them an extra 5 digs. Once you've trained a waja you will be taken to the mining screen. This screen features your waja's picture in the upper right and four directional buttons at the bottom. To mine you simply click the direction in which you want to dig and you will encounter a random scenario.. One of several possible effects will occur per dig:

1. Nothing Happens - Your waja got distracted/scared/sat down/just plain didn't find anything.
2. Gain one dig - A Gentle Breeze will refresh your waja and grant them an extra dig.
3. Lose one dig - A Mean Bat will hit your waja, causing it to take a break and losing you one dig.
4. Gain WC - Encountering a Lucky Butterfly will give you between 10k and 30k WC. Tricky Raccoons will give you between 1 and 300 WC.
5. Lose WC - Annoying Rats steal between 1 and 300 WC.
6. Common Item - Your waja will find a common item that is deposited automatically into your inventory.
7. Uncommon Item - A popup will appear on your screen giving you the option to attempt to 'catch' the creature. If you choose "Ok", the game will calculate whether or not you succeeded. If you failed or clicked "Cancel", the game will tell you the item escaped. If you succeed, you will get a "congratulations" message and the item will be placed in your inventory.
8. Level Gained - Encountering a "Strange Beetle" will increase your waja's mining level by 1. Only happens after level 16.
9. Level Lost - Encountering a "Cave-in" will decrease your waja's mining level by 1.

Mining Levels

Levels are gained when the mining waja encounters a "Strange Beetle". Finding this beetle will increase the waja's level by 1 and grant it 5 extra digs. There is no way to increase your chances of encountering the Strange Beetle and gaining a level; some people go months without getting a level, then gain three in one day. It's completely random. Just keep mining every day and eventually your waja will find one.

Levels are lost when a mining waja encounters a "Cave In". Getting caught in a cave in will decrease the waja's level by 1 and subtract 5 digs from its current number of digs. This can result in negative digs if it occurs during the waja's last 5 digs. Cave-ins will not occur unless the mining waja is at least level 16, after which they will occur randomly.

Wajas retain their mining levels when they are sold or transferred.

Mining Cave Items

The mining cave has three kinds of items. The first are the four Potion ingredients that can be taken to the Mad Scientist and traded for potions that add potion mutations to your waja. These ingredients are always available in the mining cave. They are:

• Rock
• Roots
• Crystal Shard
• Earthworm

The second are equipables that are always in the mining cave. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Pickaxe (Common)
• Peaches the Kitten (Common)
• Turquoise Necklace (Common)
• Poison the Kitten (Rare)
• Gentle Ghost (Rare)

Finally are items that spend a brief time (usually a month or so) in the mining cave before being removed. Past examples include:

• White/Black/Blue/Pink/Green Pearl Earrings/Necklace/Bracelet Back/Bracelet Front
• Various colored Shutter Shades
• Various colored Plaid Wallpapers

Changing Your Mining Waja

You can only change your mining waja if you have not started mining for that day. If you haven't played that day, the mining screen will display a "Change Mining Waja" button above the cave picture. From here, you'll be able to select another waja from your cave to mine with. If the waja you switch to has not been trained in mining yet you will have to pay 10,000 WC to train it.

Mining Game Misconceptions

Many of the more superstitious players will claim that mining in a certain way, at a certain time of day, in certain directions, with a certain breed, being a certain level, etc etc. will increase your chances of finding/catching something good or gaining a level. This is false, as finding items, leveling up, and catching rares are all completely random chance. Having a higher level does not directly affect your chances of finding things, though having more digs does give you more opportunities to find and catch them.