Cut a Rock Cutting Machines

The cutting machine workflow

Processing raw stones into finished inventory follows three mandatory steps:

1. Placement: Approach an open machine while holding rocks in your backpack and deposit a stone onto the platform.
2. Countdown: The machine begins processing. A floating timer directly above the rock displays the remaining seconds. In the guide video, remaining countdowns of 12s, 21s, and 24s were observed on stones mid-cut. These numbers represent the remaining seconds on that active cut.
3. Collection: When processing finishes, the screen displays a notification reading Cutting complete! Collect your stone from the machine, and the machine interface prompts Ready! (E). Press E while standing in front of the cutter to move the processed material into your sale inventory.

Failing to complete step 3 leaves the stone on the platform. The cutter will not reset, will not process a new stone, and will not automatically send the finished material to your bag.

Material discovery and the N/4 counter

Cutting open rocks reveals specific materials that register in your Index.

When you uncover a new material, a discovery banner appears across the screen. In the recorded footage, this banner read:

New material! 2/4 Rose Quartz / Uncommon

The 2/4 fraction functions as an Index tracker, indicating progress within that material tier. Uncovering Rose Quartz adds to your collection count under the Uncommon classification.

The specific materials your cutters reveal depend on the room where you mine. In Room 2, ceiling markers show Common rocks at 50%, Uncommon at 50%, and Nova Prism at 0.1%, with room totals marked 8.95K / 8.95K. In Room 3, overhead boards list Common at 35%, Uncommon at 50%, Rare at 15%, and Nova Prism at 0.1%, with room totals marked 80.1K / 80.1K. While complete Index lists, total entry counts, and individual material sale values are not published in any public source, cutting rocks mined in deeper rooms yields rarer material tiers. To examine room assignments and drop distributions, consult the rock and drop rate guide.

Backpack limits and queuing behavior

Your inventory capacity governs how you interact with cutting machines:

• The backpack resource bar displays 0/3 when empty and increments toward 3/3 as you mine rocks.
• Each cutting machine processes one stone at a time.
• You cannot load all three rocks into a single machine simultaneously.

Because you can hold three stones, your trip efficiency depends on station availability. If you carry three raw rocks and use only one cutter, you must wait out the timer, press Ready! (E), deposit the second rock, and repeat the sequence. Using adjacent cutting machines lets you process multiple stones simultaneously, emptying your 3-slot bag in a single cycle.

Public server conditions also affect access. Official platform data records server capacity at 6 players, with private VIP servers disabled (createVipServersAllowed = false). A sample of 100 public servers showed 92 operating at full capacity (6/6 players). When several players share a floor, using open machines promptly and collecting finished cuts prevents station gridlock. Top-screen shortcuts like Spawn (F) and Home (Q) allow quick repositioning if you need to return to central facilities.

Three ways to waste a mining trip

When players wonder why their mined rocks produced no cash, the issue almost always stems from one of three common errors:

Visiting the sell station while carrying raw rocks shows options labeled Nothing to sell, SELECTED ITEMS, Click stones to select, SELL ALL, SELL SELECTED, SELECTED TOTAL, and ALL ITEMS TOTAL. If you see Nothing to sell despite having stones in your backpack, your rocks were never cut.

Machine upgrades and automated cutting

Improving machine speed reduces the time you spend waiting beside the platform. In early gameplay, machine timers represent your largest progression bottleneck. Our read is that investing in machine upgrades yields faster returns than buying tools. For our recommended spending sequence, see the money and upgrade guide.

Beside the sell counter stands an UPGRADE station where players can invest in-game currency to shorten cutting duration. Reducing wait times from 24s toward lower thresholds directly accelerates how quickly you can convert backpack loads into currency.

For players seeking immediate bypasses or automated progress, the official developer product store provides several items:

The official game description confirms that "your machines keep cutting while you're away". This offline functionality ensures that uncollected stones or active machines continue progressing even when you log off. To learn how automated cutting coordinates with anvil multipliers, read the AFK training guide.