In Tinkers’ Construct, crafting the perfect pickaxe is more than just combining parts it’s about creating a tool that fits your mining style, game progression, and modpack synergy. The mod provides incredible customization options, allowing you to choose each part of your pickaxe, from head to handle, with precise control over mining speed, durability, and modifiers. Whether you’re looking to mine through vast underground caverns quickly, gather valuable ores, or simply create the most efficient tool possible, knowing the best Tinkers’ Construct pickaxe setup is essential to optimize performance and gameplay efficiency.
Understanding Pickaxe Mechanics in Tinkers’ Construct
Pickaxe Basics
A pickaxe in Tinkers’ Construct is composed of three main parts:
- Pickaxe Head: Determines mining level and base durability.
- Tool Binding: Influences durability and may add traits.
- Tool Rod (Handle): Affects overall durability and adds modifiers.
Additionally, tools gain traits from the materials used, which play a crucial role in determining a pickaxe’s effectiveness. Modifiers can be added later to further enhance tool performance, like increasing speed, luck, or auto-repair capabilities.
Choosing the Best Materials
Best Pickaxe Head Material
The pickaxe head is arguably the most important part because it defines the mining level, which determines what blocks you can break. The best materials often combine high mining speed with strong traits:
- Cobalt: High mining speed and great for fast digging. Trait: Lightweight (increases tool speed).
- Manyullyn: High durability and damage. Good for an all-around tool. Trait: Insatiable (bonus damage/speed on attack).
- Steel: Good mining level with solid durability. Trait: Magnetic (pulls items toward you).
If your goal is to mine quickly and effectively, Cobalt is usually the top choice for speed, while Steel is more accessible early on in progression. Manyullyn is often used in late-game builds for a balance of power and durability.
Best Tool Rod Material
The handle significantly affects durability and may grant unique passive traits:
- Obsidian: Excellent for durability. Trait: Duritae (adds more durability).
- Slime Tool Rod (Green Slime): Provides Reinforced trait, which boosts overall durability and toughness.
- Tough Binding with Paper: Grants an extra modifier slot, useful for high customization.
For general use, Obsidian tool rods are ideal for their incredible durability, but Paper is often used when you’re trying to stack extra modifiers early in the game.
Best Binding Material
Though it adds less to raw stats, the binding can subtly influence durability and provide additional traits:
- Paper: Grants an extra modifier, which is valuable in the long term.
- Blue Slime: Slight durability increase with useful traits.
- Bronze: Balanced stats, helpful in mid-tier progression.
Generally, Paper remains the most favored binding for a modifier-heavy build, while Slime provides more durability-focused options.
Recommended Pickaxe Configurations
Speed Mining Build
This build is perfect for players who want to strip-mine efficiently and quickly:
- Head: Cobalt
- Rod: Slime Tool Rod
- Binding: Paper
Modifiers:
- Redstone (max): for faster mining speed
- Auto-Repair (Moss): reduces time spent fixing tools
- Luck (Lapis): increases drop rates for valuable ores
Durability Build
Built for extended mining sessions or server use where tool longevity is vital:
- Head: Manyullyn
- Rod: Obsidian
- Binding: Blue Slime
Modifiers:
- Auto-Repair (Moss)
- Diamond and Emerald: significantly increase durability
- Reinforcement: further improves tool lifespan
All-Purpose Versatile Pickaxe
Balanced for damage, speed, and endurance ideal for players who don’t want to switch tools often:
- Head: Steel
- Rod: Slime
- Binding: Bronze
Modifiers:
- Redstone: adds speed
- Lapis: for increased drops
- Moss: for auto-repair
Best Modifiers for a Tinkers’ Construct Pickaxe
Essential Modifiers
- Moss: Grants Auto-Repair, perfect for keeping the tool usable indefinitely.
- Lapis Lazuli: Adds Luck (Fortune), increasing drops from mining.
- Redstone: Enhances mining speed, especially valuable on slower tools.
Additional Useful Modifiers
- Diamond: Boosts durability and mining level.
- Emerald: Similar to Diamond, with slightly different effects.
- Reinforcement (Obsidian Plate): Adds a chance to not use durability, stacks up to unbreakable.
Tips for Optimizing Your Pickaxe
Maximize Modifiers
Use materials like Paper or Necrotic Bones to grant more modifiers at creation. This allows for more upgrades like Luck or Auto-Repair to be added early on.
Upgrade Strategically
Apply Redstone or Lapis in small increments, testing how each change affects mining speed or loot rate. Don’t max out modifiers until you’re confident in your tool’s core configuration.
Keep a Backup
Always have a backup pickaxe or a second specialized tool. For example, one for speed mining and one for fortune-heavy ore gathering.
Late-Game Goals
Unbreakable Pickaxe
By stacking multiple Reinforcement modifiers and then adding the Unbreakable trait (formerly requiring five Reinforcements), you can create a pickaxe that never loses durability. Combine this with high speed and fortune to build a near-perfect mining tool.
Auto-Repair and Fortune Combo
With enough modifiers, a pickaxe can be built that auto-repairs while mining and yields double or triple ore drops thanks to max-level Luck. This becomes your primary tool for resource farming in any modpack.
Choosing the best Tinkers’ Construct pickaxe depends on your goals whether that’s speed, durability, versatility, or loot gathering. While Cobalt is often the go-to for mining speed, materials like Obsidian, Paper, and Manyullyn each bring unique strengths to your setup. The ideal combination typically involves balancing a fast mining head with a durable handle and a binding that allows for more modifiers. Once built, focus on refining the pickaxe with Redstone, Moss, and Lapis to enhance its strengths. With the right parts and upgrades, your pickaxe will become the ultimate tool for carving through the Minecraft world efficiently and reliably.