Mercury is the first planet from the Sun. It is roughly between the size of the Moon and Mars. Mercury can be hazardous to unprepared players, as it cannot be terraformed and access to water is limited to the poles.
Mining
With a very large iron core, Mercury is, in theory, a good place to mine. On this planet, excavation with explosive charges reveals two types of rock: the Mercury Rock, and the Core Rock. Since accessing Core Rocks requires extra effort to be put into excavation, and worse still, are sold for the same amount of cash as the Mercury Rock, it is not a popular destination for mining. The magma layer is guaranteed to have high metal.
Terrain
The terrain of Mercury is monotonous, consisting of basalt, rock, slate, and salt. A layer of magma begins half-way between the surface and the core.
Colonization
It is important that you try to base at the poles. No more than one drill and one factory is required as starting buildings. Other tools will still be required, but that is all you generally need.
Mercury does not have any natural gas, and will have to be imported. For sending natural gas, the most ideal start is Titan if Venus isn't terraformed or otherwise isn't available. Be aware that if you use Titan though, when Titan is terraformed, drones may get stuck under it's surface. junction chains are an alternative higher effort but higher reward endeavour. Junction chains are ideal if you have the time and the will. While it is recommended to use drones due to the ease of use and the faster times, a more permanent colony will benefit greatly from a junction chain. In most cases, junction chains aren't worth the effort and time spent on creating them.
Trivia
- After Release 16 Bigger and Better, Mercury was increased in its size and Alphium forgot to change the code to make metal more common at higher depth, thus making it much rarer to find before Patch 18.1.
- Explosives yield more rocks when at a lower elevation.
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