This page targets vanilla stable 1.22.5. The detailed community-maintained prospecting pages used here are hosted on the official Vintage Story infrastructure but are not version-stamped, so numeric examples are labeled as examples and should be checked against the in-game Handbook and your world configuration.
Density Search and Node Search answer different questions
| Question | Density Search | Node Search |
|---|---|---|
| What does it tell you? | Where an ore is more likely to generate | Whether actual ore blocks are inside the configured scan radius |
| Samples required | Three valid rock samples | One rock sample |
| Is elevation important? | The first sample’s X/Z position drives the result; repeating at another Y does not improve the reading | Yes; the scan covers nearby blocks in three dimensions |
| Does a positive result guarantee ore? | No | Yes, within the configured radius, if the result reports detected ore |
| Best use | Choose a promising region | Home in while digging |
| Can it be unavailable? | This is the basic prospecting function | Yes; world or server settings can disable it |
The most important correction is simple: Density Search is not an underground radar sweep. It reads a probability field generated with the world. A strong reading means that the location is worth investigating, not that a vein occupies the column beneath your feet.
Step 1: check the Node Search setting
Hold the prospecting pick and open its tool-mode selector. If only Density Search appears, Node Search may be disabled for that world or server. Ask the server owner before trying commands: permission and server policy matter.
If Node Search is available, record its radius. Do not copy a tutorial that assumes radius 6 when your world uses 2, 4, 8, or another configured value. The radius controls both how much space one sample covers and how far apart repeated samples can be without leaving gaps.
Step 2: take a valid Density Search reading
Select Density Search and break three rock blocks. The current Handbook transcription and the officially hosted, community-maintained reference agree on two spacing rules: samples should be at least three blocks apart, and the later samples must remain within 16 blocks of the first. Watch the information log after each hit. A too-close or too-distant sample can delay or restart the sequence.
The result appears after the third valid sample. Record the target ore’s descriptive rating and numerical value on the map. The unversioned community guide explains that the first sample’s horizontal position determines the density result; changing only elevation does not create a new look at the same location.
Step 3: build a small density map
Move in a cardinal direction, sample again, and compare the target ore’s value. Continue toward improvement; when readings decline, return toward the stronger area and test perpendicular directions.
Use relative comparisons rather than magical thresholds:
| Pattern | What it suggests | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Target ore absent from repeated readings | This area is a poor use of mining time | Travel and sample a new region |
| Values rise consistently eastward | You may be approaching a stronger part of the field | Continue east, then refine north/south |
| Ultra-high reading but no ore found | Random generation, wrong host layer, or incomplete shaft coverage may be responsible | Use Node Search through valid strata; do not call the reading false |
Step 4: choose a shaft safely
Ores often form thin, horizontally broad deposits distorted by terrain. A vertical shaft can cross more layers than a random tunnel at one elevation. Use a staircase or ladder shaft that you can exit, light, and seal.
Before digging deep, check the target ore’s Handbook page for host rock and vertical range. If the exposed rock is unsuitable, continue safely toward another layer instead of carving a huge room at the wrong level.
Step 5: use Node Search without gaps
Node Search inspects actual blocks within the configured radius. A positive reading means ore is somewhere in that three-dimensional neighborhood—it may be above, below, beside, or diagonal to the block you sampled.
For a worked example only, suppose the radius is 6. One sample covers a cube extending six blocks in every direction, or 13 blocks across. Sampling every 13th block down a straight shaft can place adjacent scan volumes without intentional gaps. Closer samples cost durability but reduce backtracking.
If your radius is not 6, recalculate the interval from the displayed setting. The general full-width relationship is 2 × radius + 1, but cave geometry, inaccessible blocks, and safety may justify closer samples.
Step 6: home in on a positive result
When Node Search changes from no ore to a positive report:
- Mark the sampled block and its Y level.
- Test above and below to resolve the vertical direction.
- From the best level, sample north, south, east, and west within a safe tunnel pattern.
- Move toward stronger descriptions or larger detected amounts.
- Repeat the cross-check rather than committing to one long tunnel.
- Inspect your inventory and the rock texture; some ore can blend into its host rock.
- After finding the deposit, mine beyond the visible edge and recheck for remaining blocks.
A weaker reading may mean only the deposit’s edge intersects the scan volume. Think “hotter or colder,” not an exact tunnel total.
Troubleshooting prospecting results
| Problem | Likely explanation | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Only Density Search appears | Node Search is disabled or unavailable under the world settings | Confirm with the owner; use density, geology, caves, and exploratory shafts instead |
| Density samples never complete | Hits are too close, too far from the first sample, or not valid rock | Read the info log and restart with three clearly spaced rock blocks |
| Ultra-high density, no Node result | Density does not guarantee generation beneath the point | Search neighboring shafts, valid host layers, and the full vertical range |
| Node reports ore, tunnel finds nothing | Ore may be above, below, or diagonal | Test all three dimensions instead of only four compass directions |
| Readings get weaker in every horizontal direction | The deposit may be vertically offset | Sample above and below the strongest point |
| Gold or silver never appears in Density Search | Child deposits can be omitted by Density Search | Use Node Search around suitable parent deposits and verify the Handbook |
Frequently asked questions
Is an ultra-high Density Search result guaranteed ore?
No. It represents a highly favorable part of the generated density field. Actual deposits are still subject to world generation.
Is Node Search radius always 6?
No. Radius 6 is a common worked example in community documentation, not a universal promise. Check the current world or server setting.
Why did a positive Node Search not reveal ore beside the sample?
The scan is three-dimensional. Ore can be above, below, or diagonal, and a thin edge may be the only part inside the radius.
Related Guides
- Getting Started
- Fishing
- Installing and Managing Mods
- Multiplayer and Server Hosting
- Vintage Story Overview
Public Sources
- Community-maintained Prospecting Pick reference, officially hosted
- Community-maintained prospecting methodology, officially hosted
- Community-maintained Survival Handbook transcription, officially hosted
- Official forum: enabling Node Search in an existing world
- Official v1.22.4/5 stable patch announcement