Mining

Any pickaxe mines any node; there are no level gates. The method is simply to mine the highest tier of ore your regions have unlocked, and when a region runs dry (Dowdun Reach can be emptied in one session) to drop back a tier rather than wait: adamantite, then mithril, then coal. Going below coal isn't worth the swings.

Rocksplosion is the skill's engine. Cast it every time it comes off cooldown and it breaks the whole node in one blast; it seems to shave a little XP per action but the speed more than pays for it. The pickaxe's damage is what the rest of the kit raises: the Amulet of Glory is +25% damage to nodes and the Unholy Symbol +15%, while the Inspiring Ring of Mining is +5% XP. Carry both and swap: the damage trinket for hand mining, the ring while Rocksplosion is doing the breaking, since the spell one-shots the node regardless. One piece of mage armour gives the -50% stamina regeneration delay, Leggings Of Lightness add 50 carry weight, the Personal Chest spell holds 1,980 ore and Magical Mending repairs the pick anywhere.

Food and potions stack one of each: a Glazed Pumpkin Sandwich or Meat Twist Sandwich for Knowledgable Nourishment (+10% XP) and Foreman's Feast (-33% mining stamina), with a Focused Mining potion (+15%, Super Focused +30%).

Adamantite in the Umbral Sands is the best XP per ore in the game and the most dangerous to get: the nodes sit among KotHaar, red dragons, wild ruby vines, kalphites and goats that hit harder than they look, under a sun that scorches you. Mine the adamantite and take the gypsum and coal beside it as a bonus rather than making trips for them, wear desert robes or drink cooling infusions, and if your gear allows it clear the mobs along your route first. The Lake in Dowdun Reach, reached during Black Knight's Fortress, is the quiet alternative: silver, gold, coal and limestone together, with a lodestone next to The Courtyard's nodestone for the trip.