Exhumer guideSame job, five times the price
Each exhumer is the Tech II version of a mining barge: same job, done better, for about five times the price. At Exhumers I the gain is small; it comes at Exhumers IV and V. Here is how big it is for each ship and what it takes to fly one. Figures come from live ESI data on 29 September 2026.
Three exhumers, one per barge
Each mining barge has a Tech II version with the same job: the Skiff replaces the Procurer, the Mackinaw the Retriever, the Hulk the Covetor. Compared with its barge, each has two more mid slots, one fewer rig slot, a bigger hold, more HP and more powergrid, and gets 4% shield resistances per Exhumers level. All three have 310 CPU. Flying one takes Mining Barge V and Exhumers I, and Exhumers needs Astrogeology V and Spaceship Command IV.
| Ship | Replaces | Ore hold (m³) | Total HP | m³/min, Exhumers I | Exhumers V | Jita sell (ISK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skiff | Procurer: tank | 18,500 | 19,000 | 673 | 726 | 208.5M |
| Mackinawpick | Retriever: hold | 31,500 | 16,000 | 797 | 920 | 197.3M |
| Hulk | Covetor: yield | 11,500 | 12,000 | 887 | 1,242 | 187.6M |
Hold and HP are the hull values you see in Show Info. m³/min is two Strip Miner I with Mining IV, Astrogeology V and Mining Barge V, no upgrades, at Exhumers I and V. The Mackinaw's hold also grows with skills: 5% per Mining Barge level and 2.5% per Exhumers level.
How long until the hold is full
A full hold stops the lasers until you dock or someone takes the ore. The Mackinaw's hold grows with Exhumers almost as fast as its yield, so it lasts close to 50 minutes at every level. The Hulk's fills in 13 minutes at Exhumers I and 9 at Exhumers V.
Exhumers I
Exhumers V
The skills are the ones from the table above. The same number of Mining Laser Upgrades on each ship shortens every bar by the same share, so the order doesn't change.
Skiff: when you might get shot
The Skiff has 19,000 HP, the most of any barge or exhumer. Mining Barge adds 6% shield HP per level, for 20,950 HP in all at level V, and Exhumers adds 4% shield resistances per level. Five mid slots and 176 powergrid leave room for a large shield extender and hardeners. Like the Procurer, its role bonus gives drones +50% damage and hitpoints, with a 100 m³ drone bay.
It mines the least: 2% more than a Procurer per Exhumers level, 10% at Exhumers V. Fly it where ships get ganked, and whenever you can't watch Local.
It costs 5.2 times a Procurer for at most 10% more ore. What you pay for is the tank.
Mackinaw: when you mine alone
The Mackinaw carries 31,500 m³, plus 5% per Mining Barge level and 2.5% per Exhumers level: 44,297 m³ with both at V. Its role bonus cuts Strip Miner cycle time by 10%, and Exhumers adds 4% yield per level. At Exhumers V it mines exactly as fast as a Covetor at Mining Barge V, 920 m³ a minute, with almost five times the hold.
Ice is where the hold counts most. The role bonus takes 12.5% off ice harvester cycles and Mining Barge another 4% per level. At Exhumers I the hold takes 40 ice blocks, against 18 in a Skiff and 11 in a Hulk.
With 16,000 HP it sits between the Skiff and the Hulk. It is the exhumer to buy first if you mine on your own.
Hulk: when someone else hauls
The Hulk gains the most from Exhumers: 6% yield and 3% shorter cycles per level, on top of a role bonus that cuts Strip Miner cycles by 15%. At Exhumers I it mines 4% less than a Covetor at Mining Barge V. At Exhumers V it mines 35% more, 1,242 m³ a minute, the fastest of the six.
Its 11,500 m³ hold fills in 9 minutes at Exhumers V. Like the Covetor, it pays off only when ore leaves the hold without you docking: an Orca or Porpoise in the fleet takes it, or a second character in a hauler. Its role bonus also cuts ice and gas harvester cycles by 30%.
With 12,000 HP and a 187.6M hull, it belongs in fleets where someone watches Local.
Worth it over a barge?
At Exhumers I an exhumer barely out-mines its barge, and a Hulk mines less than a Covetor. The gain comes at Exhumers IV and V, while the hull costs about five times as much from day one.
| Ship | Compared with | Exhumers I | II | III | IV | V | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skiff | Procurer | +2% | +4% | +6% | +8% | +10% | 5.2× |
| Mackinaw | Retriever | +5% | +9% | +13% | +17% | +21% | 4.8× |
| Hulk | Covetor | −4% | +5% | +14% | +24% | +35% | 4.7× |
Yield is at the skills above, against the barge at Mining Barge V. Price is the exhumer's Jita sell price over its barge's.
Take the Mackinaw. With two Strip Miner I and no upgrades, at Exhumers V it brings in about 9,700 m³ an hour more than a Retriever, worth about 1.2M ISK as Scordite at the Jita buy price for compressed ore (125 ISK per m³ on 29 September). The 157M between the two hulls takes about 130 hours of mining to earn back at Exhumers V, 160 at Exhumers IV and over 540 at Exhumers I. Train Exhumers to IV before you buy, and stay in a barge until you can afford to lose the exhumer.
Four Mackinaw fits
The Mackinaw is the exhumer most solo miners buy first, so these four fits are for it: two for ore and two for ice, each in a cheap version and one with ORE strip miners or ice harvesters. All four put a Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender (+2,200 shield HP), two shield hardeners and a Mining Survey Chipset II in the mid slots, and at least one Medium Core Defense Field Extender II (+20% shield HP) in the rigs.
Powergrid is the limit. The extender needs 140 against the Mackinaw's 110, so every fit needs Shield Upgrades V, which takes 25% off it, and Power Grid Management IV; the Tech II ore fit needs Power Grid Management V. The Required skills list on each card only counts what the ship and modules ask for, so plan 3 below adds the grid and CPU skills.
The Tech II ore fit uses Modulated Strip Miner II with Simple Asteroid Mining Crystal Type B II, and three Mining Laser Upgrade II. On simple ores (Veldspar, Scordite, Plagioclase, Pyroxeres and Mordunium) the crystal adds 80% yield per cycle and shortens the cycle by 20%. At Mining V and Exhumers I the fit mines about 1,940 m³ a minute and fills the hold in 21 minutes. On any other ore the crystal does nothing, and it mines 40% less than the ORE fit below. Two Core Defense Field Extender II add 44% shield HP.
Mackinaw Ore T2
Mackinaw · Exhumer
High slots2/2
Modulated Strip Miner II×2
Mid slots4/4
Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener×2
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Mining Survey Chipset II
Low slots3/3
Mining Laser Upgrade II×3
Rigs2/2
Medium Core Defense Field Extender II×2
Drone bay
Hobgoblin II×5
Mining Drone II×5
Cargo
Simple Asteroid Mining Crystal Type B II×8
Required skills20 skills · ~2117 h (88.2 days) · 3.81M SP
Time is from zero at 1,800 SP an hour. In game, use "import from clipboard" in the Skill Queue window. Each line is one level, and prerequisites always come first.
- CPU Management
- Drones
- Industry
- Mining
- Power Grid Management
- Science
- Spaceship Command
- Astrogeology
- Gallente Drone Specialization
- Light Drone Operation
- Mining Drone Operation
- Mining Frigate
- Mining Upgrades
- Reprocessing
- Shield Upgrades
- Tactical Shield Manipulation
- Exhumers
- Mining Barge
- Mining Drone Specialization
- Simple Ore Processing
Skill queue text
CPU Management 1 CPU Management 2 Drones 1 Drones 2 Drones 3 Drones 4 Drones 5 Industry 1 Industry 2 Industry 3 Industry 4 Industry 5 Mining 1 Mining 2 Mining 3 Mining 4 Mining 5 Power Grid Management 1 Power Grid Management 2 Power Grid Management 3 Science 1 Science 2 Science 3 Science 4 Spaceship Command 1 Spaceship Command 2 Spaceship Command 3 Spaceship Command 4 Astrogeology 1 Astrogeology 2 Astrogeology 3 Astrogeology 4 Astrogeology 5 Gallente Drone Specialization 1 Light Drone Operation 1 Light Drone Operation 2 Light Drone Operation 3 Light Drone Operation 4 Light Drone Operation 5 Mining Drone Operation 1 Mining Drone Operation 2 Mining Drone Operation 3 Mining Drone Operation 4 Mining Drone Operation 5 Mining Frigate 1 Mining Frigate 2 Mining Frigate 3 Mining Upgrades 1 Mining Upgrades 2 Mining Upgrades 3 Mining Upgrades 4 Reprocessing 1 Reprocessing 2 Reprocessing 3 Reprocessing 4 Shield Upgrades 1 Tactical Shield Manipulation 1 Exhumers 1 Mining Barge 1 Mining Barge 2 Mining Barge 3 Mining Barge 4 Mining Barge 5 Mining Drone Specialization 1 Simple Ore Processing 1 Simple Ore Processing 2 Simple Ore Processing 3 Simple Ore Processing 4
EFT text11 modules · 10 drones · 8 in cargo
In game, open the Fitting window, click Browse and choose Import from Clipboard.
[Mackinaw, Mackinaw Ore T2] Mining Laser Upgrade II Mining Laser Upgrade II Mining Laser Upgrade II Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender Mining Survey Chipset II Modulated Strip Miner II Modulated Strip Miner II Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Hobgoblin II x5 Mining Drone II x5 Simple Asteroid Mining Crystal Type B II x8
The fit uses 381 CPU, so it needs CPU Management V (level IV gives 372). It costs about 58.7M ISK, 36.6M of it the two rigs.
The ORE ore fit has ORE Strip Miners: 200 m³ a cycle against a Strip Miner I's 150, 25% more range, and no crystals or residue, on any ore. Multispectrum Shield Hardener II replace the compact ones, and a Medium Processor Overclocking Unit II rig adds 9.6% CPU. The Damage Control II and EM Shield Hardener II in the cargo let you trade yield for tank when a system turns dangerous. At Mining V and Exhumers I it mines about 1,430 m³ a minute and fills the hold in 28 minutes.
Mackinaw Ore ORE
Mackinaw · ExhumerHigh slots2/2
ORE Strip Miner×2
Mid slots4/4
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II×2
Low slots3/3
Rigs2/2
Medium Processor Overclocking Unit II
Drone bay
Cargo
Damage Control II
EM Shield Hardener II
Required skills20 skills · ~2050 h (85.4 days) · 3.69M SP
Time is from zero at 1,800 SP an hour. In game, use "import from clipboard" in the Skill Queue window. Each line is one level, and prerequisites always come first.
- CPU Management
- Drones
- Industry
- Mechanics
- Mining
- Power Grid Management
- Science
- Spaceship Command
- Astrogeology
- Gallente Drone Specialization
- Hull Upgrades
- Light Drone Operation
- Mining Drone Operation
- Mining Frigate
- Mining Upgrades
- Shield Upgrades
- Tactical Shield Manipulation
- Exhumers
- Mining Barge
- Mining Drone Specialization
Skill queue text
CPU Management 1 CPU Management 2 Drones 1 Drones 2 Drones 3 Drones 4 Drones 5 Industry 1 Industry 2 Industry 3 Industry 4 Industry 5 Mechanics 1 Mining 1 Mining 2 Mining 3 Mining 4 Power Grid Management 1 Power Grid Management 2 Power Grid Management 3 Science 1 Science 2 Science 3 Science 4 Spaceship Command 1 Spaceship Command 2 Spaceship Command 3 Spaceship Command 4 Astrogeology 1 Astrogeology 2 Astrogeology 3 Astrogeology 4 Astrogeology 5 Gallente Drone Specialization 1 Hull Upgrades 1 Hull Upgrades 2 Hull Upgrades 3 Hull Upgrades 4 Light Drone Operation 1 Light Drone Operation 2 Light Drone Operation 3 Light Drone Operation 4 Light Drone Operation 5 Mining Drone Operation 1 Mining Drone Operation 2 Mining Drone Operation 3 Mining Drone Operation 4 Mining Drone Operation 5 Mining Frigate 1 Mining Frigate 2 Mining Frigate 3 Mining Upgrades 1 Mining Upgrades 2 Mining Upgrades 3 Mining Upgrades 4 Shield Upgrades 1 Tactical Shield Manipulation 1 Tactical Shield Manipulation 2 Tactical Shield Manipulation 3 Tactical Shield Manipulation 4 Exhumers 1 Mining Barge 1 Mining Barge 2 Mining Barge 3 Mining Barge 4 Mining Barge 5 Mining Drone Specialization 1
EFT text11 modules · 10 drones · 2 in cargo
In game, open the Fitting window, click Browse and choose Import from Clipboard.
[Mackinaw, Mackinaw Ore ORE] Mining Laser Upgrade II Mining Laser Upgrade II Mining Laser Upgrade II Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender Multispectrum Shield Hardener II Multispectrum Shield Hardener II Mining Survey Chipset II ORE Strip Miner ORE Strip Miner Medium Processor Overclocking Unit II Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Hobgoblin II x5 Mining Drone II x5 Damage Control II x1 EM Shield Hardener II x1
With the rig it needs only CPU Management III. It costs about 380M ISK, almost twice the hull, and 346M of that is the two ORE Strip Miners. On simple ores the Tech II fit mines 35% more for a sixth of the price; this one is for ores you have no crystals for, and a ship worth about 580M in all is a gank target.
For ice, the Tech I fit has two Ice Harvester I, three Ice Harvester Upgrade II and a Medium Ice Harvester Accelerator I rig. At Mining Barge V and Ice Harvesting I a cycle takes 106 seconds, and the 40-block hold lasts about 35 minutes. The Ice Harvesting Drone I adds a block about every six minutes. It takes the whole drone bay, so there are no combat drones.
Mackinaw Ice T1
Mackinaw · ExhumerHigh slots2/2
Ice Harvester I×2
Mid slots4/4
Low slots3/3
Ice Harvester Upgrade II×3
Rigs2/2
Medium Ice Harvester Accelerator I
Drone bay
Ice Harvesting Drone I
Required skills16 skills · ~1331 h (55.4 days) · 2.4M SP
Time is from zero at 1,800 SP an hour. In game, use "import from clipboard" in the Skill Queue window. Each line is one level, and prerequisites always come first.
- CPU Management
- Drones
- Industry
- Mining
- Power Grid Management
- Science
- Spaceship Command
- Astrogeology
- Ice Harvesting
- Mining Frigate
- Mining Upgrades
- Shield Upgrades
- Tactical Shield Manipulation
- Exhumers
- Ice Harvesting Drone Operation
- Mining Barge
Skill queue text
CPU Management 1 CPU Management 2 Drones 1 Industry 1 Industry 2 Industry 3 Industry 4 Industry 5 Mining 1 Mining 2 Mining 3 Mining 4 Power Grid Management 1 Power Grid Management 2 Power Grid Management 3 Science 1 Science 2 Science 3 Science 4 Spaceship Command 1 Spaceship Command 2 Spaceship Command 3 Spaceship Command 4 Astrogeology 1 Astrogeology 2 Astrogeology 3 Astrogeology 4 Astrogeology 5 Ice Harvesting 1 Ice Harvesting 2 Mining Frigate 1 Mining Frigate 2 Mining Frigate 3 Mining Upgrades 1 Mining Upgrades 2 Mining Upgrades 3 Mining Upgrades 4 Shield Upgrades 1 Tactical Shield Manipulation 1 Exhumers 1 Ice Harvesting Drone Operation 1 Mining Barge 1 Mining Barge 2 Mining Barge 3 Mining Barge 4 Mining Barge 5
EFT text11 modules · 1 drones
In game, open the Fitting window, click Browse and choose Import from Clipboard.
[Mackinaw, Mackinaw Ice T1] Ice Harvester Upgrade II Ice Harvester Upgrade II Ice Harvester Upgrade II Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender Mining Survey Chipset II Ice Harvester I Ice Harvester I Medium Ice Harvester Accelerator I Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Ice Harvesting Drone I x1
It uses 381 CPU and needs CPU Management V. It costs about 27.5M ISK, 18.3M of it the Core Defense Field Extender II.
The ORE ice fit has two ORE Ice Harvesters, which cycle in 200 seconds instead of 240. It trades one Ice Harvester Upgrade for a Damage Control II, uses Tech II hardeners, and carries five Hobgoblins for rats. At the same skills a cycle takes 97 seconds, 8% faster than the Tech I fit, and the hold lasts about 32 minutes.
Mackinaw Ice ORE
Mackinaw · ExhumerHigh slots2/2
ORE Ice Harvester×2
Mid slots4/4
Low slots3/3
Rigs2/2
Drone bay
Hobgoblin I×5
Required skills18 skills · ~1480 h (61.7 days) · 2.66M SP
Time is from zero at 1,800 SP an hour. In game, use "import from clipboard" in the Skill Queue window. Each line is one level, and prerequisites always come first.
- CPU Management
- Drones
- Industry
- Mechanics
- Mining
- Power Grid Management
- Science
- Spaceship Command
- Astrogeology
- Hull Upgrades
- Ice Harvesting
- Light Drone Operation
- Mining Frigate
- Mining Upgrades
- Shield Upgrades
- Tactical Shield Manipulation
- Exhumers
- Mining Barge
Skill queue text
CPU Management 1 CPU Management 2 Drones 1 Industry 1 Industry 2 Industry 3 Industry 4 Industry 5 Mechanics 1 Mining 1 Mining 2 Mining 3 Mining 4 Power Grid Management 1 Power Grid Management 2 Power Grid Management 3 Science 1 Science 2 Science 3 Science 4 Spaceship Command 1 Spaceship Command 2 Spaceship Command 3 Spaceship Command 4 Astrogeology 1 Astrogeology 2 Astrogeology 3 Astrogeology 4 Astrogeology 5 Hull Upgrades 1 Hull Upgrades 2 Hull Upgrades 3 Hull Upgrades 4 Ice Harvesting 1 Light Drone Operation 1 Mining Frigate 1 Mining Frigate 2 Mining Frigate 3 Mining Upgrades 1 Mining Upgrades 2 Mining Upgrades 3 Mining Upgrades 4 Shield Upgrades 1 Tactical Shield Manipulation 1 Tactical Shield Manipulation 2 Tactical Shield Manipulation 3 Tactical Shield Manipulation 4 Exhumers 1 Mining Barge 1 Mining Barge 2 Mining Barge 3 Mining Barge 4 Mining Barge 5
EFT text11 modules · 5 drones
In game, open the Fitting window, click Browse and choose Import from Clipboard.
[Mackinaw, Mackinaw Ice ORE] Damage Control II Ice Harvester Upgrade II Ice Harvester Upgrade II Multispectrum Shield Hardener II Multispectrum Shield Hardener II Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender Mining Survey Chipset II ORE Ice Harvester ORE Ice Harvester Medium Ice Harvester Accelerator I Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Hobgoblin I x5
It needs CPU Management IV. It costs about 304M ISK, 280M of it the two harvesters: about eleven times the Tech I fit for harvesters that cycle 8% faster, which the Tech I fit's ice drone roughly makes up. What the extra buys is tank.
Skill plan
Three blocks, in order. They start where the two plans in the mining barge guide end, with Mining Barge IV and Astrogeology IV. Copy one, then in game use "import from clipboard" in the Skill Queue window. Each line is one level, and prerequisites always come first.
1 · Into an exhumer
~845 h (35 days)Spaceship Command 2 Spaceship Command 3 Spaceship Command 4 Astrogeology 5 Mining Barge 5 Exhumers 1
2 · Exhumers to IV
~125 h (5.2 days)Exhumers 2 Exhumers 3 Exhumers 4
3 · Grid for the Mackinaw fits
~560 h (23 days)CPU Management 4 CPU Management 5 Power Grid Management 4 Power Grid Management 5 Shield Upgrades 1 Shield Upgrades 2 Shield Upgrades 3 Shield Upgrades 4 Shield Upgrades 5
Times assume no implants and 20/20 attributes: 1,800 SP an hour on Omega. Plan 1 is 1.52M SP, most of it Mining Barge V and Astrogeology V, which make a Retriever or Covetor mine about 7% more while you train. Plan 2 takes Exhumers to IV, where a Mackinaw mines 17% more than a Retriever. Plan 3 is what the Mackinaw fits need on top of their Required skills lists: Shield Upgrades V for all four, CPU Management V for the Tech II ore and Tech I ice fits, and Power Grid Management V for the Tech II ore fit.
No account yet? Start with 1M SP
Sign up through this link, or log in with an account that has never used a recruit link, and 1,000,000 SP lands on your account. That's two thirds of plan 1 above. For a new character it equals 2 Large Skill Injectors, about 1.5 billion ISK at today's Jita price.
Sign up with 1M SP https://www.eveonline.com/signup?invc=ea67eb3c-6578-4f4b-845c-2efa15cf999eClick the link first, then sign up or use "Log in to become a recruit". An account created any other way cannot be linked later. This is a Recruit a Friend link: if you buy Omega or PLEX on the official store I get in-game rewards, and if you don't, nothing changes. Exhumers need Omega.
Sources
ESI (29 September 2026: Jita 4-4 orders, and ship, module and skill data), EVE University Wiki (exhumers).