# Mining with pickaxes

There are 8 pickaxe levels in total, each with a different reward mining rate and lifespan. You will get a free Level-1 pickaxe when you join the game and collect airdrop, so that you can start mining HPE without spending any money. It’s a rather basic tool, more like Stone Age technology, but it does the job: you’ll earn free tokens. 

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You can have as many pickaxes as you like, including several of the same level. You can either wait to accumulate enough $HPE rewards to craft new picks or buy tools instantly in the marketplace.

A free Level-1 pick can keep the duration of the promo, but there is a limit on how many mined $HPE it can hold at the same time. The reservoir is filled in 5 minutes, and then mining stops. You’ll need to click on Harvest to move the rewards to the balance and continue mining until the pickaxe expires. The maximum daily reward for Level-1 picks is calculated based on the assumption that you will harvest rewards every 5 minutes.

All other levels of pickaxes, you’ll see a Total Mined indicator as a share of the maximum number of HPE it can produce over the course of its lifespan. A special feature to fix (rejuvenate) expired picks for $HPE will be introduced later. For more info, see the FAQ on the pickaxe page.


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