Game Mechanics - Drills vs. Pickaxes: What's the Difference? (2024)

Many miners prefer drills over pickaxes once they reach Hardmode. Why? Because they look cool. Obviously. However, sadly, most (if not all) drills are inferior to their pickaxe counterparts. Why? Good question. Let's look at the comparison as it stands today.

Pickaxe/Drill Similarities: Assuming they are the same type (cobalt pick/cobalt drill)...
The following things are the same: mining speed, pickaxe power, range, crafting recipies, and damage.

Pickaxe Advantages:
Pickaxes actually have knockback, meaning you can actually repel enemies while mining, unlike drills, which only do damage. This also means they can acquire modifiers specialized for melee weapons, increasing damage as well. In addition, pickaxes are affected by melee speed boosts, which increase mining speed. All of these factors can even cause the things that are the same to be unbalanced.

Drill Advantages:
You look like a boss when using them. Anything else? Uh, nope.

Proposed Changes:
It makes sense for a drill to break blocks faster than something you actively have to hit blocks with, so drills should have 1.2x (120%) of the speed (not power) of pickaxes, more or less. Also, to make up for the OPness of that speed boost, drills should have -2 range. I mean seriously, they are tiny.

Other suggestions are appreciated!

TerrorPenguin said:

actually i saw a video on youtube comparing the pickaxes and drills and the pickaxes mine faster so not only do they have more knockback and don't have that ing annoying drilling sound but they are faster

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...which is exactly what im trying to fix.

Im not sure i understand what point youre making. If that is a support comment then thanks

MetaKnight956 said:

I think drills should be faster than picks (but not 2x faster) but picks should have more knockback and have +1 range (or drills should have -1 range.)

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I considered 1.5x speed for drills instead of 2. Also, thanks for the range thing. Thats a good idea.

I saw 2 videos that shows this:
Drills are actually slower, and quite a bit, than pickaxes. The largest difference is for the orichalcium drill, which is almost 1.5 as slow as it's relative. The difference ranges from 10% to 30%.

Let's cheer the drax! He used to be the top notch, and now he's noting!
Ooh, and by the way, he's asking a toggle for his sound.

So, what do we get? A top-tier pickaxe is approximately 30% faster when modified. Add higher damages, useful batting effect and better non-speed-based modifiers, and voilà... The 1,5x speed doesn't seems so op, now?

Finally, to put drills back to grace, what about more alts?
Examples: Hamdrill (Can be crafted fom and into the picksaw for 100 lizharhd bricks)
Shroomite digsaw

Or even Pre-HM!
Tin/Copper/Iron/Lead/Silver/Tungsten/Gold/Platinum drills!
And here's an idea most peoples won't accept: The nightmare pickaxe stays as it is, but the deathbringer pickaxe becomes the "Deathbringer drill"

Ronald Reagan said:

WIthout getting too snippy
It looks like a communist came up with this thread. Here are the major issues I found:
-Drills are not often favored over pickaxes. They are noisy and ugly.
-Pickaxes are FACTUALLY faster at mining. This has been proven through tests and more importantly science.
I think Red mostly abondoned the drill set. He added in the alternate ores to be consistent, but beyond chlorophyte, all of the higher mining tools are dominated by pickaxes (Picksaw, Digging Claw). I can only speculate, but I do believe redigit prefers pickaxes or acknowledges that most players prefer pickaxes.

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The fact is that some players want to give dills some love (yep, I do) and I would really like to see them put back to grace. Also, the 3 non-alt drills could look better.
I am definitely for making them a faster yet less weaponized pickaxe alt.

Besides, the logic in the post is strange: "Drills have no love, so we should keep them like this"?

towerator said:

The fact is that some players want to give dills some love (yep, I do) and I would really like to see them put back to grace. Also, the 3 non-alt drills could look better.
I am definitely for making them a faster yet less weaponized pickaxe alt.

Besides, the logic in the post is strange: "Drills have no love, so we should keep them like this"?

See Also

Game Mechanics - Drills vs. Pickaxes: What's the Difference?

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I disagree with making drills better than pickaxes. Bring them up to par, fine, but neither is intended to be used as a weapon.
I wouldn't be against removing the damage and knockback on all tools, save a few hammers and axes.

Ronald Reagan said:

I disagree with making drills better than pickaxes. Bring them up to par, fine, but neither is intended to be used as a weapon.
I wouldn't be against removing the damage and knockback on all tools, save a few hammers and axes.

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There needs to be a dislike button. ever hear of balance?

While it is factually correct that pickaxes are faster at mining than drills, I'd like to point something out...

stormconure said:

In addition, pickaxes are affected by melee speed boosts, which increase mining speed.

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This is incorrect. It's been tested over and over again. The game's code has been analyzed. Melee speed boosts DO NOT increase mining speed. Here's a thread that was written on the subject and can explain things far better than I can: http://www.terrariaonline.com/threads/mining-speed-and-you.159635/

Edit: I was a little unclear on this. I was specifically referring to modifiers that come from accessories, like Violent. Weapon modifiers themselves do make a difference.

Boooo said:

While it is factually correct that pickaxes are faster at mining than drills, I'd like to point something out...

This is incorrect. It's been tested over and over again. The game's code has been analyzed. Melee speed boosts DO NOT increase mining speed. Here's a thread that was written on the subject and can explain things far better than I can: http://www.terrariaonline.com/threads/mining-speed-and-you.159635/

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I have seen a video showing the reverse. This guy also compared drills and picks.

Ronald Reagan said:

I disagree with making drills better than pickaxes. Bring them up to par, fine, but neither is intended to be used as a weapon.
I wouldn't be against removing the damage and knockback on all tools, save a few hammers and axes.

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I disagree.
I know, terraria logic, but drills are made to drill, and only to, while pickaxes make more than alright blunt weapons. So the "more damage for picks in comparison" is natural, but it has to be accompanied with a buff of drills so they can finally be competitive.

towerator said:

I have seen a video showing the reverse. This guy also compared drills and picks.

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It's the weapon modifier on the tool that affects mining speed, but armor and accessories with melee speed boosts has no effect on mining speed

MegaMage314 said:

It's the weapon modifier on the tool that affects mining speed, but armor and accessories with melee speed boosts has no effect on mining speed

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Ok, but I think he's talking about what I said, as drills cannot get any speed modifier, furthermore enlarging the gap (With a pickaxe, hehehe)

TCRanch said:

There needs to be a dislike button. ever hear of balance?

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Pardon my French
There is absolutely ing nothing balanced about making some mining tools ludicrously more powerful and useful for their intended purpose than their alternates of the same tier and same required materials.
To restate, neither pickaxes or drills were ever intended to function as weapons, and really the only combat advantage picks have is the knockback.
Otherwise you're better off using your golden sword than your cobalt pick.
Please don't be unreasonable.

towerator said:

I have seen a video showing the reverse. This guy also compared drills and picks.

I disagree.
I know, terraria logic, but drills are made to drill, and only to, while pickaxes make more than alright blunt weapons. So the "more damage for picks in comparison" is natural, but it has to be accompanied with a buff of drills so they can finally be competitive.

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To clarify, "speed" modifers affect mining speed. Not movement speed, and not melee speed. Just general speed. For example: the Light modifier.

Ronald Reagan said:

Pardon my French
There is absolutely ing nothing balanced about making some mining tools ludicrously more powerful and useful for their intended purpose than their alternates of the same tier and same required materials.
To restate, neither pickaxes or drills were ever intended to function as weapons, and really the only combat advantage picks have is the knockback.
Otherwise you're better off using your golden sword than your cobalt pick.
Please don't be unreasonable.

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There is absolutely no need to be rude...
I didn't say "lucridiously more powerful". The fact is, giving drills a 10% boost in comparison to picks would only cause them to be equivalent, due to speed modifiers.
And excuse me, but if I had to choose something to defend, I'd DEFINITELY put my choice on the pickaxe rather than on the drill.
Finally, giving them no damage would mean no projectile batting, whoich would need that each time one of those imps straight from hell (Wait...) shoots at you, you'll have to:
1. switch to your sword
2. Bat the projectile
3. Get back to your pickaxe and try to advance to the imp before he shoots again
4. Reapeat x2.
5. Finally get him

No. Just, no. No need to make the hell more annoying.

Oh, and no, I am french too, and that doesn't excuse me from being impolite. I have been for the moment, respect this. Besides, "Pardon my french", huh?

TCRanch said:

There needs to be a dislike button. ever hear of balance?

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towerator said:

There is absolutely no need to be rude...
I didn't say "lucridiously more powerful". The fact is, giving drills a 10% boost in comparison to picks would only cause them to be equivalent, due to speed modifiers.
And excuse me, but if I had to choose something to defend, I'd DEFINITELY put my choice on the pickaxe rather than on the drill.
Finally, giving them no damage would mean no projectile batting, whoich would need that each time one of those imps straight from hell (Wait...) shoots at you, you'll have to:
1. switch to your sword
2. Bat the projectile
3. Get back to your pickaxe and try to advance to the imp before he shoots again
4. Reapeat x2.
5. Finally get him

No. Just, no. No need to make the hell more annoying.

Oh, and no, I am french too, and that doesn't excuse me from being impolite. Besides, "Pardon my french", huh?

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It's an american expression to warn of future cussing. I don't blame you for being a foreign commie and not understanding.

The OP lists 1.5x speed. That 50% increased, for the mathematically impaired, not 10%.
I go back to the idea that pickaxes are not intended to be weapons of any sort. I'm not suggesting their damage is removed, but I would not be upset if such a change was set in place.