Drones
Sell Ores drone guide: how to unlock drones, upgrade speed and capacity, automate mining and selling, and build the best drone setup for AFK income.
Introduction
Drones are the automation heart of Sell Ores. A drone mines ore, carries it to the sell point and drops off the cash — all without you pressing a button. That single loop is what turns Sell Ores from a clicker into an idle game, and it is the reason the game lets you stay AFK without getting kicked. This page covers everything about drones: how to unlock your first one, which upgrades matter most, how many drones you can deploy, and how to build a drone setup that keeps your whole base running 24/7. Because drone upgrades have different costs and payoffs, we rank them by return on investment so you never waste cash on the wrong upgrade. The exact upgrade prices are community-reported rather than officially published, so treat the numbers as estimates and verify in-game before a big purchase.
Drone Upgrade Quick Reference
| Upgrade | Tier | Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Drone | S | Start automation | New players in the first hour |
| Auto-Sell | S | Passive selling | AFK and offline income |
| Speed Upgrade | A | Faster mining | Maximizing money per minute |
| Capacity Upgrade | A | Carry more ores | Fewer trips to the sell point |
| Extra Drones | B | More coverage | Large bases with many spots |
Drone Breakdown
First Drone
Your entry into automation — cheap and transformative
Auto-Sell
The upgrade that makes Sell Ores a true idle game
Speed Upgrade
Shorter mining cycles mean more money per minute
Capacity Upgrade
Carry more ore per trip to cut down on travel time
Extra Drones
More drones to cover a growing base
Core Mechanics
Drones work in a simple loop: fly to a mining spot, extract the ore, carry it to the sell point and return for the next load. Each drone has a speed stat that controls how fast it completes the loop and a capacity stat that controls how much ore it carries per trip. The drone limit determines how many drones you can deploy, which is what lets you cover a growing base with many mining spots. Auto-sell is the upgrade that makes the system truly passive — with it, drones sell ore on their own, so you never have to tap the sell point again. Because drones run even when you are away, they are the engine of the AFK and offline income that makes Sell Ores special. The right upgrade order is first drone, then speed and auto-sell, then capacity, and finally extra drones as your base grows.
Advantages
Drones are the difference between actively grinding and passively earning. A single drone with auto-sell turns your base into a money printer that runs while you sleep, and the AFK system means you never get kicked for leaving it running. Upgrading speed directly increases your money per minute, which compounds into faster base expansion and higher floors. For free-to-play players, drones are the great equalizer: a well-configured drone setup lets a patient player out-earn a spender who only plays manually. The upgrade priority list also prevents wasted cash — many players buy capacity early when speed would have given them a better return, so following the ranked list keeps your money working as hard as your drones.
Challenges
Drones are expensive to max out, and exact upgrade prices are community-reported rather than officially confirmed, so costs can shift after a patch. Early on, a single drone is slow and covers only one spot, which can feel underwhelming until you invest in speed and capacity. If you buy upgrades in the wrong order, you can stall your progression for hours, which is why the priority list matters. The drone limit also caps how much automation you can stack, so eventually you must balance drone coverage against base expansion and ore floor unlocks rather than just buying more drones. Check the current shop prices before committing to a large drone investment, because a balance patch can change the best value overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get my first drone?+
Which drone upgrade should I prioritize?+
Do drones keep working while I am AFK?+
Quick Tips
Buy your first drone before anything else — it is the fastest single upgrade to your income. Every minute a drone mines for you is a minute of money you earn without tapping, so the earlier you automate, the faster everything else snowballs. Every early purchase decision should point toward the first drone, because automation is what makes every later upgrade worth more.
Prioritize auto-sell once you own a drone. Manual selling wastes time and attention, and auto-sell is what makes the AFK and offline systems actually work. A drone that sells by itself earns more in an hour of idling than you would make tapping the sell point for ten minutes. A fully automated base turns your session time into setup and growth instead of repetitive tapping, which is the core of the game design.
Match drone count to base size. Extra drones are wasted if they have nothing to mine, so expand your base and unlock spots first, then add drones to cover them. A balanced setup — enough drones for your spots, enough speed to keep up — always beats a lopsided investment.
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