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The basics of mining are pretty straightforward: stay unseen, predict where the enemy might go, drop enough mines to make him jump out of his chair – you can add your own colorful descriptions. In most cases, mining is a one shot deal, because that perfect trap you laid for the unwary player has to kill him. If you come up short in damage, he'll know what's up and will immediately seize up into cautious mode. You better be careful because he's now on to your mining and will be prepared to hunt you down or carry a minesweeper to blow you apart with your own medicine, and that's just to name only a few ways he can make you pay for your attempt. If you need specific mining configurations for different tanks, visit the Tank Configurations section.

1) Use 5 mines. The key here is to blow apart your enemy in one shot. With 5 mines, there is no way he's going to survive the blast. You're guaranteed a kill against the person who tripped the mines, and you can even take down nearby enemies due to the proximity effect. No tank that trips 5 mines will survive the blast. You can get away with only four mines if you're specifically targeting Lightnings or Chameleons, but I suggest 5 mines at a minimum to cover the entire spectrum.

2) Always carry Stealth. The obvious is not to be obvious. Anyone who sees on radar an enemy blip sitting right on top of their recon station for a couple seconds will figure out one of two things: You're there to capture the recon station, or you're there to lay mines. They'll also know who you are by targeting you, and will know whom to specifically look out for. Some savvy miners test the waters first by dropping one mine, followed by a slight pause in case someone is lying in wait with a minesweeper, then they drop the rest if things look all right.

3) Lay your traps in the least obvious place. Like, duh! But there's actually a deeper strategy here. The basic strategy is to lay your mines where they will be seen by tanks when it's too late – for example, at the top of a ramp if you know that tanks tend to go up, more than they come down. However, if tanks like to come down ramps a lot, then place the mines at the top of the decline. The advanced strategy is to lay your mines off the side, so that visually, the coast is clear, but a nasty surprise is a bit further in. Tanks think they're safe, so they drive forward only to die to well placed mines off to their side.

You also want to make sure that you place your mines in such a way that once they are spotted, there's little chance of a tank reacting. At the same time, you don't want to place your mines so that they're spotted too early, either. The key here is to lay mines so that once they are spotted, it's too late for the tank to react. For example, when placing a mine at the top of ramp, place it far enough back that a tank doesn't see its edge as he's going up (too close), but not so far back as to allow him to stop and back down without ever setting off the mines.

Another tactic is to place mines around corners. Especially if you notice that tanks like to hug certain walls, in which case you can place the mines around the corner of the wall in question. This leads to another tactic that's very similar – laying mines not at the top of a ramp, but to the side of a ramp where it's completely out of view. A good example is the garage area of certain cities, where ramps lead up into enclosed areas. Rather than placing the mine at the top of the ramp, place it directly to the side of the incline, where it will sit above the tank and still get the effect you want.

4) Watch for patterns. Careful observation of how a team travels through a city will prove beneficial in laying the best traps. For example, if you observe two teams constantly fighting each other and making repairs at very specific recon stations, then take the opportunity to capitalize on their patterns. Same goes for areas of heavy traffic. Observe from a distance and then make your move.

5) Don't become a pattern. Mining, like any other tactic, requires that you be one step ahead of the enemy. Don't let anyone figure you out, because once they do, they can easily counter you with a minesweeper or just might come in for a kill. Variations in your mining method will help reduce your predictability.

6) Stack your mines. Currently, mines do not take up any space in the virtual world of Tanarus, which means mines can be stacked one on top of the other. Not only are you able to drop the mines quicker, but no one can tell just how many mines are actually there.

7) Be wary of recon guns. Your best bet is to destroy recon guns first, and then mine, because recon guns can be quite devastating. They'll also give away your presence, no matter if you're stealthed or cloaked. Most players are accustomed to hearing the sound of their own recon gun and satellites firing, which means only one thing: an enemy is in the vicinity. That means you.

8) Take care when mining your own recon stations or base. In the early days of Tanarus, mining your own recon station was commonplace. When the linked kill to the minesweeper was implemented, that soon changed and players were cautious about mining anywhere near themselves. I suggest not mining your recon stations altogether, but if you have to, absolutely avoid laying right on top of the recon pad. Also, when mining your base, avoid carpeting the entire base with mines, or mining your entrances and exits. Most players when mining their base only mine the flag for protection, and they place that far from the exits and entrances in the first place, and away from the recon pads as well. In short, don't mine your own areas of traffic.

9) Choose the right team. If you really want to play the mining game, consider joining either the gray or blue team. Gray mines and Blue mines are the hardest to spot visually, especially when placed on similarly colored ground. Red and Green mines can be spotted easily, since they contrast heavily against the darker shades that typically color most surfaces in a city.

10) Don't neglect the rest of the game! I can't stress this enough because it's very easy to go off into your own world when laying mines. You're of no help to your team if all you're doing is mining, and your teammates are getting pounded. Don't let your teammates down when they can use your help in a more pro-active way. And it's not just for your teammates either, but for your own survival as well.