This guide was created to help others get into Harvesting as SOL/Centauri

The information in this guide is pretty much what I have figured out, I have not really gone too far looking for any additional info so any tips/feedback welcome!

Guide written at Beta 0.7.5
As game is in Early Access things most likely will change and I will try to update where possible.

In the current state of game the AI Harvesters are a massive gamble and require almost constant attention by the commander, having at least one harvester you know is going to keep running allows the commander to focus on other issues

This and also because some players like the idea of being a support role player and contributing to the team in other ways

As noted by Tyrax Lightning, a human piloting the Harvester can be a lot more efficient than AI.
Even with pathfinding fixes, a human pilot will be able to navigate trickier routes thus making a human operated harvester beneficial to the team economy

AI path finding is not great currently, so this causes lots of problems...

Here is how to deal with some of these issues:

Harvesting a resource patch yields no resources:
This is a bug, in short my understanding is that the patches already depleted have not been synchronised with you if you connected late game
Find another patch!

If an AI harvester is coming to the refinery you are at, LEAVE!!!!
To address harvesters getting stuck it seems the AI will teleport into the refinery if it gets stuck entering
If you are there, it will teleport into you and you both will explode!

In short your job is simple:
1) Drive harvester to balterium patch
2) Harvest balterium
3) Return and deposit resources into refinery as quickly as possible
4) ???
5) PROFIT!!!

Should you have missed these massive lumbering vehicles, or maybe are new to the game this is a harvester:


This is a balterium patch (What you harvest):



And this is the refinery (Where you deposit your load):

Getting to a harvester is not too hard, simply use your teleporter to teleport close to a harvester.
Ideally if possible you want to either meet it at the resource patch or at the refinery as it is deposting as getting on a moving one is pretty damn impossible.

Here is some tips for getting to a harvester:
1) Ask your commander to give the harvester a move order near you (it will drive and stop)
2) Get to a resource patch a harvester is on its way to
3) Meet the harvester at the refinery as it is pulling up to deposit

This is the tricky bit...

If you had your commander give the harvester a move order to your location, no worries!
Otherwise you will need to meet it at a resource point or at the refinery get into this beast as it needs to be stopped for the ramp to lower fully.
If the harvester moves, the ramp retracts...

Under the harvester is a ramp

Stand under the harvester until you see an orange light trigger, with this you should see a ramp opening

With the ramp fully lowered, walk up into the first section inside the harvester.

Once inside, you will be in a room with an elevator at the end, walk to the elevator and take it up to the mid section

At the top of the elevator you will be met with a three way corridor

Straight ahead leads to the forward observation deck

Going either left or right will lead to the side catwalks allowing access to the upper section of the harvester

Once at the top of the stairs you will be met with a large landing pad looking platform, towards the front is a set of double doors, walk up to these and you can enter and drive the harvester

Ok, got yourself a harvester and ready to go?!

Again here is what they look like:


Aim your camera so it is directly above the harvester and when at a balterium deposit you should see blue patches highlighted on the ground, this is what you want to harvest, not just the crystals


Simply press and hold left click, the front arms will lower the bucket-wheel excavator to ground level where it will begin to rotate and dig up the balterium


The user interface is pretty straight forward with all your important stuff shown at the top middle of the screen and a sensor down the bottom middle
Top middle = Auto objective (Harvest point, or return to refinery)
Left lower shield = Health / HP
Right lower thingy = Balterium capacity (return to refinery when full)


Balterium sensor
Located down the bottom middle of the screen this will direct you towards balterium

Navigate back to the refinery and park on the refinery so all six of your wheels are on the grates
All going well you should see your tank emptying of balterium show on UI and also by the two tanks on the back of the harvester

The Harvester now has deck guns, these guns will attack critters chewing away at your landing pad, they also has decent range meaning they will also engage things behind you that are at distance

Along side this you can get out roam around them
This means if you have a Crab stowaway with a rifleman load-out or better you can quickly dispatch of the unwanted bug munching on your vehicle
Simply jump out and use the walk ways located all around the harvester

If you are up against other humans, it might be better to select the heavy load-out so you can shoot rockets down at the enemies interrupting your harvesting efforts.

1) Get to harvester
2) Board harvester either by asking commander to send it to you, or chasing one down
3) Drive to resource deposit and press and hold left click to harvest
4) Once full return to refinery and repeat