I’m on my first playthrough with the LoA DLC. I’ve excavated two sites, but I don’t know how to extract resources out of them. The only option I get is “Deploy Guardian” at the sites. Does something else need to happen first?
There are three different exotic materials in excavation sites,
but you need the processing site for each of them
for example, for Orichalcum mine, you need to control the mine and the Forge, then you can send a manned aircraft to the mine and extract
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Thanks. It just says “send an aircraft” when you get control of a site, but nothing happens, so I was wondering if something was broken.
This is possibly the single most poorly explained piece of content in gaming history. Nowhere online could I find any explanation on how these mechanics work. You either have to guess how it works, divine it yourself, or get lucky and find someone on the forums that explain it.
The following names may be slightly off how they appear in-game as I am going of memory and using shorthand names
There are six types of ancient ruins:
Crystal Mines
Crystal Lapidary
Orichalcum Mines
Orichalcum Forge
Mutane Fields
Mutane Proccessor
There are only 1 of each Lapidary, Forge, and Processor site across the globe. They are required if you want to ever spend your crystals, gas, and orichalcum. They only need to be captured once and do not seem to need to be defended. I personally have never have been attacked at these sites, but I could be wrong. You cannot mine resources from these and thus never need to visit them again if I am correct about them not being attacked.
There are 2-3 of each of the other ruins across the globe. You must capture them to begin gathering resources. You must have a transport with at least one unit in it stationed above. You get 1 or 2 of a resource every in-game global hour, or about every real world second. Build archaeology labs at bases to increase this harvest rate. You need to defend these from Pandora attacks, often if they are in or near mist. And each resource site has a different faction type that assaults it. Crystals for Synedrion, Orichalcum for New Jericho, and Mutane for Anu. These attacks are a lot rarer.
Also hoplites and cyclops get bonus powers based on the site they defend. Mutane adds burning to their beam attacks, orichalcum adds a special shield that reduces each bullets damage to 5-10% normal, and I don’t know what bonus crystals give them. Possibly it’s bonus perception, accuracy, or movement. [Edit: Per next comment correcting this, it is extra stun for melee’s. Never noticed it because I do not let them get anywhere near my soldiers.]
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I had to defend the Forge 4 times on my last play through, 3 from Pandorans and once from NJ.
Also, considering what jerk New Jericho can b, is the name a thinly veiled jab at New Jersey? 
jk Garden State.
I think that depends on active Pandoran colonies and if course relationship with factions.
In 20 days I only have a defence for my 7-8 ancient sites