The Complete Guide to HOT Mining and Earning on NEAR

HOT serves as a pivotal component within the NEAR ecosystem, specifically designed for Telegram-based transactions. Through meta-transaction technology, HOT enables you to execute real blockchain transactions, engage with games, and manage transfer payments seamlessly. Notably, HOT is the first fungible token combining the operational functionality of native L1 blockchain tokens. Following the deployment of Chain Abstraction in 2024, HOT mining has expanded beyond the NEAR network, now supporting transactions across Ethereum and other compatible blockchain networks.

Getting Your HOT Mining Started

The journey into hot mining begins the moment you create your wallet. Upon clicking “Claim” to receive your initial free HOT, the mining mechanism automatically activates. However, this earning process operates within a capacity constraint—mining halts once your Storage reaches maximum capacity, requiring you to claim your accumulated HOT before resuming.

The core concept is straightforward: you maintain a continuous mining process, similar to keeping a fire burning. Every 2 hours, this “fire” requires attention to prevent interruption. This is where the Storage system becomes essential for uninterrupted earnings.

The Storage System: Managing Your Mining Capacity

Storage determines how long your mining can continue without requiring a claim action. Initially, your storage capacity supports only 2 hours of continuous mining. However, you can expand this capacity using HOT tokens, allowing extended periods of uninterrupted earning.

The Storage system offers 6 progression levels:

• Level 0 - Wooden Storage: 2-hour capacity (complimentary)
• Level 1 - Metal Storage: 3-hour capacity (0.2 HOT investment)
• Level 2 - Modular Storage: 4-hour capacity (0.5 HOT investment)
• Level 3 - Liquid Storage: 6-hour capacity (1 HOT investment)
• Level 4 - Titanium Storage: 12-hour capacity (4 HOT investment)
• Level 5 - Gold Storage: 24-hour capacity (10 HOT investment)

For casual users, lower tiers suffice, while active participants benefit from higher-level storage enabling extended mining windows without interruption.

Maximizing Mining Speed: Your Optimization Options

The fundamental principle of hot mining is simple—faster mining acceleration generates more HOT tokens. Three distinct mechanisms enable you to boost your mining velocity.

The Fireplace System: Your Primary Mining Engine

The Fireplace functions as your mining engine, directly determining the base rate at which you accumulate HOT. Like Storage, Fireplace progresses through levels, each level requiring a HOT investment to unlock:

• Level 0 - Wood Fireplace: 0.01 HOT/hour (free tier)
• Level 1 - Stone Fireplace: 0.015 HOT/hour (0.2 HOT cost)
• Level 2 - Gas Fireplace: 0.02 HOT/hour (1 HOT cost)
• Level 3 - Neon Fireplace: 0.025 HOT/hour (2 HOT cost)
• Level 4 - Neon Multi-Fireplace: 0.03 HOT/hour (5 HOT cost)
• Level 5 - Gold Fireplace: 0.05 HOT/hour (15 HOT cost)

Upgrading your Fireplace represents the most direct path to increasing your mining output, making it the primary investment for serious hot mining participants.

Missions and Wood Multipliers: Accelerated Growth for Active Users

Beyond the base Fireplace system, participants can activate Wood multipliers by completing specialized missions. This feature particularly rewards highly engaged users committed to deeper involvement with the NEAR Protocol ecosystem. These multipliers provide substantial boosts to your mining rate, making regular mission completion worthwhile for those seeking maximum efficiency.

The Referral Network: Exponential Growth Through Community

The most effective acceleration mechanism for hot mining involves leveraging the two-tier referral system. When your direct referrals claim HOT, you receive an additional 20% of their claim value. Furthermore, when people invited by your referrals claim their tokens, you earn 5% from those secondary transactions. This creates a compounding benefit—as your network grows, your passive earnings increase proportionally.

To activate referrals, navigate to the “Friends” section and share your unique link with potential participants. Over time, this network effect can dramatically amplify your total mining output.

The Claiming Process: Converting Mining to Blockchain Transactions

Your accumulated HOT becomes officially recorded on the blockchain upon claiming. Each claim transaction requires payment of network fees, commonly referred to as “gas.” The NEAR Protocol advantage manifests here—network fees remain exceptionally low, averaging approximately $0.005 per transaction denominated in $NEAR tokens.

Initially, the system provides 3 complimentary claims with gas fees covered by the protocol. Subsequently, you have three claiming options:

Option 1: Add NEAR Tokens to Your Account Simply top up your wallet with NEAR tokens to cover future gas fees. This remains the most economical approach for regular claimers.

Option 2: Pay Gas Directly in HOT While technically possible, this method proves less cost-effective than using NEAR, representing a less efficient use of your mined tokens.

Option 3: Earn Free Claims Through Missions Complete designated missions to earn additional free transactions, effectively offsetting your gas expenses without direct spending.

Strategic Approach to Maximizing Returns

Your hot mining success depends on aligning your strategy with your engagement level. Casual miners benefit from maintaining basic Storage and Fireplace levels while building referral networks passively. Active participants should prioritize Fireplace upgrades and Wood multiplier missions. Network participants leveraging Chain Abstraction across multiple blockchains can optimize their claiming strategy by batching transactions to minimize total network fees. Regardless of approach, consistent engagement and regular network expansion through referrals create the foundation for sustainable, growing returns from your HOT mining activities.