Should I get all the upgrades for mlm while here as well or just outfit and the bags?
#Step 70 MLM
maiden star
devout kayak
fwiw its better to get the outfit from vm
id just get coal and gem bags then never come back
maiden star
vm never touched in my life lol
devout kayak
that was once true of everything you've done in game 
maiden star
thats a good point but dont i need a team and shi lol
devout kayak
there are solo/dolo methods, but theres also a vm discord where you can find teams
unsure how active it is these days, i havent been involved in a couple years
daring minnow
i personally didn't go the vm route (introvert). prio coal and gem bag, helm for a diary step. dont bother with any of the other optional unlocks since you won't stay at mlm long term, you'll mine elsewhere (sandstone / gem rocks)
cobalt trail
Someone correct me if I'm incorrect here, but if we hate active mining methods (gems/sandstone/granite/etc.) would mlm be the best afk mining method? From my own calculations it's around 2x the xp of landed stars. Not saying it's effective afk xp relative to other skill options, but if we hate mining (my least favorite skill by far along with theiving), I think MLM is #1 afk mining activity?
rough shard
i think MLM is a little overhated here, i stayed for the entire set cus u need it for clues anyway and cba going to VM, but beyond that its just in a weird middle ground where its not afk enough to really be afk and too bad xp to be worth doing if actively playing. if you want something similar daeyalt/bone mining is generally suggested (worse mining xp but overall better macro efficiency), doing some amount of gem and sand mining as well is almost unavoidable even if you hate it
obtuse glen
ye my biggest problem is its just not that afk. think with skilling approaching it how u want is overall fine. if u can make gainz with it i dont see how its that bad compared to redwoods or salvaging etc
keen spade
Someone correct me if I'm incorrect here, but if we hate active mining methods (...
Not even close imo. There are a lot of mining methods, and while most are active make sure to give them a try. There's vm, granite, sandstone (3t and non tick manip), blast mining, gem rocks (ditto), even daeyalt and zalcano. I would personally not consider either stars or mlm, and I think it's funny motivated reasoning to only compare those two.
vivid light
Idk what slayer level u have at that point but calcified rocks is like not terrible vibeswise if u really wanted to afk
But I think there was some change a couple years ago that made mlm a lot less worse
onyx bolt
Not even close imo. There are a lot of mining methods, and while most are active...
How about scarred essence mine for a few early levels?