Do I have to download & store the whole Arweave dataset ("weave") to begin mining?

[JamesPiechota]

Yes, and no. It is certainly best, as the more data you store, the higher your hashrate. The increase in hashrate is not linear, and rises faster with the more data you have stored. For more information on this, see the Hashrate Guide.

However, if you choose to not store a full weave, I would suggest using Vird’s Pool (Discord). It is the only Arweave pool which uses the standard client at this time and will help you earn AR faster than solo mining.