Starfield Outpost Guide

Whether you prefer a glitzy view of the city skyline, a peaceful plot of land, or a barren planet to build your Starfield outpost, the game offers plenty of options. Aside from the view, the outpost’s function will determine the best place to set it up and how to outfit it. Since outposts are technically optional to the core gameplay loop, there is no concrete in-game explanation as to how or why you should set up a galactic outpost in Starfield.

If you want to learn everything there is to know about outposts in Starfield, read on to find out.

How to Choose the Right Location for Your Outpost in Starfield

Before you start dedicating your valuable time and resources to constructing an outpost in Starfield, you need to decide where to build. The most important thing to consider is the primary use of your outpost. This will play a major role in where you decide to set up your celestial base. Put some thought in and do a little searching to find the right spot because the number of outposts you can have in Starfield is finite.

• Planetary Conditions: Many of the planets throughout the Starfield universe have extreme conditions. For instance, deadly toxic atmospheres, varying magnitudes of gravity, and extreme temperatures and weather conditions. It’s difficult and sometimes impossible to build your outpost on these planets, especially early on in the game. However, as you rank up your skills related to outpost building and management, and gain more funds, planetary conditions become less of a constraint. However, doing so is something that takes considerable time.
• Resources: One of the primary and most profitable things to take into account when searching for the perfect outpost location is its natural resources. You can set up mining facilities to plunder the planet’s riches which can in turn be used for a host of purposes. However, until you’ve created the necessary cargo links and acquired the relevant skills you will be limited in how much you can mine and ship rare resources from your outpost to the markets.
• Native Plants and Animals: The ecosystems of the over 1,000 planets and moons in Starfield vary wildly. Some have vast amounts of native plants and animals and some do not. Choosing a location that has abundant plant and animal life can be extremely useful as you can harvest them. However, some of the wildlife you encounter will be hostile and can make life difficult, especially early on in gameplay.
• View: At the end of the day, Starfield is a game. So, you don’t have to be all about what’s practical when deciding the ideal locale for your outpost. You can choose somewhere that is strictly visually appealing, especially if the main purpose of your outpost is going to be a homestead.
• Terrain: It’s much easier to build your outpost on ground that is relatively flat and devoid of large obstructions such as trees, large rocks, and the like.

How You Can Use Your Outpost in Starfield

There is a huge diversity of uses for your outpost in Starfield. Ultimately, how you want to utilize your base among the stars is up to you. However, to make that call, you need to know the options available to you.

• Mining: This is one of the main uses of outposts in Starfield. Outpost mining facilities can automatically extract the precious resources that lie beneath the planet’s surface. These mined resources can then be sold directly for credits, used for building new outposts or adding to existing facilities, crafted to modify your weapons, and much more. The equipment needed to mine a resource changes depending on whether it’s gas, liquid, or solid, so remember those requirements when getting the funds and tools for the outpost.
• Research: You can add research labs to your outpost so that you can conduct research. Doing so will allow you to expand the things you can do, from unlocking a better arsenal of weapons to preparing gourmet meals.
• Crafting: Your ability to craft largely depends on the research you conduct, and the research you conduct relies on the materials you provide to your research lab. Thus, all of these elements are highly interconnected. You can craft many different things at your outposts, like medicine, spacesuits, and weapons.
• Storage: You can also add storage facilities to your outpost so you can safely store your resources and use them when needed.
• Living Quarters: You can turn your outpost into your dream home by meticulously hand-selecting the materials and designs of your home to make it yours.
• Harvesting: Just as you can extract inorganic resources for a range of uses, you can also harvest organic resources to do the same from your outpost. You can harvest things like sealant, fiber, and nutrients, and doing so will save you from having to spend your hard-earned credits on such things.
• Logistics: Setting up logistical cargo links between outposts is vital for your ability to transport resources to different locations as needed.
• Crew: You can even assign crew members to handle the day-to-day operations at your outposts. This will help you improve the efficiency of your resource output and general management.

How to Place an Outpost Beacon in Starfield

After you have chosen the ideal planet for your outpost based on what you want to use it for, it’s time to get to work. The first step is placing an outpost beacon to mark the location and allow you to fast travel there in the future. However, if you have opted for a planet with a more hostile environment, you will need to unlock the planetary habitation skill first.

Here are the steps to set up an outpost in Starfield:

1. Go to your chosen location and open your Scanner. Select Outpost from your command bar at the bottom of your scanner.
   
2. Enter your Outpost Builder. Place an Outpost Beacon by moving it to the area where you wish to build your outpost.
   

How to Place an Outpost Module in Starfield

Once you’ve placed your outpost beacon, you can finally get to work placing the modules you’re going to use to construct your outpost. There are a range of different modules that are used for varying functions so you can design and build your outpost exactly the way you want.

This is how you place an outpost module in Starfield:

1. Go to your Outpost Beacon location.
   
2. Access your “Building Screen” and select your preferred module from the inventory panel on the right of your screen.
   
3. Move the module to the desired drop location within your designated outpost area.
   
4. At the bottom of your screen use the promoted control to place the module.

You will be unable to build all modules until you’ve acquired the necessary resources. The modules you cannot currently build will be faded in your build menu.

Build the Outpost of Your Dreams

Starfield is a vast, open-world game that has an abundance of planets with different environments to choose from for an outpost. However, take some time to research the spot because it will determine how beneficial the outpost is and you can’t just keep building infinite outposts.

What guidelines did you use to create a perfect outpost in Starfield? Let us know in the comments section below.