First Outpost Tips and Where to Build - Starfield Guide - IGN (2024)

Wondering where to set up your first outpost and what you should concentrate on? Starfield’s outpost building system includes plenty of options, allowing you to set up a mining enterprise, manufacturing hub, or cozy homestead on the planet of your choice (within reason). As you make your first foray into the world of outpost construction, here’s what you need to consider.

How to Choose the Best First Outpost Location

You can place up to 8 outpost beacons to begin with (more are unlocked with the Planetary Habitation skill, deep in the Science skill tree). Before deciding to set up and build, we recommend you scout out a few locations and place beacons to mark them.

Here’s what you should look for in a first outpost location:

Environment

You won’t be able to set up on a planet with extreme temperatures, extreme gravity or pressure, or toxic/corrosive atmospheres, until you invest points into Planetary Habitation.

Beyond that, your suit should protect you from most hazards. Some planets do experience hazardous weather events, but you can always head back to your ship if necessary.

Native Flora and Fauna

There are many different biomes you can choose to land in, and they will each have different local flora and fauna. Note that not all planets have abundant plant and animal life - some have very little, and some are teeming with life.

Having plants and animals nearby is extremely useful, as harvesting them yields organic resources, many of which you’ll need to build structures in your outpost. Being able to head out and pick up some more structural material or sealant will definitely make your life easier.

However, note that some wildlife is aggressive. You may want to avoid building somewhere with animals with aggressive temperaments, particularly if they appear in herds and are particularly mobile or threatening. While you will most likely be able to fight them off, they can be a nuisance while building and collecting resources.

Native Materials

You may be tempted to set up on a planet with rare materials and start a mining operation, but this will most likely be of limited use to you until you progress further into the game. Instead, it may be best to create a main/home outpost, and eventually you’ll be able to set up cargo links to send resources from mining outposts to your main outpost.

To save yourself carting resources around the galaxy, it helps to have the most common building materials close to hand. These are:

Inorganic Resources:

• Iron (most important)
• Aluminum (most important)
• Copper
• Nickel
• Beryllium

Organic Resources:

• Structural Material
• Sealant
• Adhesive

Structural materials are required for many types of furniture. They can be harvested from flora and fauna of certain types - you'll need to scan the local nature to discover what they provide.

You’ll also need the following manufactured components most frequently:

• Adaptive Frame (1 Iron, 1 Aluminum)
• Zero Wire (1 Silver, 1 Copper)

How to Build Your First Outpost

Once you’ve chosen your outpost location, it’s time to start building. Here’s what we recommend you bring with you to ensure you have enough materials to set up the basics:

To get started, the first thing you’ll need to do is build a source of power. This should either be a Solar Array (2 Beryllium, 4 Aluminum, 3 Copper) or Wind Turbine (3 Nickel, 5 Aluminum, 2 Cobalt). Power is required for defense turrets, lighting, and extractors.

Next, you’ll want to begin your indoor structure. Create an Outpost Airlock (2 Lead, 3 Sealant, 3 Aluminum). Then, a Four Wall Hab (4 Lead, 3 Sealant, 6 Aluminum), Round Hab (6 Lead, 4 Sealant, 8 Aluminum) or Small Hex Hab (6 Lead, 4 Sealant, 8 Aluminum).

You’ll most likely want to build storage - the most basic Storage Box (2 Structural, 2 Aluminum) or Storage Crate (4 Structural, 2 Aluminum). You can use this to store building materials, or any contraband you may have picked up if you don’t have a way to get it safely past the scanners yet.

Don’t worry about accidentally placing items! You can deconstruct them for free and receive all the resources back.

The last thing we recommend you set up is some form of defense. It’s possible for groups of enemies to turn up and attack you and your outpost buildings - this can happen even while you’re in the outpost building menu. They won’t destroy the buildings, but will render them non-operational until you repair them. A Ballistic Turret Mk I (2 Beryllium, 4 Iron, 3 Lead) is the cheapest to begin with.