Starfield Outpost Guide: Where and How to Build the Best Outposts in Starfield

How many Starfield outposts have you got? Do you have a main outpost? Have you used up all outpost modules at least once?

Unless you have 24 outposts all well-defended and working in automation, this Starfield outpost guide is for you.

This guide is for you if you’re interested in the real deal and basic-to-advanced tips in Starfield outpost building.

What follows is a complete overview of Starfield outposts, starting with some of the basics and then moving on to more advanced tips and excerpts that are part of the Starfield meta.

Do You Need Outposts in Starfield?

Starfield is a resource-based game. You need some basic resources for more advanced and rare resources to finally get that research or that weapon crafting done. Money won’t buy you everything since not everything’s there to be bought in the first place. So building outposts is crucial in Starfield unless you just want to complete the core storyline, enjoy the mission rewards, progress up to New Game+ and move over to Cyberpunk or wait up for Avatar Frontiers of Pandora.

But if you want to get everything out of the Starfield meta, outpost building, syncing and management will take more than 50% of your time.

Starfield Outpost Building: The First 4 Outposts

Building a network of outposts up till automation needs a strategy and a planned execution.

You can build up to 4 outposts when you start and that is what you should do as well.

Here’s a proper guide to building the first 4 outposts in Starfield.

Where to Build Your First Outpost

Focus on getting at least one (try 2) of the key resources that you’ll need in the long run –

Aluminium

Iron

Copper

Titanium

Constant availability of these 4 will play a big role in your outpost expansion and game progression.

Find a planet and an LZ where you get access to at least two of these and you’re off to a good start. Use your outpost beacon to access a larger scanned range. When you build your outpost at a location with 2 or more resources available around it, the outpost will mine all resources.

Steps to Build Your First Outpost

Choose a location to build in the clear
Place your outpost beacon
Go to Build Mode and place your Extractor module
Place your Power Source
Add a Transfer Container

Best First Outpost Locations Early Game

Your first location comes down to choosing between aluminum or iron as your fundamental resource. Both these resources are key to building and crafting. There’s another resource that you should add to key resources and that’s Helium-3.

So, just head over to Samati, a moon of Andraphon in the Narion system. This is perhaps the only planet (or moon) that has Iron, Aluminum and Helium-3.

You can build an outpost in Andraphon that mines all 3 so that you have a self-sustaining first base. Helium-3 lets you build Fueled Generators, the best Power Source in the game.

Second Outpost: Resources to Focus On

Now that you have aluminum and iron covered, the next resources you’ll need in bulk are –

Copper

Lead

Titanium

Nickel

Tungsten

– in that order of importance. Good to have Beryllium too but you won’t get all these with one outpost.

Best Second Outpost Locations

Pontus, Erebus, Olympus
Callisto, Jupiter, Sol
Io, Jupiter, Sol
Zamka, Olivus, Alpha Centauri
Voss, Olivus, Alpha Centauri

Pontus can be a great choice. It has both Helium-3 and Aluminum. It also has Beryllium. You can alternatively set your second Starfield outpost on Voss or Zamka which has a long list of resources most importantly including Lead, Nickel and Cobalt other than Helium-3.

A better thing to do with your second outpost is to dedicate it to Helium-3 extraction. Then add a Transfer Container and initiate Cargo Link.

When you add Cargo Link, your second outpost extracting Helium-3 can now support quite a few of your upcoming outposts.

Your 3^rd and 4^th Outpost

Building all 4 outposts early game in close proximity is a best practice. Early game involves limited Spacer activity. So you don’t need defensive structures right now.

Use your 3^rd and 4^th outposts to generate a bunch of materials. Place them in locations that let you extract as many resources as possible.

By now, you already have Aluminium and Iron covered.

You can build them on Voss or Zamka or both to get Copper, Lead, Nickel, Cobalt, Tungsten, Vanadium and even Dysprosium if you build in Voss.

Beryllium is another high-value resource to add. So you can build your 3^rd and 4^th outposts in Ponta and Zamka/Voss.

Build up to 8 Outposts

By now, you’re out of early game and should have a grasp of the type of resources you need going forward.

Your next set of outposts will be all about accessing even rarer resources and thinking beyond minerals. Right here is where Starfield becomes a lot more than its core storyline. But, to really build the best Starfield outpost network, you need to use Cargo Links.

What are Cargo Links?

Your first two outposts should simply cover the basics, an Extractor module, a Power Source, and a Storage module, to get core resources like Aluminium, Iron and of course Helium-3. The next 2 should extract other commonly required resources including at least Copper, Titanium, Lead, Cobalt, and Beryllium.

But what if outpost 3 has resources that you need at outpost 1 for research or crafting? Or what if you need to bring Helium-3 for power to outpost 3 from outpost 1 but they’re on different systems?

How to Build Cargo Links

Cargo links are the key to resource automation, instead of spending time (and fuel) on manually transporting resources between outposts.

To start building Cargo Links, you need to build a Cargo Link module for your outposts.

There are 2 types of Cargo links, one for transferring resources within the system and one for inter-system, which are a bit more expensive. Also, you’ll need to research Manufacturing I to build an inter-system Cargo Link.

Build the Cargo link you need. If it’s inter-system, you need to first connect the blue module section to your Helium-3 extractor or a storage module.

Now set up your Output Container at the outpost that’ll send the resources. Create Output Links (It’s in the Build Mode menu for specific items like Extractors and Storage) from both the Storage and the Extractor to the output container.

Next head over to the outpost that’ll receive the resources. Create an Output Link from the Input container to the Storage.

P.S. – You can easily find which containers are for Output and Input by interacting with them.

Starfield Outpost Building 101

Investing early into building outpost networks will give you a whole lot of late-game advantages in terms of resources and crafted items.

Now that you know how to build Cargo Links, invest in linked outposts to generate a steady queue of resources.

You’ll need them to build more outposts and do everything else in Starfield – from crafting weapons to unlocking key research.

To do those you’ll need to build Workbench modules. For crafting items you’ll need to build Industrial, Weapon and Spacesuit Workbenches. These specific modules will let you build materials, weapon mods and gear.

For research, you can build the Research Lab module. Though you can add a Research Station right in your ship, it’s better to have a Research Lab on an outpost and instead deck up your ship better.

Finally, keep your outpost simple and utilitarian unless you want to get intentionally crazy with it. The bigger it is, the more Spacers it’ll have to defend against. Here’s one way to do it –

However, outpost defense is easy. Set up turrets, a couple of Ballistic Turrets only since other Turrets don’t cause HP damage. Make sure to cover the perimeter. Add a few Security robots over time. The base will remain secured. For your biggest base, leave VASCO behind in a Crew Station module.

How Many Outposts Can You Have in Starfield?

You can have a maximum of 24 outposts in Starfield. You start off with a limit of 8 outposts. For a higher outpost limit, you need to increase your Planetary Habitation skill. With every rank upgrade, you get a +4 added to your outpost limit.

Starfield is not GTA 6. It’s a lot more than an action-adventure space RPG. It’s a virtual representation of the final frontier with realistic imagination and worthwhile immersion. The game hinges on outposts as should space exploration in general. About all that, one little Starfield Outpost tip, if you want to add Crew Stations, or Research Labs or Workbenches, you need to put an Airlock module first. Here are a few more tips and tricks to get more out of the Starfield meta.