Starfield Outpost Planets Guide Top Locations Resources for First Bases

Looking to stake your claim in the vast universe of Starfield? Choosing the right planet for your first outpost can make all the difference between struggling for resources and thriving in the stars. From the resource-rich moons of Narion to the habitable worlds near New Atlantis, discover the best planets where your outpost will flourish, supplying the essential materials you need to build, craft, and expand your cosmic empire.

In this Starfield guide, we’ll show you the best planets to build your first outpost on. For those prefer to chart their own part, we’ll also offer some advice on how to find the best planet to build an outpost on in Starfield.

The best planets for your first outpost in Starfield

For your first outpost in Starfield, choosing a planet rich in essential resources like aluminum, iron, and helium-3 is crucial to support crafting and expansion. Planets such as Andraphon in the Narion system stand out as excellent early-game options due to their abundance of these materials and ease of access. Additionally, habitable planets like Jemison offer safety and a variety of resources including water, lead, and chlorine, making them ideal for establishing a secure base. Prioritizing planets with overlapping resource nodes and manageable environments will ensure a steady supply of materials needed for building and upgrading your outposts, setting a strong foundation for your spacefaring adventure.

Below, we’ll give you a planet-by-planet rundown of the places we think you should make your first base, and the things you want to look for when making that decision for yourself. But, for your convenience, we’ve also created this table, which lists out seven great choices for your first outpost in Starfield at a glance.

Best early outpost planets in Starfield

For your first outpost in Starfield, choosing planets rich in essential and diverse resources is key to efficient early-game progression. Planets like Andraphon in the Narion system stand out as prime candidates, offering abundant Aluminum, Iron, Helium-3, and other valuable materials crucial for building and sustaining outposts. Similarly, Bessel III-b provides a strong mix of Aluminum, Nickel, Iron, and Cobalt, enabling steady crafting and resource generation. Kreet, with resources such as Iron, Silver, Lead, and Argon, is also a solid early choice due to its optimal temperature and accessibility. These planets not only supply the core materials needed for expansion but also support easier resource overlap, making them ideal for establishing a reliable resource base right from the start of your Starfield journey.

For more details on why these are the best planets to build your first outpost on in Starfield, see our explanations below.

Callisto or Io

Callisto and Io are both moons of Jupiter in the Sol system.

We’re looping these moons together because it’s really a “dealer’s choice” situation here. You can’t go wrong with either of them. Both have excellent helium-3 and iron deposits, making them perfect for a first outpost. If you’re new to base-building, these are the simplest places to get started on, as you’ll almost certainly find an area where you can easily grab both resources in one outpost.

Pontus

Pontus is a small moon orbiting Erebus in the Olympus system.

It has a relatively low number of resources to offer, but it’s got the two that count: helium-3 and aluminum. It also has beryllium, which is great, as it’s a rare resource. Because there are so few resources here, it’s easy to find a location that includes helium-3, aluminum, and beryllium. This helps elevate Pontus as one of the best starting locations to cut your teeth in Starfield, as you can get everything you need without overwhelming yourself.

Maheo II

Maheo II is absolutely packed with resources. You can find it in the Maheo system. It’s got:

• water
• helium-3
• copper
• iron
• lead
• alkanes (rare)
• tetrafluorides (very rare)
• ytterbium (legendary)

So why don’t we just suggest that you land here, and call it a day? If this is your first outpost, it can be a little overwhelming to land on a planet like Maheo II. Not to mention that it can be tough to find a location where your desired resources overlap in the way you want them to.

Still, of the planets/moons we’ve listed here, this one is one of the most beautiful, making a great candidate for your first real home base.

Zamka

Zamka is another beautiful, resource-packed moon. You can find it orbiting Olivus in the Alpha Centauri system. It has:

• water
• helium-3
• copper
• nickel
• iron
• uranium
• cobalt (rare)
• vanadium (very rare)

Like Maheo II, the sheer number of resources on Zamka makes it both very appealing and a little overwhelming. There are tons of resources to mine here, but that also means that finding the perfect sweet spot with all the stuff you need can be tough. Where we’ve landed on Zamka has also been quite foggy, which may or may not bother you.

Voss

Voss is Zamka’s neighbor, and is also a moon of Olivus, a gas giant in Alpha Centauri. And like Zamka, it’s loaded with resources. Here’s everything Voss has to offer:

• water
• nickel
• lead
• uranium
• cobalt (rare)
• tungsten (rare)
• vanadium (very rare)
• dysprosium (legendary)

Zamka is great for an early-game iron farm – something you’ll need if you want to do a lot of building – but Voss has something Zamka doesn’t have, which is equally important: tungsten.

Tungsten is a major building block in Starfield, and it’s very tough to find it on a temperate planet. Tungsten’s easy availability and Voss’ temperate nature make this place an easy recommendation; all of the other elements are just gravy.

Vega II-B

Vega II-B only has a handful of resources on it, but it’s one of the few early game planets that has titanium and a temperate environment. You can find it in orbiting Vega II in the Vega system. It has:

• water
• lead
• titanium (very rare)
• dysprosium (legendary)

Vega II-B isn’t a planet we’d normally recommend – water is surprisingly common out there in space, and lead is very easy to find. Titanium, even more so than tungsten, is very, very difficult to find on a planet without an extreme environment. This makes Vega II-B suprisingly unique, and a great place to set up if you want to start generating titanium as quickly as possible.

Choose your Starfield outpost planet based on resources

When choosing your Starfield outpost planet, prioritize locations rich in essential resources to maximize your outpost’s productivity and growth. Key resources like Aluminum, Iron, Nickel, and Cobalt are critical for constructing and powering outposts, with Aluminum and Iron being especially vital for building adaptive frames and storage units. Look for planets where multiple valuable resources overlap, enabling efficient extraction from a single site. Habitable planets with favorable environments are ideal for early outposts, as they reduce the need for life-support infrastructure. Planets such as Kreet, Leviathan IV, and Andraphon are excellent choices due to their abundant and diverse resources, allowing you to build a strong foundation for expanding your outpost network in Starfield.

The most important qualifier when selecting a planet in Starfield is the resources it has available on its surface. When you hover over a planet or moon, you’ll see what resources it has that you can mine. (These display with their abbreviations from the periodic table of elements, but you can hover over the icons to get the real names if you can’t remember them from chemistry class.)

You can only see which elements you can gather from nearby planets and moons if you’re in their same solar system, so you’ll need to spend quite a bit of time grav jumping to different systems if you want a good look at the planets. You’ll also only be able to scan a planet – where it shows you the exact location of its resources – when you’re in orbit around it.

Early on, you’re really looking for a combination of two resources: one of the major building resources (iron or aluminum) and helium-3. With that combination, you can keep your base harvesting 100% of the time.

Once you find a combination of resources you like, it’s time to see if the planet is actually habitable or not.

The best planets for outposts in Starfield have mild environments

The best planets for outposts in Starfield typically feature mild environments that are hospitable and require minimal protective gear, making them ideal for early and sustained settlement. Planets like Linnaeus IV-b and Kreet offer pleasant temperatures and breathable atmospheres, allowing players to focus on resource gathering and base building without worrying about harsh environmental hazards. These mild conditions also support a variety of valuable resources such as iron, aluminum, and helium-3, essential for crafting and expanding your outpost network. Choosing planets with temperate climates and stable atmospheres ensures a safer, more efficient foundation for your first outposts in the vastness of space.

Some planets have “extreme environments,” which limits what you can do with them – at least early on in the game. These planets or moons are normally particularly close or far from their star, leading to extreme heat or extreme cold.

Mercury in the Sol system is a great example of this in Starfield. Mercury has both aluminum and helium-3 on it, which would allow you to build a self-sustaining aluminum farm very simply. However, it’s very, very close to the Sun, which unfortunately marks it with an extreme condition – it’s very, very hot.

You cannot build outposts on planets or moons with extreme conditions until you unlock the Planetary Habitation skill in the Science tree (and level it up, depending on the type of hazard you want to circumvent). This is a shame, as elements like tungsten – crucial for building more complex machines – are often found on planets that have hazards.

Which planets offer the easiest resource access for my first outpost in Starfield

For the easiest resource access for your first outpost in Starfield, the planet Andraphon in the Narion system stands out as the top choice. It is accessible early in the game and offers a rich supply of essential starter resources such as aluminum, beryllium, helium-3, and iron, with overlapping resource spots that make gathering efficient. Another strong candidate is Toliman II, known for its proximity to Jemison (making resupply easier), mild climate, and abundant fauna, which is helpful for early survival and resource collection. Additionally, Kreet in the Narion system provides some rarer resources like neon and silver, though it is better suited for a second outpost after securing basic materials elsewhere. For a planet with a broad range of resources including water and a temperate climate, Ganibo 2 in the Ganibu system is also highly recommended, especially if you want to incorporate greenhouses into your outpost. These planets combine accessibility, resource variety, and favorable conditions for establishing a strong initial foothold in Starfield.

Is Andraphon the best early planet for resource abundance and accessibility

Yes, Andraphon is widely regarded as the best early planet for resource abundance and accessibility in Starfield. It is a moon in the Narion system that is accessible early in the game and offers a rich supply of essential starter resources such as aluminum, beryllium, helium-3, and iron. The planet features overlapping resource spots, making it highly efficient for gathering materials needed for outpost construction and expansion. Additionally, Andraphon has a relatively flat surface and lacks hostile creatures, allowing players to focus on building without environmental threats. Its temperate climate also makes exploration comfortable. Due to these factors, many guides and players recommend establishing your first outpost on Andraphon to secure a steady flow of critical resources early on.