Struggling to find tungsten in Starfield? Whether you’re crafting weapon mods or building outposts, this rare resource is crucial-and we’ve pinpointed the best spots to mine and buy it, from the tungsten-rich moons of Alpha Centauri to the bustling markets of Titan. Get ready to stockpile tungsten like a pro and power up your space adventure!
In this Starfield guide, we’ll walk you through where you can find tungsten and how to make as much of it as you want (as long as you’re on PC).
Where to find Tungsten in Starfield
Tungsten in Starfield can be found primarily by scanning planets for the chemical symbol “W,” which represents tungsten (wolfram). Key locations to find tungsten include planets and moons in systems like Alpha Centauri (notably Voss), Sol (including Titan and Pluto), and Mumphred. Tungsten veins are often underground and may require setting up an outpost with extractors to farm efficiently. Some planets with tungsten have extreme environmental conditions, but with the Planetary Habitation skill or by choosing milder locations like Voss, you can build outposts to harvest tungsten passively. Alternatively, tungsten can be purchased from vendors in major cities such as Jemison Mercantile in New Atlantis or shops in Neon and other hubs, making it accessible if you have enough credits.
Tungsten is a bit of a pain to track down in Starfield – at least in the early game. You can find it resting on many different planets in the universe, but many of them have extreme environments, which means you won’t be able to build an outpost on them until you unlock the Planetary Habitation skill (which requires you to reach the Master tier of the Science skill tree) and upgrade it to at least rank one to deal with extreme temperatures.
The alternative is to find a celestial body with plenty of tungsten on it and a normal, non-extreme environment. Enter Voss, a moon of Olivas, a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri system.
Voss is packed with resources, including water, lead, nickel, and even uranium. But tungsten is its most valuable resource of all – and there’s plenty of it to be had. Head over to Voss, open your scanner, and pick one of the massive gray spots to touch down in. The only bad thing about Voss is that it doesn’t have a helium-3 supply, which means you’ll need to use solar panels for power. Still, once you settle this planet, you’ll have an unlimited supply of tungsten. Even better, you can get this farm going fairly early in the game, which will make your life much easier as you try and expand out into the galaxy.
There are a couple of other tungsten-rich planets in both the Alpha Centauri and Sol systems that we want to call out. Each of these have extreme environments, but once you upgrade your Planetary Habitation skill, you can make a second, third, or even fourth tungsten farm on one or all of these:
- Bondar, planet in the Alpha Centauri system
- Titan, moon of Jupiter in the Sol system
- Pluto, planet in the Sol system
Where to buy Tungsten
You can buy tungsten in Starfield from several resource vendors located in major cities and trading hubs. Key places to purchase tungsten include Jemison Mercantile in New Atlantis, the UC Exchange in Cydonia, and the Mining League in Neon. Additionally, vendors in locations like Midtown Minerals in Akila City (Cheyenne system) and shops in New Homestead also regularly stock tungsten. Vendor inventories refresh after about 24 to 48 in-game hours, so if tungsten is out of stock, waiting and checking back is a good strategy. Buying tungsten is often the easiest and quickest way to acquire it, especially if you haven’t yet established an outpost for mining.
You can (and should) buy tungsten from all the usual resource shops in Starfield: Jemison Mercantile in New Atlantis, the UC Exchange in Cydonia, and the Mining League in Neon. You might also get lucky with your local Trade Authority, so it’s worth popping in to see.
Every day of in-game time you should be able to find quite a bit of tungsten at Jemison Mercantile. And when they run out, you can always go wait on a nearby chair or head back to your ship and sleep for 24 hours. When you return, you should be able to buy more. If not, go rest for another 24 and come back.
Tungsten item ID
Tungsten in Starfield can be obtained using its specific item ID code, which is 0000556B. This code allows PC players to spawn the resource directly via console commands by entering player.additem 0000556B (amount). Tungsten is an uncommon inorganic resource used primarily as a crafting component, making it valuable for various crafting recipes in the game. Knowing the item ID is especially helpful for players who want to quickly add Tungsten to their inventory without searching manually.
Starfield has console commands – on PC at least – that you can use to do a variety of things, like give yourself unlimited storage or, in this case, give yourself specific items.
To give yourself tungsten, you’ll need to use its item ID code, which is: 0000556B.
Hit the ’ key any time during your Starfield playthrough and you’ll pull up the console command. Here is the full console command to give yourself 20 tungsten in Starfield:
- player.additem 0000556B 20
You can copy/paste the code above directly into your console command, sans bullet point.
If you want to get more tungsten in a single command, change the 20 on the end of the code provided above to 50, 100, even 1,000. Once you hit enter, you’ll be able to find the resource sitting in your inventory.
It’s worth mentioning that using console commands can disable achievements in Starfield, so be careful if you’re an achievement hunter.
What is tungsten used for in Starfield?
Tungsten in Starfield is a valuable resource primarily used as a key component in crafting various items such as personal weapon mods, helmet and barrel mods, ammunition types, and outpost building materials. It plays a crucial role in upgrading equipment and manufacturing, making it essential for players who want to enhance their gear and build or maintain outposts. Due to its rarity, tungsten is often sought after for crafting advanced and durable items, reflecting its real-world properties of strength and heat resistance. Players can obtain tungsten by mining it from specific planets, purchasing it from vendors, or setting up tungsten extractors at outposts to ensure a steady supply for their crafting needs.
You’ll primarily need tungsten for building heavy mining machines in Starfield, most notably solid resource extractors for your outposts.
In order to build a self-sustaining tungsten farm – with a generator fed from helium-3 and at least two solid extractors – you’ll need at least eight tungsten (as well as other materials). If you want to throw in a Transfer Container, so you can grab said tungsten while still in your ship, you’ll need another five.
What’s the easiest way to farm tungsten in Starfield on PC and Xbox
The easiest way to farm tungsten in Starfield on both PC and Xbox is to build an outpost with a Tungsten Extractor on the moon of Voss in the Alpha Centauri system. Voss has large patches of tungsten-rich ground, allowing you to set up extractors that generate a steady and virtually unlimited supply of tungsten. To do this, scan the planet to find tungsten deposits, land near a high concentration, and build an outpost with extractors powered by solar arrays, wind turbines, or fueled generators. This method ensures continuous tungsten production without the need for constant mining.
If you don’t have the Planetary Habitation skill to build on extreme planets, Voss is one of the few places where you can set up an outpost without it. Alternatively, you can buy small amounts of tungsten from vendors in colonies like New Homestead on Titan, but for large-scale farming, the outpost method on Voss is the most efficient.
What’s the quickest method to establish a tungsten outpost on Voss
The quickest method to establish a tungsten outpost on Voss in Starfield involves these key steps:
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Locate Tungsten-Rich Ground on Voss: Use your scanner to identify tungsten deposits on the moon of Voss in the Alpha Centauri system. Tungsten nodes will appear highlighted when scanning, making it easier to pinpoint the best spot for your outpost.
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Land and Place Your Outpost: Once you find a patch of tungsten-rich ground, press X from the scanner window to build an outpost directly on or near this patch. This automatically opens build mode focused on resource extractors.
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Build Tungsten Extractors: Place one or more Tungsten Extractors on the tungsten veins to start harvesting the resource. Each extractor requires a small amount of iron, tungsten, and aluminum to build.
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Set Up Power Generation: Provide power to your extractors by building solar arrays, wind turbines, or fueled generators. A single extractor needs about 5 power, so plan accordingly to keep your operation running continuously.
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Add Storage Containers: Build storage containers to collect the tungsten automatically, so you have a stockpile waiting for you whenever you return to the outpost.
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Return Later to Collect: Your extractors will continuously gather tungsten, allowing you to amass large quantities without manual mining.
Voss is especially convenient because it allows outpost building without needing the Planetary Habitation skill, which is required for extreme planets. This makes Voss the fastest and easiest location to set up a tungsten farm early in the game.
In summary, scanning for tungsten patches on Voss, quickly placing an outpost, building extractors, powering them, and adding storage is the fastest way to establish a tungsten outpost and secure a steady resource supply.
