Outpost Building Guide: How to Build Outposts

Outposts can be constructed on any planet to provide a passive source of Resources and Materials. Learn everything you need to know about how to build an Outpost and all the supplies you need to get started.

How to Build Outposts

Building Your First Outpost

The following steps will get you on your way to creating your first Outpost among the stars. This is all you need for a basic Outpost that automatically produces resources for you.

1. Find a planet to build your first Outpost on
2. Gather the necessary Resources and Materials
3. Find a spot with multiple overlapping and useful Resources
4. Set your Outpost Beacon and build an Extractor and Storage for each Resource
5. Create Power Generators to run your Extractors

Building an Advanced Outpost

The steps below are for when you're ready to move to the next stage and work towards a self-sufficient multi-planetary machine.

1. Build a Transfer Container (a Landing Pad may also be needed for it to work)
2. Use a Research Lab to unlock Robots and advanced versions of your Outpost Modules
3. Build Robots to improve the efficiency of resource production
4. Build a Crew Station and assign Crew to the Outpost
5. Build another Outpost and connect them together with Cargo Links
6. Unlock the Botany and Zoology Perks to create Greenhouses and Animal Husbandry Facilities on an Outpost (Must be a planet with Flora/Fauna and for Animal Husbandry, the Ecological Consortium Planetary Trait)
7. Build Outposts across the cosmos and use Inter-system Cargo Links to connect them all back to a single megahub

This guide will be updated soon with more details on advanced Outpost building!

How to Build Your First Outpost

Find a Planet to Build your First Outpost On

Choosing a planet for your Outpost is very important as it determines what resources you will have access to.

The following resources are highly useful for crafting key Outpost Modules, so an outpost with some combination of these will be a strong investment. One of our top picks is Andraphon, a moon in the Narion system with access to Aluminum, Iron, Beryllium, and Helium-3.

• Aluminum (★★★★★)
• Iron (★★★★)
• Copper (★★★)
• Nickel (★★★)
• Beryllium (★★)
• Tungsten (★★)
• Cobalt (★★)
• Helium-3 (★★ | Used in Inter-System Cargo Links. Good for a long-term investment)

The star rankings above indicate our recommendation level for each resource.

Best Planets for Outposts

2. Gather the Necessary Resources and Materials

Your first Outpost will require a set of Materials to build your initial set of Modules. Get all of them beforehand to maximize efficiency as leaving in the middle of creating your Outpost to get more resources will slow you down significantly. Most of what you need can be bought at Jemison Mercantile in New Atlantis.

The list below should work for most planets, but the Materials required will vary depending on what you want to extract as Water and Gas Extractors have different costs, so consider the needs of the planet and vary the list based on it. Bringing extra doesn't hurt either.

If needed, you can use or craft an Industrial Workbench to craft Adaptive Frames for 1 Iron and 1 Aluminum each.

If you are on a planet with less sunlight and an atmosphere, you can make Wind Turbines instead of Solar Arrays for power.

3. Find a Spot with Multiple Overlapping and Useful Resources

From the map of the planet, select Show Resources and pick a spot where as many of the resources you want as possible are converging on one spot. We were able to create an Outpost with four of Andraphon's five resources.

Once on the ground, use your Outpost Beacon to scout for a spot where as many of the resources as possible appear. You can check the Available Resources popup in the top left and when a spot with a rare resource and multiple common resources appear, check around the area to try to find a spot where you can get two rare resources and two common resources at a single Outpost.

How to Scout for a Good Outpost Location

4. Set your Outpost Beacon and build an Extractor and Storage for each Resource

Create an Extractor for each of the resources within range and a Storage of the appropriate state of matter (Solid, Liquid, or Gas). Then, switch to Modify Mode and select Create Output Link. Start the link from the Extractor and end it at the Storage; the direction matters.

It's best to split up your Storage for each resource type as otherwise you won't be able to expect how many you will be able to receive of each Resource before the Storage fills up.

NOTE: Be sure to check if you are receiving points in the Outpost Engineering Skill for creating each Module. Due to a bug, you might not get points in the Skill even after unlocking it until you have created a Module from the Structures (Hab) or Display tab, so create one of these first to ensure you start getting credit.

5. Create Power Generators to run your Extractors

Make enough Solar Arrays or Wind Turbines to power all the Extractors. Generally, one of these should be able to yield 6 Power, and 5 Power is needed by each Extractor, so four should be sufficient. However, some planets having weak sunlight or wind which can make one or the other produce less power, so use the one which is more effective for that planet.

You don't have to worry about connecting your Power sources to the Extractors; the power will spread to all Modules automatically. The label at the bottom on the Outpost menu will show you whether you have enough Total Power to match the Needed Power.

Collect Your Rewards!

Now your Storage will begin filling up with Resources even when you're offworld. There isn't a ton to do with these resources besides further expand your Outpost, but if that's what you're interested in, then there's plenty more options for Outpost development to enjoy.

Should You Build Outposts?

Honestly, Not Really Worth It

839 Aluminum is... 839 Credits. I guess too much infinite resource production killed the demand.

The Outpost mechanic is fun and it feels good to get resources for free, but the easiest way to get resources is to just buy them from shops. The basic resources you produce also don't sell for more than 1-2 credits, making it a poor money farming venture.

The shops which stock resources have an abundant supply for cheap, and there aren't any items which you can only obtain via Outposts. Even if you do make Outposts, while it's true that you can get large supplies of a few resources, the truth is that large supplies of a few resources are only really good for further developing your Outposts.

On the other hand, Weapon Mods, Armor Mods, and Research Lab Projects tend to require a small number of rare and specific resources, making them rather incompatible with Outposts. Instead, you're better off using the Track feature of the Research Lab and Workbenches, going to a shop, and buying up most of what you need in one go.

The real reason to make Outposts is for the roleplaying aspect. If you want to be a Space Farmer, make a quiet getaway for you and your romance partner, or stash your contraband somewhere nowhere will find it, you can't go wrong.

Outpost Building FAQs

Place an Outpost Airlock to Create Doors for Outpost Habs

Attach an Outpost Airlock to an Outpost Hab to create a door between two outpost parts.

How to Open the Door of Outpost Hab

Delete Outposts By Holding the Rename Prompt

To delete an Outpost, interact with it and hold the Rename button. Doing so refunds all modules that you have placed on the area, allowing you to set the outpost to a different area without losing resources.

How to Delete Outposts

Activate Modify Mode to Delete Outpost Links

While in Outpost Building Mode, press the Modify button to swtich to Modify Mode. This allows you to highlight and target outposts links that you have places on your outpost.

Highlight the Outpost Link you want to remove and press the Delete button to remove it.

How to Delete Outpost Links

Use a Transfer Container to Access Resources from Outposts to Ship

Set up a Transfer Container on your Outpost to access resouces from your outposts to your ship and vice-versa. Note that you also need to build a Landing Pad to move your ship next to the outpost.

How to Access the Transfer Container Storage

Raise Flora to Obtain Resources

Build a Greenhouse on a habitable planet to raise the local flora. Supply the Greenhouse with water to cultivate the flora and produce materials.
How to Raise Flora

Domesticate Fauna to Harvest Resources

Build an Animal Husbandry Facility on a habitable planet to domesticate its local fauna. Provide the necessary food and water to help raise them and produce materials.
How to Domesticate Fauna

Craft a Greenhouse to Cultivate Flora

Craft a Greenhouse by allocating the Botany Skill and having scanned the local flora. A Greenhouse is an essential part of your outpost to help you farm crafting materials.

How to Craft a Greenhouse

Craft an Animal Husbandry Facility to Domesticate Fauna

Craft an Animal Husbandry Facility by allocating the Zoology Skill and having scanned the local fauna. An Animal Husbandry Facility will help with gathering essential materials for crafting.

How to Craft an Animal Husbandry Facility

Starfield Related Guides

All Outpost Modules and How to Build

Outpost Modules

Outpost Building FAQs