Outposts function as an early-game, mid-game, and late-game mechanic in Starfield. I broke it up like this because you need to get perks and research to get better crafting items. For example, your outpost’s first bit of research should unlock the Fabricator. I will talk about this machine more in a separate article.
Why are Outposts important?
Outposts are used to gather materials faster: You can do other things with one as well! Such as creating crafting tables, farming, and crafting ships. For players who don’t want to dive into every aspect of outposts, I suggest having at least 3.
The first outpost should function as your base of operations. You’re likely going to be storing everything here. You’ll want to ensure you can create a Cargo Link and have plenty of storage chests here.
Materials are used in space suit construction, weapon modification, and research.
Mining
You should keep all of your outposts in the same system. The Cargo Link requires Iron, Zero Wire, Aluminum, and Beryllium. You can craft Zero Wire at an industrial workbench.
You have two options if you want to bring multiple materials back to your base. First, you can find multiple resource veins in the same area. You do that by using your scanner and eyeing the floor around where you want your base to be. The Cargo Link will return all the materials from your mining operation.
Second, if you don’t nail multiple resources in the same spot, you must build multiple Cargo Links at your main base. You can only have 3 Cargo Links per base. The Cargo Link will allow you to transport resources around the same system.
In a separate article, I will discuss the inter-system Cargo Link
Three Outposts
I suggest everyone starts with three outposts. At the start of the game, you can have up to 8 outposts. Keeping your outposts in the same system will make life extremely easy during the early game.
You should have one outpost that functions as a base of operations. You’ll keep your storage and everything else here. The second and third should be for mining specific materials. Storage solutions at the start of the game are going to be limited.
You will want to build the following containers when you get the change.
Transfer Container: Build this to allow the transfer of cargo while on board your ship.
- Tungsten: 5
- Iron: 8
- Lubricant: 4
Warehouse – Small: Secure storage for manufactured goods. These will take up space, and all storage containers can be stacked.
- Adaptive Frame: 3
- Aluminum: 6
- Titanium: 5
Storage – Solid: Bulk storage for any solid mineral or organic resource.
- Iron: 6
- Adaptive Frame: 3
- Aluminum: 5
You are going to start to see a pattern in the early game. You’re going to need a lot of aluminum and iron. When considering where you should be mining, I suggest hitting aluminum and iron first.
Power
You will need power to make sure multiple machines and Cargo Links work. Outpost defense will need power as well. There are various ways to supply power to your outpost.
Solar Array: Solar generators work best on planets that receive a lot of sunlight. Power: 6
- Aluminum: 4
- Copper: 3
- Beryllium: 2
The Solar Array is what I suggest using during the early game because the other generators require additional resources to run.
Conclusion
You’ll want to set up three outposts in the same system. Make sure one of them can function as your main base of operations. I suggest mining for…
- Iron
- Aluminum
- Copper
Make sure to create Cargo Links.
- You could need anywhere from 1-3 Cargo Links at your main base. Use the computer on the Cargo Link to your other two mining bases.
- You can link a Cargo Link to a storage box to make transporting materials easier.
- The inter-system Cargo Link should not be built during the early game. The reason is because it requires additional resources to be able to run.
Ensure you bring what you need to make outpost stations and material extractors. If you are running low on anything, you can buy materials at Mars and New Atlantis. You can rest for 24 in-game hours to reset the shops.
