Early in Starfield you will get your own ship and start exploring the field of stars. Upon landing on a celestial body, you will see you have the ability to start building your own outpost. Of course, you need resources to do so which you probably won’t have right off the start. Outposts can be however small or large you want them to be. Also, you can use them to gather resources and even manufacture other goods. However, once you unlock the ability to build an outpost, the next question is: Where is the best place to build your first outpost in Starfield?
Which planet is best for your first outpost in Starfield?
UPDATE: Read our new section below, as we may have found a better first planet depending on your circumstances.
The best planet for your first outpost in Starfield is actually not a planet, but a moon. After looking at the systems near the immediate starting area, I found the moon of Andraphon to be a great place for your first outpost. More specifically, Andraphon is a moon around the planet Sumati in the Narion system. Narion is just two jumps from Sol and Alpha Centauri, so should be easy for you to get to early. I considered Andraphon the best purely for strategic reasons as it has a nice variety of important raw resources.
If you are looking for a good view as opposed to a strategic location, you may want to look elsewhere. Andraphon is a barren moon very similar to our very own moon, with no fauna, flora, or water. Just dusty regolith as far as the eye can see. However, the view of the nearby planet of Sumati is nice because it’s a rocky Earth-like planet that even has settled humans on it. It’s also the second planet from the big bright sun of Narion, which can make for some pretty views as well.
Why is this the best place to build your first outpost in Starfield?
Our reasoning for choosing Andraphon, a moon of the planet Sumati, is pretty simple. The moon is abundant in three crucial early-game resources: Iron, Aluminum, and Helium-3. It’s also got Beryllium, an uncommon resource, and Europium, a legendary resource. Iron and Aluminum can be used to create a very important manufactured good, the Adaptive Frame. You will use Adaptive Frames to create other structures for your outpost, as well as raw Iron and Aluminum.
Helium-3 is actually a fuel source that powers a lot of outpost structures, so it’s good to have it nearby. In fact, if you can find a nice spot that has all three in the radius of an outpost, you will be able to really get good a start building up your outpost.
Once you have a nice stockpile of these resources, you can actually build up this starter outpost. Eventually, you will have other outposts that shuttle resources to your main one, but this is definitely a good starting outpost location.
In summary, the moon Andraphon orbiting the planet Sumati in the Narion system is the best place to build your first outpost in Starfield.
Where is another good option to build your first outpost?
UPDATE ON 09/03/23: After doing some exploring, I may have actually found a better first planet. While Andraphon is definitely a fine choice, there’s actually a nearby system with a planet that has Iron, Aluminum, and Helium-3. However, it also has more resources as well. Furthermore, the other planets in this system offer some more unique resources as opposed to the Nario system.
The new planet I recommend building your first outpost on is Linnaeus IV-b, in the Linnaeus system. Even though it’s technically a moon of Linneaus IV, it’s actually got a temperate temperature and a thin atmosphere, as well as biological water. Technically this system is Level 45, which can be intimidating. However, this planet actually has no Fauna, meaning there will be no creatures here to attack you. It may be a good idea to stay away from abandoned mines and other points of interest on this planet due to its higher level.
Linnaeus IV-b actually has Water, Helium-3, Lead, Aluminum, Iron, Beryllium, Alkanes, and Ytterbium. As you can see, many more resources. The other moons that orbit Linnaeus IV have other valuable resources including Nickel, Uranium, Cobalt, Iridium, Platinum, and Palladium. With so many available resources nearby, I really feel like this is now the best planet to build your first outpost on.