Starfield is an upcoming science fiction role-playing video game currently under development by Bethesda Game Studios. Set in the year 2330, Starfield will feature over 1,000 explorable planets and locations spread across more than 100 star systems. As an open world space exploration game, players will have the freedom to trade, battle threats, and forge their own path as they journey through space.
One exciting aspect that has been confirmed about Starfield is the ability to discover and explore various planetary outposts. These outposts located on the surfaces of planets will serve many purposes, from commercial hubs to remote research stations. As a player interested in scoping out and visiting as many of these planetary outposts as possible, here are some tips:
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Use Your Starship’s Scanning Abilities
When you first enter a star system, use your starship’s long-range scanners to get the lay of the land. The scanners should identify not just planets, but also stations, settlements, and other points of interest orbiting those planets. Take notes on each location so you’ll have a map to follow as you approach planets.
Talk to Locals at Space Stations
Before heading down to the surface of a planet, stop at local space stations in orbit first. There you can chat up merchants, travelers, and mission givers to learn about intriguing sites on nearby planetary bodies that might not show up on your ship’s scanners. They may tip you off to an isolated laboratory tucked away in a canyon or research base dug into an asteroid’s core.
Equip Detailed Surface Scanners
Your starship isn’t the only vehicle that should boast advanced scanning hardware and software. Equip your planetary lander, rover, or suit with detailed surface scanners designed to identify artificial structures, energy signatures, chemical trails, and other indications of outposts during flyovers and ground traversals.
Follow Up on Distress Calls
Keep communication channels open for distress calls originating from planetary surfaces. An emergency broadcast from a malfunctioning atmospheric processor or crippled survey rover could lead you to discover a settlement in need of assistance. Even if you don’t stop to help, you could mark the locations of these remote outposts for later visitation.
Pursue Main and Side Quests
While freely exploring space and planets is the main draw in Starfield, completing character quest lines and faction missions can provide additional opportunities to uncover planetary establishments. Whether it’s a scientific expedition to analyze stellar phenomena or a request to recover stolen data from a bandit hideout, pursue all leads that take you planetside.
Prioritize Resource-Rich Planets
Planets naturally rich in resources like water, specific minerals, or harvestable bio-matter tend to attract more settlers, industry, and research projects than barren worlds. When deciding which planets to focus exploration efforts on, target those capable of readily supporting outpost construction through in situ resource utilization.
Scan Unidentified Structures
When flying over the surface of planets, keep an eye out for unidentified structures picked up by your sensors. Some may turn out to be geological formations that only resemble artificial construction, but others could be hidden outposts intentionally concealed from orbital reconnaissance. Pop out your rover and investigate up close.
Purchase Outpost Coordinates
If you have currency to spare, check in at bars and merchant stalls for information brokers selling coordinates to secret and off-the-grid facilities. They may have intel on isolated laboratories pursuing controversial research or makeshift mining colonies operating outside Assembly jurisdiction.
