Resources
- See also: Inorganic Resources, Organic Resources and Resource Rarity
Resource Gathering
Overview
The raw elements of the periodic table will be used to shape your journey through the Settled Systems. Whether it's by upgrading your favorite assault rifle or upgrading the boost pack, you will need to grow comfortable with harvesting the riches of the natural worlds so that you can use it to improve and make yourself strong.
Where Do You Find the Resources?
Resources can be found on any planet you set your ship down onto. Each can be extracted in various ways from resource points that you can visibly see with your scanner. These can be done with a cutter or by gathering directly from the source.
- Solid resources are going to come in chunks of ore which you can carve off the surface of a planet with a cutter. You receive a cutter as part of the very first mission in Starfield and it can be used as long as it is in your inventory. If the cutter is not in your inventory, you will not be able to collect resources that require a cutter. You can find cutters scattered across the Settled Systems and they can be purchased from many merchants.
- Liquid and Gas resources are going to be picked up directly from their source and deposited into a container which can hold them in your inventory.
- You can also find resources available for gathering when interacting with the flora and fauna of the various worlds of the Settled Systems.
If There Are Sparks, You're Cutting
The range of your cutter is around 12 meters. This is the general range you will be in for sparks to appear when you point the laser at a mineral that's able to be plucked from the planetary surface. You will see sparks if you are within range and actively cutting the ore free.
Scan Everything!
The more ordinary resources you will find stick out pretty easily for you to find and blast with a cutter, but as you explore, you will find that certain flora and fauna hold resources that may be useful for you in the long run. Taking the time to scan to 100% will net you a boost in XP and a better understanding of what resources are around you.
Getting Serious About Resource Gathering
Getting serious about resource gathering can require you to stay a while on a planet. All planets have specific resources which can be gathered in larger quantity if you set down an outpost. With an outpost, you can select and create a place where you can extract resources.
- With your scanner, you can plumb the depths of the planet to see what valuables lie available for extraction.
- There are several kinds of extractors all of which cover the solid, liquid, or gaseous nature of the resource you're attempting to gather.
Make Sure You Have Storage Available
Resources, no matter their type, are going to weight a lot of mass. Having an idea how and where to store these materials will be key to making sure you are not trying to fight spacers while carrying three hundred pounds of Chlorine, Platinum, and Aluminum in your inventory.
- Your outposts can house storage containers which can be used to hold your gathered resources.
- You can link the extractors to storage containers made specially for resources.
Know the Risks When You're Gathering
In most cases, you will gather your ores, gases, and other objects without much issue, but you can be exposed to the hazards those same valuables have. It is important to move quickly if you receive a warning that there is something toxic nearby.
- You will receive an alert that there is something in the environment that is causing adverse effects.
Resources in Space
As you would expect, the debris of celestial bodies often holds resources. While hurtling through the vacuum of space, you can fire your lasers at any floating rocks, and if there's something to be gathered, you will be able to add it to your starship's cargo hold by flying and interacting with it.
Putting Your Knowledge into Practice
There are several skills which will improve and increase the yield of resource gathering. It is always a good idea, as your needs grow, that you find ways to enhance the process of resource gathering.
- The Geology Skill is going to help with obtaining more inorganic resources that you come across in the Settled Systems.
- The Botany Skill will allow you to obtain more organic resources from plants that you find around the Settled Systems.
- The Zoology Skill will allow you to obtain more organic resources from alien creatures that you find around the Settled Systems.
It Can Make You Credits
Resources take a lot of mass. Finding places for it all can be hard if you want to keep your gathering operation growing. If you have a reliable place to gather a resource, you can make room by refining your resources into parts and selling to interested merchants in the Settled Systems who can take the raw material or the refined parts.
- Refine materials at an Industrial Workbench.
- You can take the raw materials and the manufactured parts to a friendly merchant who has the credits to spend. Some locations you can check are:
- New Atlantis can be found on Jemison in the Alpha Centuari System.
- Neon can be found on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
- Akila City can be found on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
- Cydonia can be found on Mars in the Sol System.
Sometimes, It Can Cost You Credits
If you are having an issue finding that mineral that will help with researching a project or in fabricating a specific part, you can always venture into civilization and seek out the major points of people in New Atlantis or Akila City. Your neighbors at nearby mining or science outposts may also have some resources available at their provisioner.
- Civilization may have resources ready for those who have the credits to spend.
- New Atlantis can be found on Jemison in the Alpha Centuari System.
- Neon can be found on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
- Akila City can be found on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
- Cydonia can be found on Mars in the Sol System.
- Nearby outposts may have provisioners who have extra resources for sale.
Inorganic Resources
- See also: Inorganic Resources
Organic Resources
- See also: Organic Resources
| Resource | Image | Rarity | How to Get | Used For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesive |  | Rare | Purchased from Amoli Bava at Jemison Vendorile in New Atlantis Purchased from James Newill at Newill's Goods in Neon Purchased from Jae Montreal at New Homestead in Titan | |
| Fiber | File:Fiber.jpg | Common | ??? | ??? |
| Pigment | File:Pigment.jpg | Common | ??? | ??? |
| Sealant |  | Common | Purchased from Wen Tseng at UC Distribution in New Atlantis Purchased from Amoli Bava at Jemison Vendorile in New Atlantis Purchased from Dietrich Sieghart in Sieghart's Outfitters in Neon Purchased from James Newill at Newill's Goods in Neon Purchased from Manaaki Almonte at Cydonia in Mars |
