Setting up a mining operation is one of the best ways to get raw resources inStarfield.It saves players the hassle of traveling from one general goods store to another, and it’s the cherry on top for explorers who love building and decorating outposts across the Settled Systems.
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Manually gathering minerals and gasses inStarfieldis an expectedly tedious and menial endeavor. However, there are some ways to automate this process, freeing up a ton of time for players while also giving their outposts significantly more value. Here’s how to make resource gathering a lot easier.
How to Mine Minerals and Harvest Gas
First, players will need to find a planet that containsthe resources they want to collect. Before landing on a planet, make sure to scan it first in order to see what resource spawns in which region. Then, selectan appropriate landing zone, step out of the ship, and get ready to survey the area.
Instead of using a Cutter for minerals or interacting with dangerous gas vents, players should instead place an outpost beacon and build extractors over raw resource deposits. The type of resource extractors harvest depends on the land or deposit they are built on, so verify to double-check which mineral is available over a patch of land first before building.
Extractorswill harvest things on their own slowly over time. Any harvested resource will be stored in their very limited personal inventories; when these are full, extractors will stop working. To prevent this, verify to connect extractors to storage units.Go into outpost building modeand place down either a mineral or gas storage container based on what extractors are harvesting.
Extractorsandstorage containersmust belinkedto each other in order for excess resources to be stored properly. To do this, aim at an extractor, then press the Create Output Link button shown at the bottom of the screen (RMB by default for keyboard users). Connect the extractor to a storage container, then any extra materials will automatically be transferred to whichever of the two has space.
How to Create Output Link Chains
Multiple containers of the same type can all be connected to one another to create a daisy chain of storage space. To do this, link an extractor to a container, then link that container to a different one. Repeat until the desired amount of containers is met.
Players don’t need to link the extractor to multiple different containers. It’s best to create a single chain that flows neatly between individual containers to reduce visual clutter and avoid confusion while building.
As the image above shows, the extractor is connected to Container 1, which is then connected to Container 2. The output link then chains to the third, fourth, and fifth containers to create a clean chain that’s easy on the eyes.Build and use Transfer Containersto easily move resources between outposts and a docked ship.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
