Starfield All Planets Guide: Best Planets for Resources, Outposts & Exploration

Starfield features over 1,000 planets and moons spread across 100+ star systems. While not every planet offers the same depth of content, this complete Starfield planets guide will help you identify the best planets for resources, outpost building, rare materials, and exploration content.

How Planets Work in Starfield

Each planet in Starfield has a unique set of characteristics that determine its value to players. When you scan a planet from orbit, you can see its atmosphere type, gravity level, temperature, available resources, and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. Fully surveying a planet — scanning all resources, plants, and animals — earns you Survey Data you can sell to Vladimir at The Eye for credits.

Best Planets for Resources & Outposts

Andraphon (Narion System)

Andraphon is arguably the best early-game outpost planet in Starfield. It’s a moon orbiting Sumati and contains Aluminum, Beryllium, Europium, and Helium-3 — all critical manufacturing resources. The lack of atmosphere means no weather, and the flat terrain makes building easy.

Resources: Aluminum, Beryllium, Europium, He-3
Gravity: 0.09g (very low, great for mobility)
Atmosphere: None (no weather, easy outpost building)
Hazards: None
Recommended For: First outpost, manufacturing hub

Vectera (Narion System)

The very first planet you visit in the main story, Vectera holds sentimental value but also practical resources. It has Copper, Lead, and Nickel deposits accessible near the Argos Extractors mining facility where your story begins.

Gagarin (Alpha Centauri System)

Gagarin Landing is one of the first cities you can visit, and the surrounding planet has excellent resource variety for mid-game outpost building. Resources include Iron, Nickel, Lead, and rare Uranium deposits in certain biomes.

Schrodinger III (Schrodinger System)

For late-game resource hunters, Schrodinger III is a goldmine. It’s known for containing Neon, Xenon, and other rare noble gases essential for high-tier manufacturing. The planet requires a spacesuit with high thermal resistance due to extreme temperatures.

Best Planets for Main Story & Quests

Jemison (Alpha Centauri System)

Home to New Atlantis, the capital of the United Colonies, Jemison is the most content-rich planet in Starfield. New Atlantis hosts Constellation headquarters, the UC Vanguard faction, Lodge missions, and dozens of side quests. You’ll spend more time here than anywhere else in the game.

Key Location: New Atlantis (Largest city in the game)
Factions: United Colonies, Constellation
Notable Vendors: Jemison Mercantile, Outland, Novalith Weaponry
Ship Vendor: New Atlantis Starport (largest ship selection)

Akila (Cheyenne System)

Akila City is the home of the Freestar Collective and the Freestar Rangers faction questline. The planet itself is a harsh, arid world with unique native fauna including the Ashta — a wolf-like alien predator that roams the plains outside the city walls.

Volii Alpha (Volii System)

Home to Neon, the pleasure city floating on a platform above an ocean world. Neon is the hub for the Ryujin Industries questline and the seedy criminal underworld of the settled systems. Volii Alpha’s ocean is toxic but yields the prized Aurora drug that drives Neon’s economy.

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Best Planets for Survey Data (Credits Farming)

Selling complete survey data to Vladimir Sall is one of the most efficient ways to earn credits in Starfield. The most valuable planets to survey are those with the most diverse flora, fauna, and resource types. Focus on planets with:

Multiple biomes (increases flora/fauna diversity)
Abundant fauna (more species = higher survey value)
Rare resources that appear on few other planets
Atmospheric planets (more flora types than barren worlds)

Top Survey Data Planets

Maheo II (Maheo System) — Rich fauna diversity, high survey payout
Hyla II (Hyla System) — Multiple biomes, excellent survey value
Charybdis III (Charybdis System) — High-value rare resources
Bessel III-b (Bessel System) — One of the best early survey planets

Planet Traits Explained

Each planet can have 0-3 traits that add unique properties. Some traits grant resource bonuses, others add special locations or hazards. Here are the most valuable traits to look for when choosing an outpost planet:

Geothermal Vents — Bonus thermal energy for power generation
Dense Fauna — More animal types for survey completion
Magnetic Field Anomaly — Unique locations with valuable loot
Sentient Xenofauna — Rare trait, adds unique alien NPCs
Extensive Cave Network — Hidden underground locations and resources

How to Fully Survey a Planet

To 100% survey a planet and maximize your Survey Data payout, you need to complete all of the following:

Scan all inorganic resources (shown in the top HUD scan bar)
Scan all flora species in every biome
Scan all fauna species (you must scan them multiple times — each animal has multiple scan stages)
Discover all traits on the planet surface
Explore unique locations (POIs) that the planet reveals

Pro tip: Equip the Scanning skill from the Science tree to reveal more planet data from orbit and speed up surface scanning. The Zoology skill also speeds up fauna scanning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many planets are in Starfield?

Starfield features over 1,000 planets and moons across more than 100 star systems. However, only a fraction of these have hand-crafted content — the majority are procedurally generated exploration worlds.

What is the best planet to build an outpost on?

Andraphon in the Narion system is the best early-game outpost planet due to its rich resource variety (Aluminum, Beryllium, Europium, He-3), no atmosphere, and easy flat terrain. For late-game, look for planets that overlap rare resource types you need for manufacturing.

Can you visit every planet in Starfield?

Yes, every planet is fully visitable. You can land on the surface of any celestial body in the game. However, some planets require proper spacesuit upgrades to survive extreme temperatures, high gravity, or toxic atmospheres.

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