Pixels are basically money in Starbound. As currency, they’re used to buy goods from merchants, operate the 3D Printer, and craft weapons and armor. Learning how to farm Pixels quickly will be crucial to mastering Starbound and its late game fun.
You can get Pixels through a number of means – beating enemies, finding treasure chests, collecting pixel capsules, and selling items. The community, however, has come up with some of the most efficient ways to raise cash as fast as possible.
One particularly violent method is to fly across a planet, killing low-health birds. This will require the Bubble Boost upgrade, as well as a hatred for all things bird. The mobs spawn frequently enough, and are weak enough, to make farming them for Pixels rather convenient.
Another method of Pixel collection is through ores. These can be turned into Pixels at refineries. If you find an easily mine-able area, it can be extremely Pixel-lucrative.
If you have a good supply of turrets, it’s a good idea to set them up along a planet surface. These will kill monsters for you, allowing you to run through collecting their cash loot after the carnage.
Killing monsters with a good melee weapon will drop Pixels more often than killing them with ranged weapons. Set out hunting some stronger beasts if you want more Pixels.
If you’d rather get money through exploration, be sure to look for large buildings on the surface, and loot everything you find. Underground, make sure you dig deep. If you go far enough, you should be able to find capsules galore. The efficiency of this, however, can vary based on your world.
More interested in farming? You can leverage the market for Pixels, too. Gather up Wartweed seeds, as many as possible, and head to a rainy planet ideal for farming. Create your farm, and make sure you keep it long and open to rain exposure. Plant Wartweed down your farm setup (this is easiest if you just walk backwards while spamming the plant button). Wartweed takes only a couple of minutes to grow, so if your farm is long enough, you’ll be able to start collecting your first plants soon after you’re done planting. Head over to a merchant and sell your crop for 35 Pixels each. Farming Automatos, Coral Creep, Pearlpeas, and Thornfruit works fairly well, too.
