10 Best Planets to Explore in Starfield

The universe is yours for the plundering as you explore in Starfield. There are moons and planets to plunder for resources, creatures to hunt, and plants to study while you wander the desolate and strange worlds. With so many places to explore or build an outpost upon, you might get overwhelmed with the choice. With that in mind, we have put together a list which offers you ten of our favorite planets in Starfield to land on, each rich with resources, flora, and fauna.

They all have similarities, so they are in no particular order — though personally, the last entry is a definite favorite!

Leviathan IV

This planet may not look like much but it is a good source of seven basic resources and is home to a sentient microbial community. Leviathan IV is, perhaps unsurprisingly, found in the Leviathan star system situated to the east of Alpha Centauri and south of the Cheyenne system. This Starfield planet is one of the best habitable planets to place an outpost and has plenty to mine and collect. The resources available are:

• Aluminium (Al)
• Chlorine (Cl)
• Copper (Cu)
• Fluorine (F)
• Iron (Fe)
• Ytterbium (Yb)
• Water (H2O)

As you explore the land at Leviathan IV it may seem like a sandy wasteland in some areas but if you venture into the mountains you’ll find fascinating flora and fauna. A special feature existing on Leviathan IV is a nutrient-rich structure of roots and biotic materials which extends into the sky and is surrounded by gold sparkles. Build your outpost nearby to mine for iron as you explore the amazing structures.

Volii Epsilon

Volii Epsilon is a crater-marked planet full of resources ready for the taking. Find it in the Volii system which is situated east of the Alpha Centauri and Olympus systems. It is a pretty hostile planet with zero plant life and very few creatures so I wouldn’t set up a home there! It is perfect for a quick visit to empty your outpost stores, though, and worth a quick run about to see what else it has to offer. Volii Epsilon’s resources are:

• Chlorine (Cl)
• Chlorosilanes (SiH3Cl)
• Copper (Cu)
• Fluorine (F)
• Ionic Liquids
• Lead (Pb)
• Water (H20)

This planet is neighbors with Volii Alpha, home of the city of Neon, but it is not as habitable so you are unlikely to find any friendly settlers here. If you love exploring caves or ransacking abandoned labs and outposts, Voii Epsilon has exactly what you need, just watch out for Spacers and Crimson Fleet pirates!

Schrodinger III

Found in the Schrodinger system, south of Kryx, Schrodinger III is a great location for an outpost due to its habitable surface being rich with many resources, flora and fauna. The terrain is interesting and varied but we recommend setting an outpost down in the hills to mine for nickel while you hunt down Foxbats for their expensive furs. The mountains are also perfect if you are looking for iron to mine. You can gather the following resources from all over Schrodinger III:

• Argon (Ar)
• Chlorine (Cl)
• Cobalt (Co)
• Iron (Fe)
• Nickel (Ni)
• Water (H2O)

This planet has no cities or POIs but makes up for it with plenty of alien animals, plants, and rich veins of resources. Just like Leviathan IV, this planet has cool hive structures to discover, as well as glacial remnants for budding scientists to scan and record.

Gagarin

Gagarin is another excellent choice when thinking about setting up an outpost somewhere. It is located in Alpha Centauri, the same system as Jemison. Unlike Schrodinger, you will find humans all over the place thanks to the livable conditions. The Ecliptic can be found scavenging abandoned labs, and there are people in Gagarin Landing to visit. If you are after resources you can find the following at Gagarin:

• Chlorine (Cl)
• Chlorosilanes (SiH3Cl)
• Lead (Pb)
• Water (H2O)

It is worth visiting Gagarin Landing but it is better to explore elsewhere on the planet if you want to set up an outpost. Gagarin is a rough-and-ready type of settlement so is great for picking up extra activities by speaking to the locals. You can also explore mines nearby if you prefer the dark and dank areas of a planet.

Andraphon

If the hustle and bustle of Gagarin was too much, we have a peaceful place for you to land on. Andraphon is a moon orbiting the planet of Sumati. Sumati is situated in the Narion system north east of Alpha Centauri. It doesn’t have any flora or fauna but it is a great place to set an outpost if you are looking to gather Helium-3, among other resources. This moon is rich with the following:

• Aluminium (Al)
• Benzene (Be)
• Europium (Eu)
• Iron (Fe)
• Helium-3 (He-3)

If you start to miss the excitement you can seek it out by finding POIs or mines. There is a deserted mineral plant to explore while you are there, and on your first visit it will be full of Spacer scum to take down. If you like a good scrap then scan around for ‘Structures’ to discover any abandoned mines. These are usually taken over by the Ecliptic. If you are lucky you will find some of their valuable contraband!

Celebrai II

Celebrai II is in the Celebrai system, situated northeast of Kryx. Don’t let the dusty areas of this planet fool you, it is actually rich in flora, fauna, and multiple resources. We recommend checking out the mountainous areas first. A few of the creatures want to kill you, but it’s an easy fight and you come out of it rich in hallucinogen and spice. The main resources you can gather from Celebrai II are:

• Alkanes (HnCn)
• Chlorine (Cl)
• Chlorosilnanes (SiH3Cl)
• Copper (Cu)
• Gold (Au)
• Iron (Fe)
• Water (H2O)

This is my personal favorite planet to gather resources from flora and fauna. It has such diversity in life and environment that I don’t find it boring to boost pack about on the surface. We recommend setting an outpost to mine for iron, or whatever you need, and go out hunting creatures while you wait for the store to fill.

Mars

Mars is situated in our very own star system, Sol. The planet itself is full of great resources but not much in the way of interesting creatures (humans aside, of course). The best place to go is Cydonia, an industrial-looking human settlement full of shops and extra missions. If you are after some bonus XP then we recommend a visit to Cydonia when you land on Mars. If you prefer wandering the wasteland then the following resources are available:

• Chlorine (Cl)
• Chlorosilanes (SiH3Cl)
• Lead (Pb)
• Water (H2O)

The best thing about Mars is visiting the Opportunity Rover. When you have read the display at the NASA Launch Tower on Earth you can unlock the location of the now-inactive Rover. It’s strangely bittersweet seeing little parts of reality in the game!

Earth

Our former home, Earth, is located in the Sol system. The atmosphere isn’t completely hostile but it is clearly not a livable planet anymore. For many players, exploring Earth is more for the personal interest due to it being our home planet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful! There are still plenty of resources to gather:

• Water (H2O)
• Chlorine (Cl)
• Mercury (Hg)
• Lead (Pb)
• Chlorosilanes (SiH3Cl)

The best thing about Earth is landing at the sites of former cities. You can visit the Empire State Building in the USA, The Shard in the U.K., Shanghai Tower in China, and even the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt! We recommend landing on Earth, setting up an outpost and exploring to see how many of the eleven available landmarks you can find.

Nesoi

Nesoi is situated in the Olympus star system just east of Alpha Centauri. It has a decent amount of flora and fauna, and is rich in resources. If you’re looking for just one planet to set your outpost on this could be for you. These are the eight resources available to find in Nesoi:

• Argon (Ar)
• Iridium (Ir)
• Uranium (U)
• Water (H2O)
• Iron (Fe)
• Benzene (C6H6)
• Carboxylic Acids (R-COOH)
• Tantalum (Ta)

Aside from resources, there is plenty to see and do at Nesoi. Scattered about the planet are deserted relay stations, mines, caves, and other structures to discover. If you like an exciting adventure on a new planet then we highly recommend Nesoi. Just land your ship and within a 20 meter-square area you will find useful resources from the ground, plants, and creatures!

Procyon III

Procyon III can be found in the Procyon A system north west of Alpha Centauri. It is a lush planet but has vast swathes of icy land towards the north. Unless you like it freezing cold, we suggest landing at the Wetlands and scavenging for all you can find. The extensive list of available resources on Procyon III are as follows:

• Argon (Ar)
• Copper (Cu)
• Fluorine (Fl)
• Ionic Liquids
• Neon (Ne)
• Tetrafluorides (xF4)
• Water (H2O)

This planet has bizarre looking egg-shaped mounds, giant insect creatures wandering around, and intriguing fungus-filled groves. If more planets looked like Procyon III, the exploration side of Starfield would be a bit more interesting for many players. Procyon III has a lot of resources to plunder, but it is also the absolute epitome of an ‘alien planet’.

Those are our favorite planets in Starfield, but if your choice didn’t make our list then let us know! For more tips and help surviving in Starfield, read more guides in the list below.