You’ve just found the perfect planet in Starfield, full of rich resources and local fauna to hunt. Those precious elements aren’t going to extract themselves—or are they? Once you learn how to mine resources at outposts automatically, it’s smooth sailing from there.
How to Automatically Extract Resources at Outposts in Starfield
Assuming you have the resources to get started, you’re going to need a few things in Starfield. Of course, finding the right location is of utmost importance. When you’ve found a place to settle with resources you’d like to mine, here’s what you do:
- Set up an Outpost Beacon.
Find a nice spot on the surface and then open your scanner. See the ‘Outpost’ option along the bottom? Use it to place an Outpost Beacon, and then interact with it.
- Build a power source.
Flip to the ‘Power’ tab and pick a power source. We suggest using either a solar array or wind turbine.
- Build an extractor.
Now flip to the ‘Extractors’ tab and pick an extractor related to the resource you want to mine. Keep in mind some extractors only work when they’re placed atop a resource vein.
- Build a storage container.
Extractors work automatically, but their internal storage is limited and they’ll stop working when they’re full. In the ‘Storage’ tab, build a storage container that matches your resource’s type—minerals go into solid containers, gasses to gas, and liquids to liquid.
- Connect your extractor to a storage container.
Highlight your extractor. See the option to ‘Create Output Link’ along the bottom? Press the button prompt to spawn a cable, and then highlight your storage container. Pressing the button again will create a link between the two, sending resources gathered to the container.
With an output link created, your extractor will mine resources automatically in Starfield, without ever taking a break. There’s still more work to be done now that your outpost is up and running though. You’ll need to assign crew to your outpost or maybe you’re relocating, in which case you can delete outposts, too. We’ve got guides on those processes, and ones for other handy mechanics, down below.
