Highlights
- Starfield’s planets offer a wide range of diversity and usefulness, from sentimental favorites to resource-rich mining locations.
- Eridani II, Zamka, and Jemison are among the best planets for building outposts and finding valuable resources in the settled systems.
- Nesoi, Porrima II, Syrma VII-a, Volii Alpha, Freya III, and Zeta Ophiuchi I are all unique and beautiful planets with different advantages and attractions for everyone.
Starfield’s planets vary enormously in just about every conceivable way, especially with a large amount of their details being procedurally generated. As such, their usefulness varies. Whether it’s the sentimentality of our Sol system, the cities on Jemison, Akila, and Volii Alpha, or those planets whose resources make them valuable for mining, they all have something to offer.
Depending on your needs, each planet’s usefulness is not necessarily set in stone, but some are definitely better than others. Nobody would argue that Barnard’s Star’s sole planet, Frost, is better than Paradiso’s Porrima II, for example. Whether you’re looking for a holiday or somewhere to set up camp, here are the best planets in Starfield’s settled Systems, ranked.
9 Eridani II
The star system Eridani may be a familiar name to fans of sci-fi video games, as might the second planet from its sun. Starfield’s Eridani II was also the planet known as Reach in the Halo series, where the game of the same name took place. The planet shares many similarities across these two games, with a rugged but earth-like landscape full of mountains and forests.
Although Starfield’s version of the planet has none of the Titanium that fuelled Reach’s industry, it has a number of useful common metals in addition to gold. With these factors in mind, Eridani II makes for an interesting planet to build an outpost on and deserves its place amongst the game’s best planets, even if Noble Six is nowhere to be seen in its caves.
8 Zamka
In the orbit of Olivas, a frozen gas giant in the Alpha Centauri system, sits the diminutive moon of Zamka. A rocky tundra whose landscape deals mostly in shades of beige, Zamka nonetheless offers several useful resources in Helium-3, Copper, Nickel, and Iron, alongside the more valuable Vanadium.
As a result, good outpost placement can make Zamka a farm for producing many resources key to expanding your outposts, both on this moon itself and further across the stars. Be prepared for trial-and-error, however, as the first spot you find might not contain everything you’re looking to farm.
7 Jemison
No planet in the settled systems is afforded quite as much significance as Jemison, the capital of the United Colonies. In New Atlantis, you’ll find Bethesda’s biggest-ever city, which, although admittedly a low bar, is nonetheless impressive in its scale and opportunity. It is also home to Constellation’s Lodge and your parents’ apartment, should you choose the Kid Stuff trait. The city can become your home too through the Vanguard questline, which will grant you United Colonies citizenship.
Venture outside the confines of the city, and you’ll find that Jemison is a verdant, earth-like planet with no shortage of hostile and friendly wildlife. Decidedly lacking in terms of rare resources, this planet’s value comes from the care put into it by Bethesda and the amount of content it houses.
6 Nesoi
The planet Nesoi will be familiar to anyone who selected the dream home perk, which lands you a nice house on the planet, as well as a sizable mortgage at GalBank. Located conveniently in the Olympus system, Nesoi is also notable for the now-defunct zero-G casino ship, The Almagest, which sits in orbit around the planet.
Its central location, breathable atmosphere, and varied resources make Nesoi a great place to set up an outpost early in the game, and its varied flora and fauna further add to a world equally functional, beautiful, and one that will stay useful even as you reach higher levels.
5 Porrima II
Located in the Porrima system is the planet of Porrima II, home of the famous Paradiso Hotel. This place is built with wealth and opulence in mind, and affordability is not even considered. The resort is a rare part of the settled systems where galactic concerns seem insignificant. This allows you and your fellow guests to enjoy the wealth you’ve accrued safely away from the common rabble in your deluxe penthouse suite with two balconies.
With a decent range of flora and fauna on show on this tropical planet, and both Lithium and Caesium amongst its admittedly limited resources, Porrima II is a beautiful planet that has more value than simply its resort. And if you’ve earned a lifetime pass from the First Contact mission, your guilt will wash away with the tides while you relax on the beach.
4 Syrma VII-a
Vladimir Sall is a valuable ally in your search for the Artifacts, providing reconnaissance by using the Eye to locate these mysterious relics. Constellation’s eye in the sky is also a former Crimson Fleet pirate who amassed a great deal of wealth during his days pillaging the blackest sea.
As a result, when he invites you to visit his house on his behalf, as he never has time to go himself, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that you find Vlad’s villa is a comfortable, remote home tucked away on the moon Syrma VII-a. Quite unlike Earth’s own, this moon is vibrant, full of forests, swamps, hills, and oceans, and boasts Platinum and Lithium among its resources.
3 Volii Alpha
An ocean planet with stormy weather and harsh waves, Volii Alpha doesn’t exactly sound like it would house the settled systems’ premier city of sin, but first impressions can be very misleading. Thanks to the hallucinogenic properties that its native Chasmbass have been discovered to contain, what was once a mere rig has been built vertically into a high-rise city of business and pleasure under the careful, controlling watch of Administrator Bayu.
Although you’ll have to turn elsewhere for base-building, as this planet lacks a single speck of natural dry land, Neon’s aesthetics and the fact it uses lightning as its energy source are among the most innovative in the game, cementing the planet as a deserved inclusion on this list.
2 Freya III
The Freya system is a remote one on the frontier of space, and Freya III epitomizes this. A beautifully wild planet with a range of multicolored flora, you’ll visit this planet with Constellation on your main quest, during which you’ll get well acquainted with some of the local fauna, the scorpion-like Cataxi.
If you’re feeling brave, this temperate planet has everything you need for an outpost, with its wide variety of resources supplemented by its impressive wildlife. Just don’t head there before investing in outpost defense, or you might find yourself at the mercy of some less-than-friendly creatures.
1 Zeta Ophiuchi I
Though the star system Zeta Ophiuchi is a level 50 area, the planet closest to its sun is one that shouldn’t be overlooked. Despite its proximity to its star, the climate is temperate, and water is abundant. With a variety of biomes, from tropical forests to mountains and a wide range of flora and fauna to discover, Zeta Ophiuchi I is an ideal planet on which to build a home.
Additionally, with a range of eight resources from Ytterbium to Tantalum, the planet is no slouch regarding resources, making it a useful location for practical outposts. Whether you visit Zeta Ophiuchi I to settle down or merely to see the sights, the turquoise skies of this tropical paradise are certainly worth a visit.