Crafting in Starfield requires you to gather resources, research projects, and then use workbenches to create items, mods, and consumables.
So, you’re venturing across the cosmos, huh? Figuring out the planets is just the start. Soon you’ll want better gear and that’s where you need to learn Starfield how to master the crafting system. It might seem complicated at first with all the different resources.
But with a little understanding, you’ll quickly become a crafting pro. The system allows you to create just about anything. Think better weapons, armor, and even food! This improves your chances of survival in this new universe.
Starfield: How to Master the Crafting System
Welcome, space explorers! In Starfield, crafting is super important. It’s how you get better gear, make helpful items, and even change your ship. It might seem a little confusing at first, but don’t worry! This guide will show you everything you need to know to become a crafting expert in the Settled Systems.
Understanding the Basics
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the core concepts. Crafting in Starfield revolves around resources, research, and crafting stations. You can’t just wave a magic wand; you have to find materials and learn how to put them together.
Resources: The Building Blocks
Resources are the things you need to craft. You’ll find these all over the galaxy – on planets, in abandoned buildings, and sometimes even from space rocks. Different resources are used for different things. For example, you might need Iron for weapon mods, and Aluminum for ship parts. Some resources are common, while others are more rare.
- How to Gather: You can get resources by mining, looting containers, and sometimes from creatures. Mining requires a cutter, which you get early in the game. Just aim at a resource vein and hold the trigger. You can also buy resources from vendors at different settlements.
- Types of Resources: There are a whole bunch of resources, but some of the most common you’ll see include Iron, Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, Tungsten, and Polymer. Also keep an eye out for special resources, often found on planets with unique conditions. These can be very valuable for advanced crafting.
- Storage: Resources are heavy! To avoid being overloaded, you should store them on your ship, in your home, or in settlements. Each location has a storage capacity. Remember to regularly go back to your storage to unload your inventory and make more room to gather.
Research: Learning How to Make Things
Before you can craft something fancy, you usually need to research it. Research is done at a research station. These stations can be found at settlements, outposts, or even on your ship if you have one built there. Research projects involve using specific resources and spending some time. The rewards include recipes that allow you to craft new weapons, armor mods, ship upgrades, and more.
- Research Projects: When you go to a research station, you will see a list of projects categorized by type, like Weaponry, Spacesuit Technology, Pharmacology, and Outpost Development. Each project has its own material requirements and time needed to complete.
- Research Tiers: Some projects are tiered, meaning you need to complete the first part before you can do the next. This keeps you progressing smoothly and opens up crafting abilities in a logical order. Always look at the research requirements to see what you need to collect or where to visit.
- Skills Boost Research: Certain skills in the Science skill tree can speed up research times or give you access to better crafting blueprints. For instance, the Chemistry skill is important if you want to make more complex modifications to your armor and weapons.
Crafting Stations: Where the Magic Happens
Crafting happens at special stations. These stations are different depending on what you want to make. There are stations for making weapon mods, armor mods, ship parts, and medical items. Just like research stations, you can find them at many places in the world or create your own. Each station is designed for a special type of crafting.
- Workbenches: These are used for modifying your weapons and spacesuits. Weapon workbenches let you change things like scopes, barrels, and ammo types. Spacesuit workbenches let you improve the armor and utility aspects of your suits.
- Industrial Workbench: Used for making industrial items and outpost development. These crafting projects can be more complex but can help you build your bases or get essential items.
- Pharmaceutical Lab: This crafting station lets you make medical items and other useful consumables that help you during combat or exploration. You often need rare resources for advanced pharmaceuticals.
- Shipbuilder: This is a large crafting station dedicated to ship modifications. Here you can change your ship’s weapons, engines, and other parts to create something completely unique.
Crafting Specifics: A Deeper Look
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at some specific types of crafting you’ll do in Starfield. Each has unique features and things to keep in mind.
Weapon Modification: Making Your Guns Better
Weapon mods can greatly improve your firepower. You can add silencers for stealth, scopes for accuracy, and bigger magazines for more bullets. Each gun has a set of mod slots, and you can change these mods using the workbench. Modding can improve damage, range, accuracy, and more.
- Types of Mods: You will see mods such as barrels (to improve the range), grips (to improve handling), muzzles (to reduce recoil), and magazines (to increase ammo capacity). Each weapon type has specific kinds of mods.
- Finding Mods: You can sometimes find mods in the world, but often you will need to research the recipe or take the mod from another weapon. Mod parts are also resources that can be found as you explore.
- Experiment: Don’t be afraid to experiment with mods. Combining different ones can give you different results. Find what works best for your playing style and favorite weapons.
Spacesuit Modification: Staying Safe in Space
Spacesuits can be improved with mods as well. These mods will boost your defenses against different dangers and make exploring safer. You can make your suit lighter, more resistant to damage, and even have special effects like faster movement.
- Types of Mods: You’ll see mods for helmets, packs, and suits. Mods for helmets might increase your scan range, pack mods can improve carry capacity, and suit mods can increase your damage resistance.
- Special Effects: Some mods might give you special effects, such as faster movement or damage reduction in certain environments. Think carefully about what would help you the most when exploring new planets.
- Resource Variety: Spacesuit mods often require very specific resources, so be prepared to hunt for rarer items when you want to make the best suit possible.
Ship Building: Making Your Starship Unique
Ship building in Starfield is a whole crafting experience in itself. It is the most complex crafting system in the game and lets you completely change how your ship looks and performs. You can upgrade weapons, engines, shields, and even add new modules like cargo bays and labs.
- Ship Parts: Ship parts can be bought from vendors or found when you fight enemy ships. You need to explore different systems and locations to find the best components.
- Customization: Ship building lets you move and scale parts, which allows you to create completely unique ship designs. The possibilities are pretty extensive.
- Ship Combat: Upgrading your ship weapons and shields will help you win more battles against pirates and other enemies. Always look at your available resources and plan improvements for your favorite ship.
Pharmaceutical Crafting: Staying Alive and Healthy
Pharmaceutical crafting lets you make medical items and other useful consumables. These can help you heal faster, boost stats, or remove harmful effects. This type of crafting is super important for surviving in the dangerous parts of space.
- Types of Items: You can make med packs, which heal you, as well as aid items that can boost your carrying capacity, damage output, and many other stats.
- Resource Gathering: Medicinal resources often come from plants and creatures, so you might have to do some exploring to get what you need.
- Strategic Use: Learn to use consumable items strategically. Knowing when to use a buff or a healing item can make a big difference during combat or when you’re exploring dangerous locations.
Tips for Crafting Like a Pro
Now that you know all the basics, here are some tips to help you become the best crafter in Starfield:
- Explore Everywhere: The best resources are often found in unusual places. Explore all the nooks and crannies of planets, abandoned facilities, and space stations.
- Skill Investment: Skills like Chemistry, Weapon Engineering, and Spacesuit Design directly affect your crafting abilities. Invest skill points in these early to get the most from crafting.
- Regular Storage: Don’t get bogged down with carrying heavy resources. Regularly offload your items at your ship or outpost.
- Use Outposts: Building your own outposts is a great way to get reliable resources and crafting stations. Plus, you can create custom systems that gather materials for you automatically.
- Check Vendors: Vendors sell rare resources and mods. Check the different shops in cities and settlements. Sometimes, you might find an item that makes your crafting project that much easier.
- Plan Ahead: Before going out to explore, check what you need for the next crafting projects. Making a list of materials needed can make your gathering more efficient and less random.
- Keep Researching: Don’t stop researching new projects. You are always able to learn something new that will make your experience of Starfield more satisfying.
- Experiment: Have fun and experiment with different combinations of mods and resources. This is how you’ll find what works best for you.
Crafting is not just a part of Starfield; it’s a central pillar of gameplay. By understanding resources, mastering research, and utilizing crafting stations, you can equip yourself with the best possible gear and create a ship that truly belongs to you. Take your time, try new things, and you will quickly see that crafting is a rewarding and fun way to play. Your space adventure will be even more special because you built parts of it.
You're Crafting WRONG! – Starfield Crafting and Resource Guide (Research, Resource Farming & More)
Final Thoughts
To effectively utilize Starfield’s crafting, prioritize resource gathering and research projects. Carefully choose your crafting benches, as each provides unique capabilities. Understanding required materials is key, so focus on scanning everything.
Experiment with different item modifications for the best gear. Level up your skills, especially those in the science and engineering tree. You must spend time learning the nuances of Starfield how to master the crafting system to succeed.



