Of all the things players can do in Starfield, crafting is certainly one of the most important. Nearly every aspect of the game is tied to this mechanic in some way, whether it be the weapons players use, or the gear that they wear. So much of the content in Starfield is enhanced by crafting. But no matter how important the act of creating is, players cannot do it without the vital resources that it requires.
Tungsten, a mid-level metal that is found in several systems, is one of the most important crafting materials in Starfield. Many essential research projects and modifications use this metal as a key component. This guide will help players locate this important resource, and tech them how to spot the planets that are most likely to feature it in abundance.
How to Find Tungsten in Starfield
The key to simply finding Tungsten in Starfield, is through knowing its chemical symbol. Unlike alloys such as Titanium (Ti) or Aluminum (Al), which both feature symbols that would make sense to a casual observer, Tungsten is represented by a letter that is not even featured in its name: W.
This is a common theme with chemical symbols, so make sure to research the chemical symbol of any desired resource. Another good example is Pb, which is the chemical symbol for Lead, another resource in Starfield.
When scanning a planet or moon, a series of small boxes will appear near the lower section of the information window, which sits on the left side of the screen. Players will notice a chemical symbol in each box, which denotes a specific resource on that planet.
Use Color Coding to Scan for Tungsten:
It is important to manually scan each planet when searching for a specific resource, as the color-coding will reveal an extremely important data point: how much of the planet or moon features that material.
Using the moon Eridani VII-c — a Tungsten-rich moon of Eridani VII in the Eridani system — as an example, players will see that Tungsten (remember, W is the chemical symbol) is shown in the information window as being marked by a pale gray color. When checking the moon, the player will see large areas of pale gray, which is exactly the areas they should land in when looking for Tungsten.
Once the proper region is discovered, players can press A to place a landing marker. Hold X to land at that location, then proceed to look for Tungsten. Those looking for a small amount, should find it rather quickly. But players looking to find a true, permanent source of Tungsten, will be able to do so on Eridani VII-c.
Players should invest heavily in the skills related to Starfield’s scanning systems. This will allow the player to get a much more accurate picture of what resources are on each planet.
How to Farm for Tungsten in Starfield
Following the previous steps will yield a high amount of Tungsten, certainly enough for a few small projects. However, players can use this method to truly farm for Tungsten. While Eridani VII-c will work if players have the “Planetary Habitation” skill unlocked, allowing for outposts to be built in extreme environments, there is another moon much closer to New Atlantis that will work perfectly.
Voss, a moon of Olivas, is found on the far edge of the Alpha Centauri system. Here, players will need to build an outpost on a patch of Tungsten-rich ground. Once that is established, create the following items:
- Extractor – Tungsten: A single extractor requires 5 Iron, 2 Tungsten, 4 Aluminum.
- Power Generating Item: Players will need at least 5 power to run a single extractor, which means multiple smaller power generating items, or a single Fueled Generator.
- Solar Array: 2 Beryllium, 3 Copper, 4 Aluminum – Creates 4 Power
- Wind Turbine: 5 Aluminum, 2 Cobalt, 3 Nickel – Creates 3 Power
- Fueled Generator: 1 Austenitic Manifold, 4 Tungsten, 1 Tau Grade Rheostat, 1 Isocentered Magnet – Creates 20 Power, requires 1 Helium-3 ro run.
Building an outpost is as simple as pressing X from the Scanner window. Make sure to place it on or near the patch of Tungsten-rich ground. Starfield‘s outpost system will automatically enter ‘Build-Mode’ once it is built. Extractors are the default modules when this mode is open, and pressing RB once will lead to the ‘Power’ section.
Running multiple extractors will generate vast amounts of Tungsten, assuring a virtually bottomless supply for research, crafting, and outpost building.
Starfield is available now on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
