Start by repairing your ship through S.A.I.L., enabling the Matter Manipulator, activating the teleporter, and beaming to the starter planet. Once there, collect wood, plant fibre, food and useful materials; build a shelter; make the basic crafting table; and establish storage and healing before exploring far. Your first major story objective is collecting Core Fragments so you can reach the Ark, but Starbound also supports open-ended building, farming, creature collecting, exploration, multiplayer and modding.
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What Starbound is—and what you should do first
Starbound is a 2D space-faring sandbox with a story campaign layered over a large set of planets, materials, creatures, settlements and missions. You can pursue the main quest, construct a home or colony, farm, explore dungeons, collect creatures or simply travel and build. Chucklefish describes the design this way: “In Starbound, you create your own story – there’s no wrong way to play!”
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For a first session, use this order:
- Finish the ship instructions in S.A.I.L.
- Beam to the starting world and complete the first tutorial objective.
- Gather wood, plant fibre and food while identifying a safe place to stay.
- Craft a basic table, then a furnace, anvil and other early stations.
- Make healing supplies, storage, tools and simple armour before travelling deeply underground.
- Work toward the Core Fragments needed to open the next story destination.
This sequence gives you a reliable respawn point and equipment base without forcing a single play style afterward.
Character creation and essential controls
Character creation lets you choose from seven races and customise your appearance. The choice is primarily about identity and presentation for a new player; concentrate on learning movement, inventory and interaction rather than trying to optimise the race selection.
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| Action | Default control in the beginner guide | Why it matters early |
|---|---|---|
| Move left/right | A / D | Basic movement and positioning around creatures, hazards and ledges. |
| Jump | Space | Cross gaps, reach platforms and avoid attacks. |
| Crouch | S | Lower your character and navigate compact spaces. |
| Inventory | I | Manage materials, food, healing items and equipment. |
| Crafting | C | Open available recipes and create stations or supplies. |
| Interact | E | Use objects, containers, stations and characters. |
| Highlight interactables | Alt | Reveal nearby objects you can interact with. |
| Matter Manipulator | R | Mine and manipulate terrain during the opening tutorial. |
Controls can be rebound. If a key feels awkward, change it before long mining sessions so movement, inventory and the Matter Manipulator remain easy to reach.
Repair the ship before leaving
Your first practical objective happens aboard the damaged ship. S.A.I.L. is the ship computer and the source of the opening instructions.
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- Open S.A.I.L. and follow its reboot or repair commands.
- Enable the Matter Manipulator when S.A.I.L. makes it available.
- Activate the ship teleporter.
- Take the flashlight from the ship locker; it is useful in dark areas on your first planet.
- Follow the mission labelled “Tutorial II: Shop Class.”
Do not beam down before completing these steps. The teleporter is your safe route between the ship and the surface, while the Matter Manipulator is the tool that lets you collect the terrain materials needed for early crafting.
Your first landing: gather, craft and make a base
Collect the first materials
On the starting planet, use the Matter Manipulator to cut trees and gather wood. Convert unrefined wood into planks, then use the planks to make the basic crafting table. Gather plant fibre as you travel; it is used for early healing items and becomes increasingly valuable when you begin farming and making equipment.
Pick up food whenever it is safe to do so. Treat unidentified creatures as potential threats until you know how they behave. A short detour to gather supplies is safer than travelling into darkness with an empty inventory.
Choose a safe shelter site
Build a small shelter near the area where you first arrive, preferably on reasonably flat ground and close enough to useful materials that you do not spend every trip walking. It does not need to be elaborate. A basic enclosed room gives you a dependable place to organise items and return after an expedition.
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- Place storage inside so valuable materials are not carried everywhere.
- Keep healing items accessible rather than buried in a full chest.
- Leave room for the first crafting stations.
- Mark the route to the shelter if the surrounding terrain is confusing.
Make healing items immediately
Plant fibre can be turned into bandages. Create a small supply before exploring caves or unfamiliar biomes. Healing is a recovery plan, not a substitute for caution: retreat when your health is falling, and avoid fighting several unknown creatures at once.
The early crafting path
The basic crafting table is the first important station. It opens the path to more specialised equipment and stations, including the stone furnace, anvil and foraging table. Build and use these in an order that supports survival rather than decoration.
Stone furnace
The stone furnace processes materials needed for metalworking and other progression recipes. Make it early so mined ore can become useful bars instead of sitting unused in storage.
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Anvil
The anvil is part of the early equipment path. It lets you move from improvised survival to proper tools and simple armour, giving you more options when creatures and terrain become more dangerous.
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Foraging table and farming equipment
The foraging table supports food and resource gathering. Once you have a stable shelter and supplies, make basic farming equipment and start cultivating a dependable food source. Farming is optional, but it reduces the pressure to search for food before every journey.
Storage, tools and armour
Prioritise practical items in this order: additional storage, a dependable tool set, simple armour, then upgrades and decorative construction. Storage prevents accidental loss or tedious sorting; tools speed up resource collection; armour gives you more room for mistakes while learning combat and exploration.
Finding Core Fragments and reaching the Ark
The first major progression gate is obtaining 20 Core Fragments. You can mine toward the lava layer or locate a core-fragment mine. Plan the expedition instead of descending immediately: carry food, bandages, a light source, spare inventory space and enough basic tools to return safely.
- From your shelter, identify a route underground or a nearby mine containing Core Fragments.
- Mine carefully toward the lower layers, watching for hazards and hostile creatures.
- Collect a total of 20 Core Fragments.
- Return to the teleporter rather than attempting to carry on indefinitely.
- Use the teleporter to travel to the Ark and continue the main quest.
The Ark is the next story hub after this early objective. Reaching it does not end the sandbox: it simply opens the next stage of missions and travel while your original planet remains available for building, farming and exploration.
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There is no required way to spend the hours after the opening tutorial. Choose a direction based on what you want from the game rather than treating one activity as the “correct” route.
| Choice | What you do | Best starting approach |
|---|---|---|
| Story progression | Follow missions, travel to new destinations and unlock the next objectives. | Keep a functional shelter and equipment set, then prioritise the current mission. |
| Sandbox building | Construct homes, bases and settlements from collected materials. | Gather wood and stone first, expand storage, and reserve a safe area for construction. |
| Farming and survival | Grow food and establish a self-sufficient base. | Make farming equipment after the basic crafting stations and keep food production near your shelter. |
| Exploration | Visit planets, caves, dungeons and unusual locations. | Carry light, food, healing items and spare inventory capacity; return to the ship when supplies are low. |
| Creature collection | Search for and collect creatures as part of a collecting-focused game. | Stabilise your base first so expeditions do not interrupt basic survival. |
| Multiplayer | Build and explore with friends. | Agree on a shared base location and decide who carries common materials before splitting up. |
Chucklefish’s official description says the game includes “hundreds of materials and over two thousand objects” for construction. That breadth makes a small, well-organised starter room more useful than trying to build a huge structure before you understand your crafting needs.
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The official FAQ lists Starbound on Steam, Humble and GOG and supports PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox One/Series. The game is described on Steam as online co-op with cross-platform multiplayer. The Starbounder beginner guide describes joining through Steam friends or by direct IP, while the official FAQ directs players to a multiplayer setup guide.
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- Make sure everyone is using a compatible game version and has completed any required platform updates.
- Decide whether the session is focused on story missions, building or exploration.
- Place shared storage in a clearly marked room and keep personal valuables separate.
- Set a meeting point on the starting planet so a disconnected player can find the group again.
Co-op habits that prevent confusion
Split jobs rather than sending everyone into the same cave: one player can gather building materials, another can collect food, and another can scout. Keep a reserve of bandages and basic tools in shared storage. If the group is pushing toward the Core Fragments, agree on when to turn back so one player does not become stranded while carrying the objective items.
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Vanilla or modded play
Starbound supports modding as well as the unmodified (“vanilla”) game. Learn the unmodified opening first if you are completely new: it gives you a common set of controls, recipes and mission steps when asking for help. Mods can then change building, progression or quality-of-life features, but all players in a multiplayer session should use compatible mod setups. Keep a separate character or universe when experimenting so a broken or incompatible mod does not disrupt your main save.
Common beginner problems and fixes
I cannot leave the ship
Reopen S.A.I.L. and complete the reboot or repair instructions. Confirm that the Matter Manipulator is enabled and that the teleporter has been activated. The flashlight in the ship locker is also easy to overlook.
I am running out of health
Return to shelter, make bandages from plant fibre and gather food. Do not continue into an unfamiliar cave with no healing items. Treat unknown creatures as hostile until you have identified their behaviour.
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Check the crafting table and the other stations unlocked from it. Some recipes require the stone furnace, anvil or foraging table rather than the basic player crafting interface. If a recipe is still unavailable, gather more of the station’s materials and review the station’s recipe list.
My inventory is full
Return to your shelter and sort materials into storage before another expedition. Carry only the food, healing items, tools and building materials needed for the next objective. Extra storage is one of the most useful early upgrades.
I cannot find Core Fragments
Search underground toward the lava layer or look for a core-fragment mine. Mark your route and preserve enough supplies to return. The objective is a specific quantity, so keep the fragments together in your inventory or a clearly labelled chest until you have enough to use the teleporter.
Version, platform and store checks
Version information changes by platform. Starbounder lists PC 1.4.4 dated August 7, 2019; Mac 1.4.4 dated November 18, 2024; and Xbox 1.4.5.2 dated December 9, 2024. These are dated reference points, not a guarantee that your installation currently shows the same build. Check your platform’s store and launcher close to purchase or troubleshooting, and confirm that friends are on compatible versions before starting a multiplayer world.
For a PC purchase, verify that an active listing exists in your country and check whether it is a legitimate key, a physical copy or a marketplace listing. Store availability and edition details can change.
Quick Recap
A practical first-session checklist
- Create a character and review or rebind the controls.
- Use S.A.I.L. to repair the ship, enable the Matter Manipulator and activate the teleporter.
- Take the flashlight from the ship locker.
- Start “Tutorial II: Shop Class” and beam to the starting planet.
- Gather wood, convert it to planks and craft the basic table.
- Collect plant fibre and food.
- Build a small enclosed shelter with storage.
- Craft bandages and keep them accessible.
- Unlock the stone furnace, anvil and foraging table as your materials allow.
- Make simple tools, armour and farming equipment.
- Prepare for an underground trip and collect the required Core Fragments.
- Return to the teleporter and travel to the Ark to continue the story.
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