Where should you build the Armillary in Starfield?

Starfield Armillary
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Should you build the Starfield Armillary on your ship or at an outpost? Wherever it goes, you've got to defend all your Artifacts from attackers. At this point in the main story of Starfield, the space s*** will be hitting the fan, with enemy forces moving to attack Constellation and steal the Armillary, but you can defend it all on your own terms either in your ship or at an outpost. There are pros and cons to both options, though I reckon keeping those artifacts stored next to the captain's locker is the best option. I've explained the whole choice below, including the positives and negatives of building the Armillary in Starfield either on your ship, or on your outpost - as well as where to find rare Neodymium if you choose the latter.

Where to build the Armillary in Starfield

Starfield Armillary

(Image credit: Bethesda)

The Starfield Armillary is simply a container/display unit for all the Artifacts you've found up until that point, but what's important is that wherever it's built is more likely to get attacked in random encounters. This even applies to simply holding Artifacts on you, but here are my thoughts on why it's better to build the Armillary in your ship:

  • Escape options. When attacked, the outpost can't escape anywhere - whereas a player can just trigger the Grav Jump on their own ship and fly off.
  • You're always close to hand. Your outpost might get attacked while you're half a galaxy away, but players are always close to their ships. Placing it on your craft saves on a long commute.
  • It's cheaper and easier. Building the Armillary on your ship is free, done by interacting with a panel next to the Cargo Hold interface, but it costs resources to make it at an outpost.
  • Ship defenses are easier to set up. Starfield ship customization makes it easier to set up new guns and weapons on your ship than it is to set up outpost defenses, scrounging materials and setting up power systems - whereas if you have the credits and reactor power, you can set up any weapon on your ship.

Still, if you've already set up an outpost with defenses already or find yourself doing a lot of base-building generally, that might influence your choice in the opposite direction. Much of my reasoning here is based on the idea that an outpost has yet to be set up, but if you already have one to hand with a lot of turrets or plan to do it anyway, that makes it a far more viable option.

How to build the Armillary

Starfield Armillary

(Image credit: Bethesda)

The Starfield Armillary can be built in different ways, depending on whether you want to put it on your ship or in an outpost.

  • Ship Armillary: Simply go to the console in the cockpit for your cargo hold inventory, and to the left of that is a new screen that you can interact with. Activating that creates the Armillary for free in your ship's hold… somewhere, and the screen becomes your point of access for it.
  • Outpost Armillary: At an existing outpost, open the build menu and scroll to a tab called "Quest". There'll be an Armillary structure you can build that costs 3 Neodymium and 5 Titanium, and once constructed you can place it where you want.

Neodymium and Titanium locations

Starfield Armillary

(Image credit: Bethesda)

If you want to build your Armillary at an outpost, you'll need Neodymium and Titanium. The latter isn't too hard to get, but the former isn't easy. Nonetheless, we've laid them both out below:

  • Neodymium (Nd): This one is hard to find, but we can tell you that it's located for certain in the Kryx system, on the moon Candore, orbiting Suvorov. You might recognise Kryx if you've been looking up our guide on how to join the Crimson Fleet Pirates in Starfield, but they're not on Candore, so don't worry. Land anywhere here and use your scanner to check all the little rock nodes around you - a few of them will be Neodymium. 
  • Titanium (Ti): A much more common material, for an easy place to start looking, head to the Cheyenne System and land on Heilo, a moon of the planet Montara. Like before, there'll be some nodes you can find with your scanner - some of them will be salvageable Titanium.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission

Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

Read more
Avowed upgrade items workbench in camp and player character with two flaming swords
How to upgrade weapons and armor in Avowed
Starfield
10 best games like Starfield to get swept up in when you're ready to leave Constellation
Avowed Intimidating Feline Codpiece treasure map
How to find the Intimidating Feline Codpiece treasure in Avowed
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe and Yasuke outside Hideout
How the Assassin's Creed Shadows Hideout works and the best buildings to get first
Avowed Totem of Rightful Rulership in camp
How to find all Totem of Rightful Rulership pieces in Avowed
Assassin's Creed Shadows upgrade Naoe Tanto weapon
How to upgrade weapons and armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Latest in RPG
A Dragon Age character stares out against a blue background.
BioWare makes a return to Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a surprise PC update, months after layoffs and a seemingly final patch
Baldur's Gate 3 the vampire Astarion covered in blood
Baldur’s Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon warns games industry that "AI will have deep ramifications" if not properly regulated: "I believe in experiencing life and art through human expression, not software"
Yasuke riding through a village looking for Knowledge in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' prologue is the most gripping in franchise history, but I'm fixated on the tiny details
Cabernet screenshot showing vampire protagonist Liza sucking someone's blood
Cabernet is the kind of vampire RPG I've been looking for since Masquerade Bloodlines, and I'm already plotting my next run 6 hours in
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
While Bethesda celebrates The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's 19th birthday with a "Happy Anniversary" post, fans of the RPG had more in mind: "It would be perfect to... announce something"
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says CEOs "just want to save money" with AI: "It'll destroy their reputation, their company, everything"
Latest in Guides
FC 25
FC 25 Dreamchasers tracker and full UEFA promo guide
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe "justice must be served" or "killing them isn't justice" Yaya and Mistumune choice
Should you side with Mitsumune or Yaya in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shiny Cards
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Assassin's Creed Shadows money naoe and merchant
How to get money in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry release date and details
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe in outfit
Best Assassin’s Creed Shadows armor for Naoe and Yasuke