If you’re looking to dabble in anything like Outpost building, spacesuit upgrades, or weapon crafting, you’ll need to do some mining. Iron, for example, is used in a lot of different recipes for weapons and Outpost building, so you’ll need to get a lot of it. One such resource that can be useful is Helium-3, though how you mine it can be confusing. Here’s how to mine Helium-3 in Starfield.
How to Extract Helium-3 in Starfield
If you’re looking to get some Helium-3, you’ll first need to find a planet that has a Helium-3 deposit and get an Outpost set up there. If you’ve landed on a planet at least once, you can see its resources listed on the planet’s description through the Starmap. For our example, we’re using Kurtz, the moon of Jemison in the Alpha Centauri system. Once you find a planet with Helium-3, you’ll want to see the planet in Resource view by pressing either R on your keyboard or LB on your controller while looking at the planet. Keep in mind that if the planet is listed as an Extreme Environment, then you can’t make an Outpost on it unless you have enough points in the Planetary Habitation skill.
Related: How to Get Lithium in Starfield
Once you find an area with Helium-3, you’ll want to land there. From here, you have two options. The first is to grab some Helium-3 from any smaller vents in the area by walking into the gas and interacting with it. However, this will hurt you and may inflict the Lung Damage debuff, which can cause you to cough, reducing your oxygen supply.
Speaking from experience, this is both inefficient and dangerous, so I suggest the alternative. Use your scanner to locate a large patch of green, indicating a Helium-3 deposit. There, you’ll want to place an Outpost Beacon near the deposit. Then, enter the Build Menu of the outpost and plant down a Helium-3 Extractor. This will cost the following materials:
- 4x Nickel
- 5x Aluminum
- 3x Copper
You’ll also need to build a power source from the Build Menu’s Power tab. Shortly after, you should begin extracting Helium-3 from the ground. You can check your current supply by walking up to the extractor.
What is Helium-3 Used For in Starfield?
Helium-3’s most useful application comes with the Fueled Generator, one of the best sources of power for an outpost in the game. It’ll provide you with 20 Power at base, making it incredibly effective. However, that Power bump comes with the catch of an operating cost of one Helium-3, taken every once in a while. It’s a trade-off, sure, but nothing too extreme, provided you keep your resources in check.
If you’re on the hunt for some other resources, check out our guide on where to buy resources in Starfield.
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