Base building is a major aspect of Starfield, and you can technically start your very own Outpost within a few hours of beginning your adventure.
However, this won’t actually prove very fruitful, as you need a plethora of materials to make even a single building. One item you’ll likely use over and over again when constructing Outpost items is the Adaptive Frame.
What is an Adaptive Frame in Starfield?
The Adaptive Frame is a large metal structure in Starfield primarily used as a research component in Outpost construction. While you start out with a decent number of buildable items for your Outpost, you can research dozens more items. However, this costs materials, and the Adaptive Frame is required for several desirable pieces of furniture, structures, and other objects. I found myself constantly having to put off research projects due to the fact that I had run out of Adaptive Frames, even though I just went to resupply them.
How to get Adaptive Frames in Starfield
There are several ways to go about acquiring Adaptive Frame in Starfield. The most basic way to add it to your inventory is by purchasing it from a vendor, finding it in random places such as outposts, fracking stations, etc., and crafting it via the Industrial Workbench.
Luckily, you don’t have to go far once you’re in New Atlantis to acquire Adaptive Frame. It is sold by several vendors and you can access an Industrial Workbench without any hassle.
Buying Adaptive Frames at vendors
Vendors will usually have a decent supply of Adaptive Frame, which is located in the “Resources” tab of their inventory. I found the going price for Adaptive Frame, without any added skills to reduce merchant’s prices, is 24 credits. Vendors will generally either carry under 5 or around 20 Adaptive Frames at any given time, though you can always restock stores by resting for 24 hours at a seat or bed.
Best vendors in Starfield to buy Adaptive Frames
Vendors in New Atlantis
There are several locations where you can purchase Adaptive Frames within the city of New Atlantis in Jemison. These vendors can be found in multiple districts across the city, specifically in Spaceport and the Commercial District. Here’s how to find to each store.
Outland (Commercial District)
If you want to find Outland, New Atlantis’ premier spacesuit shop, you’ll need to hop on a tram to the Commercial District. If you’re coming from the main area, spaceport, the tram is located under the MAST building to the right of the city’s entrance.
Outland is in the middle of the Commercial District underneath a towering spire, if you walk forwards from the tram station and you’ll find it with ease.
Outland carries 20 Adaptive frames at any given time, the largest amount you can find in a New Atlantis Store.
Jemison Mercantile (Spaceport)
Jemison Mercantile is the easiest store to reach in New Atlantis as it can be accessed from the starting area. This store is just to the left of the tram station, at the back of the Spaceport. A stylized J and M logo should greet you at the top of the building once you’ve reached your destination.
Jemison Mercantile only holds 4 Adaptive Frames at once, so if you’re looking for more, we’d recommend hopping on the tram to Outland.
Vendors in Cydonia
Mars has a couple of underground shops that carry Adaptive Frames. These illusive exchange points can be hard to spot without a map, but here’s the best way to get to each of them.
UC Exchange
Cydonia’s UC Exchange, not the distribution center, can be found on lower level one, or P1, which can be accessed via multiple elevators. The easiest way to find this shop is by going down the first ramp, just below the “hours without incident” sign, and turning left. The UC Exchange is the shop at the end.
The UC Exchange has 23 Adaptive Frames in stock. This is by far the best place to go if you want to bulk-buy Adaptive frames on Mars.
Trade Authority Outpost
Getting to the Trade Authority Outpost is easy if you know where the UC Exchange is. After you go down the first ramp straight along the main hallway, you’ll need to turn right instead of left. The outpost is the first shop you’ll come across in that row.
This Trade Authority Outpost has the lowest amount of stock in Starfield, with just 3 Frames available for purchase in my game. Its probably worth visiting other stores for this item.
Multiple Trade Authority outposts may carry Adaptative Frames as other users have reported spying this useful resource at other stores. If you’re near an outpost make sure to check out their wares.
Vendors in Neon
Sieghart’s Outfitters
Seighart’s Outfitters is a shop you’ll come across in the All For One side-mission. This shop is super easy to find if you land at Neon Core on Volii Alpha in the Starmap. This transports you to the heart of Neon where a huge sign for the shop can be seen on your left. It’s pretty hard to miss.
Seighart’s Outfitters carries a massive 26 Adaptive Frames during every restock, making it one of the best places to go if you want to stock up on this useful resource.
Vendors in Akila
Shepherd’s General Store
The first shop you’ll come across in Akila City is Shepherd’s General Store. This easy-to-reach vendor is just to the left of the Spaceport, which is useful if you want to offload some Adaptive Frames onto your ship.
Shepherd’s General Store may be the only place in Akila to get Adaptive Frames, but they have 24 in stock everyday.
Vendors in Gagarin Landing
Clints Collectibles
Clints Collectibles is located on Gagarin, a small planet in the same system as Jemison. The landing bay has a surprisingly large amount of shops, including this destination. Just like Shepherd’s General Store, this is a great place to go if you want to store Adaptive Frames on your ship, as the store is just to the right of the landing pad.
Clints Collectibles has 26 Adaptive Frames available for purchase at once. Only one other shop that I found can match this stock in the Settled Systems.
Independent vendors
Individuals looking to offload wares may carry Adaptive Frames. The most likely places to find these sellers are in New Atlantis, Cydonia, and Neon, and they may offer a competitive rate in comparison to big retailers. These entrepreneurs carry a random selection and amount of supplies, so you’ve got to be lucky if you want to buy Adaptive Frames at the best price.
Also look for “Civilian Outposts” located on random planets. Vendors at these outposts will often carry Adaptive Frame as well as a plethora of other resources for your Outpost needs.
Chests, Containers, and Crates
While not nearly as reliable as purchasing it from a vendor, I have been able to find some spare Adaptive Frames in random containers across the galaxy in Starfield. I was able to locate the material at an abandoned outpost inside an open container, as well as inside fracking stations.
You will have to get lucky with this method, though, so I don’t suggest relying on random luck to source your Adaptive Frame supply.
Crafting it at an Industrial Workbench
The final way to acquire an Adaptive Frame is to visit an Industrial Workbench. If you have made it to Constellation’s The Lodge in Starfield, then you can head down into the basement area to find this specific workbench along with several other stations.
At an Industrial Workbench, Adaptive Frame is the first item you can craft. It requires the following recipe to craft:
- One Iron
- One Aluminum
Both these materials are extremely abundant in Starfield, so you should have them on hand. If you don’t, then you can use the Track function at the workbench to locate either Iron or Aluminum.
This is the most reliable method of sourcing Adaptive Frame, as it doesn’t take much to craft and you can always fast travel to The Lodge pretty easily if you’re not near another Industrial Workbench. You can eventually build one at your Outpost, though, which should make your building and research process much more cohesive.
