Starfield has a literal universe’s worth of exploring to do and features and abilities to get the hang of, so if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, take a deep breath. It’s only to be expected. The game entered early access on Aug 31 ahead of its Sep 6 release, and fans are quickly learning that it is undoubtedly Bethesda’s largest game yet.
As can be expected of a Bethesda RPG, you can craft items and modify your weapons and spacesuits at workbenches in Starfield. There are different types of workbenches that can be used for different tasks. Most are self-explanatory (take a guess at what a Weapons Workbench is used for), but the Industrial Workbench doesn’t have an immediately clear usage like some of the others.
What are Industrial Workbenches used for in Starfield?
The tutorial mission in Starfield will have players harvesting minerals almost immediately, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that these will be used often. Funnily enough, it might take a bit of exploration before you actually learn how minerals are used.
In Starfield, you are able to create and expand outposts on habitable planets and moons to farm resources, grow plants, and raise animals. You can even create air-locked bunkers to have a little hub on planets that otherwise require spacesuits. Creating outposts doesn’t require minerals directly but rather various Manufactured Components such as Adaptive Frames, Austenitic Manifolds, and many many more.
These Manufactured Components do require minerals to craft, and can only be created at an Industrial Workbench. Make sure you’ve got some minerals (Iron, Silver, Aluminum, etc.) in your inventory, and then head to any Industrial Workbench. You’ll be given a full list of the building components you can craft with your minerals. Alternatively, components used in Outposts can be found, but it’s both more efficient and more satisfying to create them yourself.
Conveniently, you can actually craft your own Industrial Workbench at any outpost. If you happen to need an Industrial Workbench to create the components required to create an outpost on which to craft an Industrial Workbench, you can find one in the basement of The Lodge—the Constellation Headquarters in New Atlantis and the literal first stop that players will be asked to make after completing the tutorial.
The basement of The Lodge can be found by opening the first door on the right after entering the main entrance. In addition to an Industrial Workbench, this basement has a Weapon Workbench and a Spacesuit Workbench.
