If we were to tabulate our top five questions about Star Citizen here at Space Tomato Gaming, what system to start out in is right at the top of that list. Cloud Imperium Games only recently made players select a starting area when a new patch (or character reset) pops up, but for new and veteran players alike your starting area can make a world of difference.
Well, four worlds, actually.
A Whole New World(s)
Currently, anyone playing Star Citizen will find themselves traveling the relatively limited space lanes of the Stanton System. Stanton is a small star system, measuring about 5 Astronomical Units in size, which sets Stanton as one of the smaller systems that will be in place when Star Citizen launches. Pyro, the next system set for release, is three times the size of Stanton.
The Stanton system is home to four super-earth planets, each named after the corporate interest that manages it. The planets are ArcCorp, Hurston, Crusader, and microTech. Each planet has a number of moons and relative space stations, as well as its own political institutions that can affect a player’s reputation.
The planet that a player selects can greatly impact how they experience and interact with the gameplay options available to them in Star Citizen. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the different planets in the Hurston system, and give some recommendations for the type of player that planet might make a good home base for.
ArcCorp
The planet of ArcCorp is an ecumenopolis, a world covered entirely in immense cities. Think Coruscant from Star Wars, but if it had been designed by Blade Runner’s Syd Mead. Skyscrapers, rain-soaked neon city walks, and massive holographic advertising come together to bring just a little slice of cyberpunk aesthetic to the ‘verse.
ArcCorp has two moons, Lyria and Wala, as well as Bajini Point, its capital orbiting space station.
Who Should Start Out at ArcCorp?
Mercenaries, Couriers, Miners, and Cargo Haulers
ArcCorp has a plethora of outposts that need defending against NineTails pirate incursions and also hosts the 890Jump defense mission. Mercenaries will find plenty to do in ArcCorp, but the number of bunkers available is limited to the planet’s two moons.
Miners will find the current best place to mine Quantanium on the moon of Lyria, with massive deposits of mineable ore being fairly easy to find, and the nearby ARC-L1 refinery station makes traveling with the volatile commodity much less of a risk.
Couriers will be able to progress easily through the entirety of the delivery mission chain, and will even be able to deliver some packages to the rooftops of some buildings on the massive city planet!
Cargo Haulers will find plenty of high-ticket commodities to purchase on Lyria and Wala’s mining outposts, and the Trade District on ArcCorp is just a quick train ride from Riker Spaceport.
New players might want to consider making ArcCorp their home for the visually stunning vistas, ease of navigation, and incredible shopping options, as ArcCorp’s Area 18 has arguably the best selection of armor, weapons, and military vehicles to purchase.
New players should be cautioned that there is some pirate activity in this system, as the mineral wealth of Lyria and the availability of high-ticket commodities make piracy activities pretty lucrative.
Hurston
The planet of Hurston is an ecological nightmare, having been stripped of most of its resources by the Hurston family. Lorville, the capital city, is grimy, dilapidated, and its citizens often wear cheap plastic bags over their heads to protect themselves from the toxic air.
Hurston does have multiple biomes available for exploration, with craggy savannas, toxic seas, abandoned ruins, and blasted deserts providing a ton of options for folks who want to roam a bit.
Hurston is home to the moons of Magda, Arial, Aberdeen, and Ita, as well as the capital orbital space station of Everus Harbor.
Who Should Start Out at Hurston?
Bounty Hunters, Mercenaries, Couriers, Miners, and Cargo Haulers
Hurston has plenty of security outposts that need defending against pirates, as well as drug labs that need raiding, making the system a mercenary’s playground for missions. Those missions are available on the planet’s moons, as well as the main planet itself.
Hurston is also home to a lot of bounty hunting missions, which can lead to some thrilling atmospheric dogfights, as well as encounters against hostiles in deep space. The Arlington Gang missions are also available in Hurston, which leads hunters through a series of encounters to ultimately go head to head against an enemy Hammerhead!
ROC miners will find plenty to mine on the surfaces of the moons of Arial and Aberdeen, with the heaviest concentrations of Hadanite currently in the game– just don’t forget to wear your Pembroke armor!
Couriers have the full run of delivery options available to them, and cargo haulers will find plenty to deliver, with diamonds available on Hurston and Magda, and Laranite and Titanium available on Arial and Aberdeen.
New players should consider Hurston as a home base if they are looking for a system with all gameplay loops that are currently available, plenty of locations to explore, and a centralized location that isn’t too far from any other major planet.
Those same players should be cautioned, however, that Everus Harbor is somewhat notorious as a target for pirates looking for an easy score from cargo haulers, as well as players who like to target defenseless miners on the surface of the moons.
Lorville is also one of the few locations in Star Citizen where players can summon ground vehicles as well as starships, with the City Gates having vehicle terminals, and Teasa Spaceport allowing ship summoning.
Crusader
The gas giant of Crusader is home to stunning views, amazing architecture, cherry blossom skylines, and Crusader Industries. Orison, the capital city of Crusader, sports great shopping opportunities for ship components at Cousin Crow’s Custom Craft, as well as the Crusader show floor, where players can pick up a Mercury Star Runner or one of the Hercules heavy transports.
Hurston is home to the moons of Daymar, Cellin, and Yela, as well as three stations of interest; the pirate port of GrimHex, Security Post Kareah, and Port Olisar, the orbiting capital space station.
Who Should Start Out at Crusader?
Mercenaries, Bounty Hunters, Couriers, Miners, and Cargo Haulers
Crusader is, by way of GrimHex, the Stanton base of operations for the NineTails pirate group. It’s only fitting then that there is plenty of NineTails activity to fight off, from bunker incursions for mercenaries to a full range of lucrative missions for bounty hunters. The asteroid ring around Yela is a fantastic place to hunt pirates and can lead to some exciting encounters– if the AI is fresh.
Miners have plenty of options, with decent deposits to be found within the asteroid ring around Yela or the nearby CRU-L3 Lagrange point for folks with MOLEs or Prospectors. ROC miners will find fewer Hadanite deposits on Daymar than on Arial or Aberdeen, but the moon’s atmosphere is temperate enough to not need specialized armor.
Couriers, once again, have the full range of delivery missions available, while cargo haulers will find medical supplies and food available to haul. Mineral resources do not appear to be as abundant for hauling in Crusader as elsewhere, but this could change.
Port Olisar and GrimHex have just about any type of armor or weapon that a player could want, but new players are strongly cautioned against setting Crusader as their home base. Leaving the planetary atmosphere of Crusader takes a very long time, while Port Olisar and GrimHex can be hotbeds of pirate activity.
microTech
The planet of microTech was home to a terraforming accident that left a majority of the planet covered in ice. The capital city of New Babbage has excellent nightlife and shopping opportunities, while the planet itself has plenty of biomes that players can discover and explore.
microTech’s moons include Calliope, Clio, and Euterpe. The system also contains the capital orbital space station of Port Tresslar, while the nearby Lagrange point of MIC-L1 is home to the INS Jericho, a massive military outpost for the UEE Navy and focal point of the XenoThreat event.
Who Should Start Out at microTech?
Mercenaries, Couriers, Cargo Haulers, New Players
microTech has plenty to offer mercenaries, with bunker missions and drug busting opportunities galore, as well as the 890Jump mission.
Couriers will find the full run of delivery missions, while cargo haulers will find a decent assortment of commodities to purchase.
Mining opportunities are limited in the system, but there are some Prospector pilots that claim to have had some success mining in the Aaron’s Halo asteroid belt with ARC-L1 as their starting station.
We also strongly suggest new players start out at New Babbage, as the planet of microTech is big enough to give new players plenty to do, biomes to explore, and opportunities to try out basic game mechanics without getting into too much trouble with pirates– microTech is further out in the Stanton system than any other planet, which means a lot of players stick to the other three systems because travel time is greatly reduced.
That’s our list of starting locations for Star Citizen, which planet has been your favorite to start out at? Please let us know in the comments! And if you want the full tour in the video, check out my Extended Tour of The Entire Starting System.