How to enter build mode in Starfield

Entering build mode is not designed to be a challenge in Starfield, but sometimes it’s the simplest things that end up not being as immediately intuitive as a developer thought.

The outpost building system in Starfield offers tons of customization, expansion, and personalization—once you have entered build mode, that is.

Starfield: How to enter build mode

To enter build mode, you first will need to place an outpost. This is because you’re only able to build within a given radius of an outpost. If you’re not close enough to an outpost, the option to enter build mode won’t even exist in the first place.

So long as you’re at one of your outposts, entering build mode in Starfield is very simple, if not maybe a little counter-intuitive. There are two ways you can enter build mode:

• Approach any outpost.
• While looking at the outpost, you will have two options: “Build” and “Rename.”
• Press whichever key is displayed as your bound key for Build.

Alternatively, there is an easier way to enter build mode that the game doesn’t really tell you about:

• While within an outposts area limit, open your Scanner.
• The options at the bottom will show an Outpost option—this one immediately brings you into build mode.
• By default, the bound key is R on PC and X on Xbox.

This second lesser known method is the best way to enter build mode in Starfield, since you don’t actually have to be right next to an outpost to utilize it. Of course, entering build mode is only the first small segment of learning that needs to be done. We have tons of other guides on connecting outposts, using transfer containers, and more.