Starfield: How to find and use Research Towers to make money fast

There is an abundance of ways to make a living in Starfield. Pirate hunting, resource gathering, mining, space combat—you name it, you can probably do it, and make a sizeable chunk of credits along the way.

But what about exploration? Fortunately, you can do that too in the form of planetary surveying. Surveying the resources and surface of a moon or planet gets you Survey Data, which you can sell for credits. To some traders it’s nothing, but to others, it can fetch a considerable price.

Surveying normally takes some time, but thanks to the budding Starfield community, there’s a quicker and easier way to 100 percent-ing a planet survey, meaning you’ll get heaps of credits fast—and it’s via an Abandoned Research Tower.

Shout out to u/Repulsive_Show_1664 on Reddit who discovered this one—if you’re ever near The Hitching Post in Cydonia, the next round is on me.

What is an Abandoned Research Tower and where can you find them in Starfield?

Abandoned Research Towers in Starfield are randomly generated locations marked on your scanner after landing. They’re normally a short distance away from your ship after landing, but it takes some luck and a good landing spot to find one. The first one I found was on Pluto, but it’s believed that most moons or planets can spawn them.

They normally come with a large staircase at the front and rise a hundred meters into the air with a flat roof. You may notice a set of anti-personnel mines at the front door—you’ll quickly realize that this facility is far from “abandoned.”

In some cases, there will be a button near or at the front door of the tower, but otherwise, you can access it from the roof through a ventilation shaft. Getting to the roof can be tricky—the tower I found just so happened to be near a small cliff, and thanks to Pluto’s super-low gravity, my jump boost was enough to get me to the roof.

Entering the tower and finding the Planet Data Console

Whether you enter from below or above, you’re likely to encounter resistance. To play it safe, clear the entire tower of enemies. Once done, you’ll want to shut off the alarm in the top central control room, then look for a computer that can open access doors.

I found the computer on the top deck of the Storage facility of the tower, which is more easily accessed if entering from the roof vent. However, it’s possible the computer that opens the doors will be in the central control room or the research lab. After using it, head back to Storage where a previously closed door will now be open.

Inside will be a variety of containers to loot, plus a Planet Data Console. This is what you’re hunting for.

Downloading the Survey Data from the Planet Data Console

Simply interact with the console and a display will appear with a “Download Collected Planet Data” file. If you haven’t surveyed the entire planet or moon yet or discovered any Planet Traits, this file will be added to your inventory, and there’s a chance the file will contain the entire Survey Data for the planet.

Unfortunately, as Pluto only had four resources to survey (all of which I had found), I had already technically surveyed the planet. The bigger the planet and the more on its surface, the more you’ll have to survey—and therefore the more you’ll get from the Planet Data Console.

If you end up with Survey Data in your inventory, you can then sell this to vendors for a heap of credits. However, for the maximum payout, head to Vlad at The Eye next to Jemison, who will pay a premium for the data.