A strange, distant planet sets over the Dune Desert's hills.
With such a wide variety of machines to build, vehicles to ride, and resources to discover, starting a new save file in Satisfactory can be a daunting task. Where you place your HUB can be just as important as what you build around it. Based on what you’re looking for in this open world automation sim, different starting locations can provide unique benefits and challenges. Even among the four default spawns in Satisfactory, there are tons of choices you can make in how you settle your base.
10. Dune Desert: World Edge (Best for quick start and early resources)
A glimpse of water from the dryest biome on the map.
Coordinates: (4000 / -1900)
If you want a quick and well-rounded start to your playthrough, the World Edge in the Dune Desert biome is the perfect place. It’s super close to one of the four built-in spawn locations and it has plenty of basic resources to get you going in the early game.
If you’re a brand new player who’s looking for a simple start to your first game, this area of the Dune Desert is perfect. It requires practically no travel from the Dune Desert Spawn and most of the resources are arranged in a line, so your factory can be laid out simply.
What makes the Dune Desert: World Edge great?
- 2 Iron deposits
- 2 Copper deposits
- 2 Limestone deposits
- Near a large water source
- Has some Caterium, Coal, and Sulfur in the vicinity
9. Blue Crater: Cliffside (Best for cool scenery and water access)
The giant mushrooms of tower over the misty Blue Crater.
Coordinates: (1500 / 2300)
Satisfactory is a game full of gorgeous alien landscapes to discover and work with, and one of the coolest looking biomes is the towering mushroom-filled Blue Crater. This particular location, the southern cliffside of the crater, is perfect for those looking towards the future, with its easy access to both water in the crater and nitrogen gas nearby.
If you started playing Satisfactory with scenery in mind, the Blue Crater offers a unique and interesting view. Both the mushroom-filled crater and the lush, green area surrounding are just plain fun to look at. While it is a fair distance from the nearest spawn, 1.8 km from the Grass Fields, the trek to place your HUB is well worth it for the locale.
What makes the Blue Crater: Cliffside great?
- Unique landscape
- 2 Iron deposits
- 3 Nitrogen Gas deposits
- 3 Crude Oil deposits
- On the coast of a body of water
8. Abyss Cliffs: Overlook (Best for SAM ore)
A raised perspective on the dark an difficult Abyss Cliffs.
Coordinates: (2200, 1200)
As far as unfinished games go, Satisfactory has a lot of fully implemented features, but without a full 1.0 release, the main plot of the game hasn’t been added yet. Some of the future features, though, can be prepared for in your current games by collecting and harvesting work-in-progress items. One of these items, the SAM ore (“strange alien metal”) doesn’t have any use yet, but will surely be needed by the time the full game comes out this September.
The southern cliff of the swamp offers a breathtaking view of one of the more interesting parts of the map. In addition, it provides easy-access to three SAM ore deposits. The exact location is a bit of a trek from the nearest main spawn (2.5 km from the Northern Forest spawn), but that shouldn't be an issue if you have the long term in mind. This is a great spot for players looking to be prepared for when the full game releases by already having infrastructure around one of the to-be-added features.
What makes the Abyss Cliffs: Overlook great?
- 3 SAM Ore deposits
- 2 Iron deposits
- 1 Limestone deposit
- Cool mountainous view
7. Dune Desert: Ironman's Paradise (Best for iron access)
A vibrant hill in the Dune Desert, overlooking plenty of iron, copper, limestone, and a confusing creature.
Coordinates: (2500, -1700)
Not far from the World Edge at number 10 is the Ironman’s Paradise, the most iron-rich location on the map. I know I’ve started playthroughs in the past and been kind of upset about the low number of screws, plates, and bars I was producing. You’ll never be low on iron products again after starting here.
The Ironman’s Paradise is right next to the Dune Desert world spawn, just a little to the west, so there’s absolutely no hassle getting to it from the start. What it lacks in copper, it makes up for in the sheer amount of iron veins you get access to. It’s especially great once you get later into the game and start adding higher-tier miners to them. Your iron supply is truly endless no matter where in the progression you are.
What makes the Dune Desert: Ironman’s Paradise great
- 6 iron deposits
- Really close to Dune Desert: World Edge, which has more varied resources
- Nearby water access
- Large oil reserve nearby to the south
6. Northern Forest: Coastal Cliffs (best for balanced resources and quartz)
A beachside area just out of reach of the dangers of the Northern Forest.
Coordinates: (-600, -1400)
The Coastal Cliffs is probably the easiest place to start on this list. Getting there is a bit difficult, but once you arrive it’s a pretty nice, and pretty-looking, area. If you’re looking for a simpler start, the Coastal Cliffs are a perfect place for you.
This area is an all-around pretty good starting spot. It’s definitely not perfect, being kind of far from the nearest world spawn (1.1 km from the Northern Forest spawn) knowing how dangerous that journey can be. There’s access to most of the important fuel and material resources. If you feel you can take on the difficult trek with nothing, the Coastal Cliffs are the place to go for.
What makes the Northern Forest: Coastal Cliffs great?
- 4 Iron deposits
- 2 Copper deposits
- 2 Limestone deposits
- 2 Quartz deposits
- Water access
5. Crater Lake: Infinity Pool (best for oil and view)
A sparse group of confusing creatures wading in the Crater Lake.
Coordinates: (-1000, -300)
Looking out over the Rocky Desert and sitting right on the edge of the Northern Forest is the Crater Lake biome, defined by what I like to call the Infinity Pool. You probably won’t fall off the edge while swimming in the lake, but the water still stretches the whole way to the cliff. There’s plenty of area both vertically and horizontally to build an amazing base in this stunning plateau.
It may take a small climb to reach (1.2 km from the Rocky Desert spawn), but it’s 100% worth it. This is one of the coolest views on the map by far, and it has plenty of resources to capitalize on, especially water, coal and oil. Your power needs would be set for a long time.
What makes the Crater Lake: Infinity Pool great?
- 3 Coal deposits
- 3 Crude Oil deposits
- Plenty of water
- Amazing view
- Ample Iron and Copper nearby down the cliff face
4. Rocky Desert: Northern Coast (best for concrete and water)
The large, dangerous build space of the Rocky Desert's coastline.
Coordinates: (-2700, -1600)
This starting location is for the pioneer who never wants to run out of concrete again. There’s a massive flat space to build yourself a perfect factory and base setup. It’s also right on the coast, so the view is practically required to be perfect, and it is. There are tons of building resources to make an amazing home to look out over the vast blue ocean.
The most practical building location on this list has to be the Northern Coast. There’s more limestone than many people would ever need, which isn’t an issue since there’s so much flat land to build storage on. Plus, being on the ocean, it has a lot of water access, so power is easily manageable.
What makes Rocky Desert: Northern Coast great?
- 5 Limestone deposits
- 2 Iron deposits
- Lots of water
- Large, flat building space
3. Red Jungle: Aluminum Line (best for Bauxite)
The bauxite-filled Red Jungle at night.
Coordinates: (-1800, 300)
The Aluminum Line is another perfect place for players who want to look towards the future. As the name suggests, this is the place to be for aluminum production. You won’t be able to use it for quite a while, but you can easily start preparing bauxite infrastructure while you wait for your earlier resources to come in.
While the central east-west axis of the map has tons of bauxite, this particular spot has the three closest grouping of deposits. If you plan to be in this playthrough for the long haul, investing in bauxite preparation is important, as aluminum is the primary ingredient in the currently-highest tier conveyor belts, tier 5. As a bonus, it’s a high-ground area with a really unique view, looking a lot more alien, so if you want to feel like you’re settling an alien planet, the Aluminum Line is an amazing spot.
What makes the Red Jungle: Aluminum Line great?
- 3 Bauxite deposits
- 1 Limestone deposit
- Really close to a world spawn (>1 km from Rocky Desert)
- Cool, unique view
2. Dangle Spires: Beach (best for balanced start)
The lush green forest of the Danlge Spires meets the western ocean.
Coordinates: (-1700, 1800)
The Dangle Spires biome is a dense, lush jungle full of interesting and unique terrain, but its beach, right on the ocean, is a tucked-away flat land for simpler building. The beach is open enough to provide for a manageable building experience and the biome behind it is packed enough to provide for some really fun early-game exploration. This starting spot is great for those with a spirit of adventure and a desire to start quickly and efficiently.
The enemies in the denser eastern half of the biome are basic enough to provide an appropriate challenge to someone with a beginner skill level and few resources. The beach is perfect for building and, like the Northern Coast we talked about earlier, has an ocean view that’s both gorgeous and practical. It’s also the least dangerous journey on the list from a world spawn (1.3 km from Grass Fields spawn). With plenty of water, oil, and basic resources, this beach is a perfect starting location for anyone, especially new players, looking for a simple and fun start.
What makes the Dangle Spires: Beach great?
- 3 Iron deposits
- 2 Limestone deposits
- 1 Copper deposit
- Lots of water
- Close to oil access
1. Titanfall Forest: Highlands (best for everything)
The danger-filled, bountiful highlands of the Titanfall Forest.
Coordinates: (1500, 0)
The Titanfall Forest is a famously difficult region to explore, even in the later-game. That’s all the more reason to try to tame the forest right at the start. It looks beautiful and has more practicality than anywhere else on the list. If you’ve already played a bit and are willing to take on a fun challenge, the Titanfall Forest: Highlands are the perfect place to settle.
The Highlands’ proximity to the Swamp biome, which is full of hard drives for MAM research and massive supply of power slugs, makes for a perfect place to settle your HUB. It’s just about the center of the map, so nothing is terribly far from you. Plus, there are tons of resources in the area. If you’re able to take on a slightly higher difficulty in traveling (1.3 km from the Northern Forest spawn), you absolutely have to check out this lush location.
What makes the Titanfall Forest: Highlands great?
- 2 Iron deposits
- 3 Copper deposits
- 1 Limestone deposit
- Near Uranium deposit
- Lots of Power Slugs in the area
