Best Starting Location in Satisfactory

Things in Satisfactory change with every major patch and update, and it’s important to keep up with those changes so you can give yourself the best possible start to the game. Here are the best starting locations in Satisfactory as of the 1.0 release.

Satisfactory Best Starting Locations

Is choosing the right starting location really all that important in Satisfactory, I hear you ask? Well, yeah kind of. Choosing the best possible starting location means having easy access to a lot of important resources in the early game, which means higher efficiency and output, which in turn translates to faster progress towards being able to do whatever you want in the game.

I want to make it clear that there is no right or wrong answer, and you can’t go wrong with any of the starting locations in Satisfactory. But if you want the best possible start, then read on.

Northern Forest

The Northern Forest is my personal pick for the best starting location in Satisfactory, though it may not necessarily be the most popular. The great thing about this biome is that it’s very centralized, which means that you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to expanding outwards. You have immediate access to quartz nodes, as well as a whole cluster of pure nodes right in the center of the starting area, which can be invaluable.

While coal isn’t really available in your immediate vicinity, you can always head just a little southeast to the next biome to get them. This isn’t a very beginner-friendly biome, but if you’re already familiar with how the game works, I’d highly recommend starting with the Northern Forest.

Rocky Desert

The Rocky Desert has long since been the most popular starting location in Satisfactory, even during its early access days, and that hasn’t changed all that much. This is still one of the best starting locations in Satisfactory (and probably still the most popular), thanks to the fact that you get such easy access to coal right off the bat.

You’ll quickly find that coal is one of the most important resources in the game, as you can use them for fuel and power, as well as steel. The only downside to the Rocky Desert is that it’s now a little harder to get quartz, and you’ll need to venture out of your comfort zone to get them. The only quartz nodes available in the Rocky Desert are underground, which will be tricky to get to at the start.

Grass Fields

For beginners, I’d actually recommend starting with the Grass Fields. This is a good way to help you get acquainted with the game, and let you get to grips with the hunting, taming, and building mechanics. However, I would highly recommend starting fresh with the Rocky Desert biome, or even the Northern Forest, once you feel like you’ve got a good handle on things.

While the Grass Fields are very beginner-friendly, it’s also full of impure nodes, and it’s very difficult to get access to coal.

And those are our picks for the best starting locations in Satisfactory. Be sure to search up The Escapist for more tips and information on the game, including how to build and use the Portable Miner.