It would be an oversimplification to call Starbound nothing more than Terraria in space. The depth of its gameplay and the amazing nature of the procedurally generated world make each and every playthrough a completely different beast that is a ton of fun to play through as well. Starbound's allure lies in the wealth of actions that can be carried out by the player once they have an idea of how the game works.
As is the case with any game that promotes player freedom, Starbound has been blessed with a solid modding community that has been hard at work tweaking each and every aspect of the game. Here are some of the best Starbound mods that players can download to augment their experience of playing this game.
Updated on November 30, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Starbound is a unique indie title that lets players loose in a procedurally-generated world that is full to the brim with unique enemies, biomes, settlements, resources, quests, and everything else along the same lines. The title is an absolute blast that will compel players to try out numerous playthroughs as they slowly come to grips with Starbound's gameplay loop and systems. Of course, the enjoyment of this game can be enhanced immensely with a whole host of mods, and the best of the bunch are mentioned below!
15 Marauder Equipment Mod
Mods that add other forms of equipment are always a welcome sight, with the Marauder Equipment mod being perfect in this regard. It adds four new suits of armor that look pretty great and aren't all that hard to forge, either.
The unique look of these suits is what makes this mod such a great addition to the game. It might be a minor addition, but a satisfying one regardless that gives players one more reason to collect resources in the overworld.
14 RWBYbound - Universe And Weaponry
Rooster Teeth's recent wave of controversy has definitely dampened the mood on a ton of their shows and videos. However, the legacy of RWBY still stands strong, with Monty Oum being fondly remembered for this work.
Fans who love RWBY can pay homage to its creator with a mod in Starbound that adds a bunch of themed items and equipment into the game. Players will love using the many weapons that come with this mod while they look like characters from the show!
13 Matter Manipulator Plus
Given the technologically-advanced nature of Starbound, most people would find it weird to use pickaxes in the game to mind certain materials. With this mod, there are special Matter Manipulators that take over this role instead.
This mod adds six unique Matter Manipulators that correspond to certain elements, negating the need to slowly whittle down these materials with a pickaxe. Players who love the game but find resource gathering to be somewhat tedious will be well-serviced with this mod.
12 Pixel Goods Store
The Pixel Goods Store is a great mod that fans of Starbound love. It adds a bunch of items that players can purchase to enhance the look and feel of their home.
However, do keep in mind that Pixel Goods Store isn't being updated by the original mod creators. To take care of this issue, players should download the Fixel Goods Store mod along with it to use this great mod without too many issues.
11 Lyetzis Gunshop MOD
Adding realistic guns in a futuristic title might not be everyone's cup of tea. However, players who don't mind getting to mess around with the vast suite of weapons offered by the Lyetzis Gunshop mod should definitely snap it up.
The fact that this mod adds weapons, outfits, vehicles, and quests is quite impressive, with the sheer scale also being worth a mention. The Lyetzis Gunshop mod might be lore-breaking to an extent, but this isn't necessarily a deal-breaker for many!
10 Creative Mode
A big part of what makes Starbound great is the unpredictable nature of the game. Planets can be covered in hazards and certain crucial items can either be made quickly or require eons of exploration before achieving the same results.
However, there are times when the progression of the game might be a bit too limiting for players who want to go all out with their designs. This is where the Creative Mode mod comes into the picture, allowing players to skip progression points and spawn what they need to make their worlds quite incredible.
9 XS Corporation Mechs
Using a mech in Starbound is pretty great. However, some players find the lack of variety in these mechs to be somewhat of an issue.
With the XS Corporation Mechs mod, players will be using these machines more often than not. From improved firepower to better traversal options, this mod is a must-have for players who think that the vanilla mech gameplay is sorely lacking in terms of meaningful content.
8 Fully Customizable Ship
Designing and kitting out a player's ship with state-of-the-art hardware is critical to ensuring success. However, after a point, players will realize that Starbound is pretty limiting when it comes to the full customization of the ship.
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This mod helps accomplish the same with ease. Now, players can fully disassemble and recreate their ship in an image they see fit, which makes th gameplay even more engaging and immersive.
7 Knight Artorias Gear From Dark Souls
Dark Souls is one of the most popular games of all time. So, it's pretty hilarious and quite fitting that this game has made its way into many others with the use of mods, with Starbound being no exception to this rule.
Knight Artorias is one of the most iconic characters in the game, with his armor set being brought over to Starbound through the use of mods. Along with this, various other suits of armor from Dark Souls are also added to the game!
6 Simple Extended Character Creation Mod
Character creation in any game is a process that can take ages, especially if the options are vast. While Starbound's character creation is pretty decent, it's easy to see that this isn't the main focus of the game at all.
However, that doesn't mean that mods can't make character creation better and more seamless. This mod achieves the same, and is pretty simple to boot!
5 Variety Is The Spice Of The Universe
The procedurally generated worlds in Starbound are all pretty varied and diverse in their own right. However, this doesn't mean that a bit of variety wouldn't have been appreciated regardless.
With this mod, more than 50 varieties of biomes, weather, music, and everything else along the same lines are added to the game. It makes for a fresh and unique experience, making this mod one of the very best on this list.
4 Blood Mod
There's a fair bit of combat in Starbound that players can engage with. However, this combat isn't exactly the most visceral and can leave certain players somewhat unsatisfied with the end result.
The Blood Mod is here to make combat as brutal and satisfying as one would want. It's a small change, but a welcome one regardless.
3 Sergal Race
There are many alien races present in Starbound, and players themselves can choose from one of seven races to play as. This mod adds one more unique race that is fun to play as.
According to the modder, Sergals are somewhat technologically backward and players will require some patience before they bring out the true potential of this race. It's a great mod that players should check out if they want more variety in their game.
2 Human Spacecruiser Version Gilgamesh
Players who might be bored of the usual spaceship they pilot in the game will be well-serviced by this mod. It lets players control a massive ship with amenities and defenses across the board.
Of course, new players should steer away from this mod until they have a few playthroughs down. Meanwhile, veterans can use this mod to experiment around with this new spaceship and everything it has to offer.
1 TS Technologies
The selection of machinery present in Starbound is pretty extensive and fun to construct. However, after a few playthroughs, players will inevitably get bored of constructing the same thing over and over again.
This is where the TS Technologies mod comes into the picture. It adds a bunch of new machines to the game that fulfill a variety of functions, ranging from turning crops into weapons to attaining raw material at a faster rate.
Starbound is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation Vita.