Stars Reach Guides Hub
Haven to Starbase walkthroughs plus mining, botany, crafting, settlements, space travel, and combat.
What this hub covers
Stars Reach is an online multiplayer sandbox MMO from Playable Worlds, heading to Steam Early Access on August 18, 2026 (AppID 1925650). This Guides Hub is the map for learning how the game actually plays—not as a finished 1.0 product, but as a living Early Access sandbox where exploration, gathering, crafting, and settlement building sit ahead of pure combat.
Use these pages when you want a clear path from first login through your first useful tools, skill choices, and camp. Every guide below is written for players who prefer systems depth over spoilers, with internal links into skills, systems, tools, and updates when you need deeper reference. The PC nav dropdown shows eight entries; open this hub anytime you need the full guide index.
Start here if you are new
If you have not launched yet, begin with Getting Started. It walks character creation, the Haven tutorial moon, the jump to Crucible, early profession-shaped skill picks, and how Founder packs (Firstlight, Voyager, Cosmonaut) fit into Early Access expectations. Pair that with the beginner checklist and pack comparison when you are still deciding how to buy in.
Next, read How to Play for the core loop: explore planets, gather with the right tools, refine and craft through PQRV-aware recipes, then place camps or a homestead so your work has a home base. Combat exists and matters for threats and missions, but it is a support pillar—not the whole identity of Stars Reach.
Before you dig your first tunnel, skim Controls. Knowing that K opens skills (spend points at a homestead, camp, or portal), TAB selects Terraformer or Harvester resources, R fires the grappler, and E/Q fire ability loadouts will save more time than any checklist tip. After Update 8.3.0, also re-check chat (Ctrl-Shift-M) and map markers—see Calm Before the Storm.
Systems you will live inside
Mining and world-shaping are inseparable. Mining & Terraforming explains the Terraformer beam, hoppers and tailings, cave-in risk, the Chronophaser, and how Civil Engineering tunnels differ from reckless digs. Cross-check resources and rarity and planets & exploration when you start hunting better veins off Haven and Crucible.
Living worlds also grow. Botany & Harvesting covers the Harvester, Xyloslicer, pruning shears, and trowel so organics feed cooking, pharmacology groundwork, and homestead gardens—not only pretty trees.
Crafting turns those materials into lasting power. The Crafting Guide covers PQRV, the recipe book and timed stations from Calm Before the Storm, refining chains, metallurgy, and why tool quality compounds every profession. Link that to economy & trading once you outgrow solo stockpiles.
Settlement play is the long game. Building Settlements covers camps to homestead progression, fabricators, terrain that helps or hurts builds, and vendor kiosks that let player economies breathe. Terrain choices from mining pages matter here—do not ignore the ground under your foundation.
When you leave tutorial rails, Space Travel explains the TPL Starbase, wormholes, and how to hop planets with a shopping list instead of empty tourism.
When fights happen, Combat Basics keeps expectations honest: weapons and ability loadouts matter, but a classless skill forest and atrophy-based “in practice” respec mean you are never locked into a single fighter fantasy. See skill trees, ability loadouts, and respec in practice for the mechanical details.
How to use this hub week to week
Early Access will move. After you finish the core guides, bookmark Early Access launch, Server Slam, and patch notes so keybind or recipe changes do not surprise you mid-craft. For hardware readiness, keep system requirements nearby. For Discord, official channels, and community hubs, use community & official links under the links section.
A practical reading order for most players:
- Getting Started → Controls → How to Play
- Skills overview and professions while you pick early trees
- Mining & Terraforming → Botany & Harvesting → Crafting Guide
- Building Settlements once you need a stable base
- Space Travel when Starbase portals open
- Combat Basics when missions or wildlife demand it
Guide index
- Getting Started — first hours, Haven → Crucible → TPL Starbase
- How to Play — explore, gather, craft, build; XP from useful work
- Controls — keybinds, rebinds, Terraformer, loadout kiosks
- Mining & Terraforming — Terraformer, hoppers, Chronophaser, tunnels
- Botany & Harvesting — Harvester, Xyloslicer, shears, trowel
- Crafting Guide — PQRV, recipe book, refining, tool quality
- Building Settlements — camps, homestead, fabricator, vendors
- Space Travel — Starbase, wormholes, planet-hop logistics
- Combat Basics — weapons, E/Q loadouts, combat as support pillar
Stars Reach rewards players who treat the galaxy like a workshop and a wilderness at once. Use this hub as your table of contents, then dive into the child guides whenever a system blocks your next hour of play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Is Stars Reach fully released?
No. Playable Worlds is launching Stars Reach into Steam Early Access on August 18, 2026. Expect systems, balance, and content to keep evolving after that date.
Which guide should I read first?
Start with Getting Started for Haven and Crucible onboarding, then Controls and How to Play. Move into mining and crafting once you leave the tutorial path.
Do these guides cover skills and packs too?
Yes via cross-links. Guides explain gameplay loops; the Skills and Tools sections cover professions, skill trees, ability loadouts, pack comparison, and beginner checklists in more detail.
Is combat the main focus of Stars Reach?
Combat is important for threats and missions, but the sandbox loop emphasizes exploration, gathering, crafting, building, and a classless skill forest more than a pure combat MMO fantasy.