What happened to Earth in Starfield? Set in the far future, Starfield’s Earth, and the universe as a whole, looks drastically different to what we know today. In fact, it isn’t even a shadow of its former self; it’s completely devoid of any sign of previous life, with only sand and rock leftover. In space, there’s the wrecks of large space ships. So, here is all you need to know about what happened to Earth in Starfield, as well as how to get to Earth.
Earth is one of the estimated 1,000 Starfield planets you can visit using your trusty Starfield ships. However, in the universe of Bethesda’s space RPG, things look drastically different. With a populated universe, including Mars and beyond, and Earth left in ruin, there’s lots of interesting stories to uncover outside of the Starfield companions and Starfield factions.
What happened to Earth in Starfield?
In Starfield, it was discovered in 2150 that Earth’s magnetosphere was set to collapse in the next 50 years and eliminate all life on the planet as the atmosphere failed. As such, Earth was abandoned and humanity moved to other planets.
This is revealed in a museum display in the MAST building in New Atlantis city, Jemison, the home of the Starfield UC Vanguard faction. This also details that by 2203, Earth was officially labelled as uninhabitable, and by 22330, it was completely abandoned.
This display, alongside several lines by Starfield’s Sarah Morgan companion, indicates that this oncoming doomsday prompted the establishment of the United Colonies Government. Once humanity successfully left Earth behind, humans settled on other planets under the leadership of the United Colonies.
From here, more factions were sprung up, such as the Freestar Collective and the Crimson Fleet. Over time, however, tensions arose and conflict broke out, eventually culminating leading to the Starfield Colony War.
Starfield Earth
Earth in Starfield is a rock type planet, devoid of all fauna and flora. After the destruction of Earth, all that’s left is sand, rocks, and a harsh environment thanks to solar radiation.
However, you will find plenty of valuable Starfield materials:
- Water
- Chlorine
- Lead
- Mercury
- Chlorosilane
If you’re looking to visit Earth, make sure you’re prepared with high Radiation stat Starfield armor. If not, you’ll find venturing out on the surface a dangerous task.
In our exploration of Earth, we’ve found several Storm Craters and little else. However, these Storm Craters contain the above resources in higher quantities, though they do have dangerous vents to avoid as well.
How to get to Earth in Starfield
To get to Earth in Starfield, you must:
- Locate the Sol system in the Starmap
- Select to travel to the Sol system
- Open the Starmap and locate Earth
- Set a landing target anywhere on Earth
- Travel to your landing target
Bear in mind that Sol will be quite some distance away and, without an upgraded ship, you likely won’t be able to reach Sol in one jump. Instead, you’ll likely have to reach Sol by traveling to nearby systems first. Thankfully, these will be pointed out to you when you select the Sol system.
Given Earth is completely destroyed, there are no landing spots for you by default. Instead, you’ll have to manually set your own if you want to visit, unlike most other planets that have Points of Interest (POI). However, it’s worth noting that you can still build Starfield outposts here that you can fast travel to. As such, it’s possible to start a small, self-sustaining settlement on Earth, despite it’s dark fate.
Can you visit Earth’s Moon in Starfield?
Yes, you can visit Earth’s Moon in Starfield, known as Luna. On Luna, you can find several Points of Interest, such as mining operations, as well as plenty of resources.
Perhaps most importantly of all though, you’ll be able to enjoy the lower gravity of Earth’s Moon, especially if you have a boost pack to send you up into the air.
Strangely enough then, given what happened to Earth in Starfield, the moon is actually more populated than the Earth, with more people and POIs to discover. This also makes it a more dangerous place though, so don’t underestimate it thinking it will be a desolate moon.
Now you know what happened to Earth in Starfield, you can go and visit the planet, and even the Moon (known as Luna). A pit-stop at Earth will be just one of your many adventures as you progress through the Starfield length, but it’s certainly a highlight.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.