r/starbound

I've been working on this mod on my free time for a little while now

a few things to note:

- The blade from the first image is from The Starforge mod, and the planet is from Voided

- Stats on the weapons are subject to change

- Balrog is just a decoration at the moment

- Clothing and back weapon from the character in the 2nd image belong to the NostOS mod

keep an eye out for the steam workshop release!!

I stood alone with Commander Valen Stryke when I gave my report. No witnesses, no noise—just the quiet hum of the console and the weight of what I brought back. I told him everything: the bunker already breached, Legion moving faster than anyone expected, the data mostly gone. Mostly. What I placed between us wasn’t complete, but it was enough to matter—a fragment, a physical trace that shouldn’t have survived a proper extraction. The facility had still been running when it should’ve been dead. Power where there should’ve been none. That was the part that stayed with him. That, and the fact that something had been left behind.

He didn’t get the chance to question it further.

The door opened without warning—not forced, not announced. Authorized.

Two figures stepped in like they already belonged there. The first moved with controlled certainty, scanning everything in a glance—Centurion Kade Rhyven. Behind him, an engineer in a sealed visor, silent but already interfacing with the room’s systems as if verifying something unseen. They didn’t ask. They didn’t explain.

Outside, a transport was already waiting.

Stryke didn’t stop them. That was the only answer I needed.

The ascent was quiet. No unnecessary talk, no introductions. Rhyven remained standing, steady even as we broke atmosphere. The engineer stayed connected to the ship’s systems, running checks I couldn’t see. It felt less like a transfer and more like I had already been moved before I even stepped on board.

Orbit came quickly.

And waiting there—motionless, deliberate—was the Knightfall vessel.

Docking was immediate. No delay, no inspection beyond confirmation. Inside, everything felt measured. Not militarized in the usual sense—there was no noise, no excess—but every movement had intent behind it.

They led me straight to the command chamber.

Captain Elias Varn didn’t rise when I entered. He didn’t need to. His presence was enough.

“So,” he said after a single pass through my file, “you’re the one who walked out of a sealed moonsite with something multiple teams failed to secure.”

“I didn’t take anything they didn’t already have,” I answered.

He paused—not doubting, just assessing.

“That’s usually what people say before we find out they’re wrong,” he replied. Then, quieter, “But you’re still here. That makes you relevant.”

That was the end of it. No long interrogation. No pressure. Just a quiet understanding that whatever I had been involved in was already being processed at a level beyond me.

The days that followed didn’t feel like time off. Every system, every movement, every silence felt like part of an ongoing evaluation. Not of what I did—but of what I had been exposed to.

Then came the descent.

Erebus Prime didn’t look like a base.

It looked like something built to hold things in place.

Commander Seraph Dain Valcor was already waiting when I arrived. He didn’t greet me. Didn’t welcome me. He just watched, like he was confirming something he already knew.

“You’ve been brought here because what you recovered exceeds Shellguard’s handling threshold,” he said.

“Threshold?” I asked.

“You are not a transfer of authority issue,” he replied. “You are a containment classification issue.”

That was when he showed it.

Shellguard authorization. Transfer logs. My status—rewritten, not erased.

Cross-domain containment transfer.

“So I’m not released,” I said.

“No,” Valcor answered. “You’ve been reassigned.”

He let that settle before continuing.

“Knightfall does not outrank Shellguard. We are not above them. We operate in parallel jurisdictions.”

I didn’t respond.

“What you are involved in—Project 42, Legion activity, and the bunker system—creates cross-domain risk overlap,” he said. “Shellguard cannot safely retain you. Not because they failed. Because keeping you increases exposure.”

The projection shifted again—formalized, final.

“They handed you over under containment protocol.”

Not promotion. Not punishment.

Containment.

He didn’t leave it there.

Instead, he turned and began walking. I followed.

“Erebus Prime is structured in layers,” he said as we passed through the main entrance corridor. “Nothing inside moves without clearance.”

We moved upward first.

“The upper level houses the shield generator. If the perimeter fails, this maintains structural isolation.”

Then we descended.

The first basement level felt different—more human.

“Left wing,” he said, “bar. Controlled downtime.”

There were people there, off-duty, but still alert in the way that never really goes away.

“Right wing—Sickbay.”

Inside, Dr. Ardent Kess was already at work. Focused. Precise. She didn’t stop when we entered, only acknowledged us briefly before returning to her diagnostics.

“No emergencies,” Valcor said. “Which means it’s working.”

We went deeper.

The next level shifted again—less human, more operational.

“Left side—storage,” he said.

The space opened into a secured facility stocked with everything needed to keep the outpost running—weapons, materials, fuel, even stabilized fluids. Enough to sustain isolation.

“Right side—briefing room.”

Holographic systems activated as we passed. Maps. Data. Layers of information waiting to be used.

Then further still.

The air changed. Heavier. Quieter.

We stopped in front of a reinforced door. A keypad sat beside it—simple, unmarked.

“Server core,” he said.

He didn’t touch it.

“Only I have access.”

That told me everything.

We stood there for a moment.

“This is not a base,” Valcor said.

“This is where things go when they can’t remain anywhere else.”

I looked at the door. Then back the way we came.

Shellguard hadn’t lost me.

They had moved me.

Not up. Not down.

Just somewhere I couldn’t leave.

(Sorry guys, i like to post here but i am pursuing my academic study i hope whoever reads this and make it down here understand that i am a human too, thank you for understanding!)

It took me about 60-70 hours to make.

Hello again, everyone! I am proud to say that, after just under 24 hours, I have completed my first true Vanilla (+ minor fix, non-content mods) playthrough of Starbound! I know there’s still some post-ending content, otherwise plenty of things to do like finish upgrading my mech or building out interplanetary home bases, but in terms of the main story mode and progression, I have finished it!

Now, not too long ago, I asked around about the general replayability and/or longevity of Starbound playthroughs, referencing all-time favorites Terraria and No Man’s Sky. The general consensus was that, outside of the sheer “build anything” sandbox side of things… vanilla Starbound is really more of a one-time experience thing with its linearity. That’s not to say you can’t replay the main progression, nor that there isn’t content to continue your initial run, just the general consensus.

The OTHER part of that conclusion, this being the one that peaked my interest as a Terraria native, is just how many amazing mods there are for this community. I would argue it is just as dedicated, if not more so, than Terraria. As such, I want to start progressing through some of these, and that’s where you come in: I want to slowly elevate the experience, starting off with something like BetaBound to get the “Vanilla as it should’ve always been” aspect, as well as any other fixes or considerations, before slowly ramping up to larger overhauls and additions. What mods would you recommend I try and progress through from here?

P.S.: This was my “Vanilla+” modlist. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3716233075

For me, I love the Aether planets from FU, but I also liked this giant flowers biome that I casually found on a fungus

what about you?

Yesterday I was finding last boss of Arcane Mod, I found out Harvester is located on Red Terminus, so I went to Red Terminus for tracking down Harvester. Took while but I found Harvester's Area where Harvester is, thankfully, I created my own checkpoint. So if I die.. I don't have to Across way to Harvester's generated structure. I did bring my Ally with me to bring harvester down then claim Place.

After the Atropus incident, Kyon found a Tabula Rasa planet, and thought about inviting there his girlfriend Esther, a novakid, for a small date (a dinner, kinda).

I think is kinda weird seeing a human and a novakid together, but they make a cute couple I think, leave your opinions

(too lazy to draw this time)

I was playing in a modded server, i got urge to play singleplayer modded starbound but it's going to be quite a hassle if i have to make a steam collection to prep other time.

Here's what I wanted:

Openstarbound with mods for the modded server. unconnected from steam workshop (pic1)
and
Openstarbound that connects to steam workshop, not excaltly the old one i have done. (pic2)

If possible I would like to be able to play both at same time in case i decide to make two pic1 type openstarbound (it's bonus question so if this went unsolved, it's fine)

Dude, I just want to do a quick check up on their lore for my friends interested in the game.

The vlog here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9NfFG66NXk

Feedback always welcome!