[Top 15] Best Starbound Mods For a New Playthrough

hm..you’ve just finished the game for the first time if not, the third time.

After playing straight hours, with the same story, and planets over and over, you start to ask yourself: “Is there another way to play the game?”. 

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are the ( but you already know that, if you didn’t skip reading the title, which in 100% percent cases zero people did ) top 15 best mods for your starbound playthrough 

15. Melee Aiming

Got your aim restricted? Are you only able to hit your sword at your front and back? Frustrated you can’t hit that one Poptop on the ledge with your ‘Legendary’ Excalibur?

Melee aiming, 5 stars on steam, rated by 1675 users, has made more than 1600+ users' lives less of a living pain. Most have chosen to click two buttons to stop that Poptop’s tune, but 1600+ tasteful users on steam have chosen not.

Get a taste of this mod and see for yourself how less you are breaking your hardware by saving one-click for a simple task ;)

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/melee-aiming.4370/download?version=19401

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2548371664

14. Aimable Shields

As the original author of this mod said: “keep yourself safe from any distance!”, “use it as an umbrella”. They’re right for thinking that.

I don’t have to explain what it does, the title is pretty self-explanatory. 

Tried this mod. Now I fight monsters in luxury. Starbound is never its fuller self without this handy mod. I never play without it.

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://catalogue.smods.ru/archives/24607

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1101113268

13. Blood mod / reduced

Sometimes the game just feels soulless. I believe every monster defeat looks too artificial, but I found this mod, and now the game feels more alive!

This mod adds gore effects to the game, making it feel anatomical. Now that everything feels like it has its own soul. Maybe now you’ll think twice about shooting that innocent rabbit. 

If you’re a fan of bullet points, here are its specific features:

• Blood splatter
• Blood that stains the environment
• Body piles after death
• New player death animation

If you think that the effects are messy, a reduced version is available on its original page. 

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/blood-mod.343/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731016710

12. Enable Monster Special Attacks

The mobs in starbound are pretty boring. What it takes for them to damage you is simply through touching. Stand there long enough and you will meet your maker, or should I say the Cultivator.

If you want variety, this mod is the right one for you. Try this once, and you’ll never go back to the boring old ramming strategy.

Enjoy fighting the flying flamethrowers, aerial lasers, and many more!

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/enable-monsters-special-attacks.4925/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107121436

11. Landable gas giants

Do you ever wonder what awaits you in those gas giants that are as decorative as a Christmas ball? They always look ornamental tsk tsk.

Well, now you get to find out! 

What waits for you on those giant balls of gas, are the harshest weathers, the most violent storms, and the longest falls you’ll ever see. 

There are two variants of this planet type:

• The ‘normal’ with no life, basically an asteroid field with little gravity. It also has the same ores.
• And the habitable one, with floating islands with forests, deserts, and frozen biomes

Caution for you: use air vehicles and you’ll save yourself dozens of salves.

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://catalogue.smods.ru/archives/9888

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1475245421&searchtext=

10. Grappling Whips

Do you like Indiana Jones? I haven’t seen it.. But look at that! You get to have some awesome whip grappling action. Now how could you miss out on something this cool?

You can now swing from one light source to another. Just grab yourself a whip, and now you’ve got yourself a swinging tool. With no ceilings or walls around, you can turn torches, lanterns, lightbulbs, really anything that emits light into an easy way to get across two ledges!

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/grappling-whips.4155/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=762721488

9. Darker Nights

Some of you will think: “the night is too bright” or is it just me :(. Come on back me up here.

Darker nights is the right mod to send shivers down your spine. With monsters hiding in the dark, it is easier for them to pounce on you, giving you a surprise. 

It also turns your evening into the thing that it is, adding a better ambiance, a certain beauty when you see something light up in the distance. A truly magical experience with such a simple change.

Get the mod here:

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2409538486

8. Explorer Pod

Are you looking for fast and reliable transport? Are you wondering: ”is there a way to quickly go around this planet avoiding rough and annoying terrain?”? Well, I’ve got good news for you! 

Introducing the explorer pod! at a minimum cost of 35000 pixels, you’ll have the luxury of floating over your enemies untouched. You will have a lot of variants to choose from. My personal favorite is the hylotl pod (the one above).

And did I mention, it comes with headlights? Yeah, those pixels also buy you a great way to light up the dark! This is another mod that you’ll never want to play without.

Get the mod here:

non-steam  https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/wip-explorer-pod-vehicle.3879/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=738601381

7. Elithian Races

Another mod in this list is one of my personal favorites. Starbound is an interstellar sandbox game. So why stop with only a few races?

The Elithian Races mod adds four new playable races( with their unique abilities if you play with frackin universe on). Introducing the Avikan, Droden, Trinks, and Aegie, being one of the features this mod introduces. In addition, it also gives the game multiple new outposts, special maps, races, and so much more.

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/elithian-races-mod-a-starbound-expansion.3019/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=850109963

6. Starbound++

If you’re a fan of the vanilla version of the game, you’ll like this item on the list. 

Starbound++ enhances the vanilla experience with multiple new features. A few that charm me are the new fuel sources (Coal, Oil, Core Fragments, Solarium Ore, and Solarium Stars), cheaper fake licenses ;), and oh yeah, my personal favorite, the chainsaw!

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/starbound.5292/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=1365556048

5. True space

I’ve had a fair amount of hours with the game. I’ve always itched about their planet systems. Volcanic planets are very far from the star, while tundra planets get very near the stars. It just doesn’t make sense!

Well, if you want that itch to be over, I got just the thing! True space is another mod that replaces the way planets are put into star systems. The tundra planets are now on their correct distances!

Don’t you just love scientific accuracy?

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/truespace.3785/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=730684624

4. Tech Additions

A futuristic game, with not enough futuristic body tech... It would be a shame if a mod to fix this did not exist. Oh, wait! It does!

Presenting Tech Additions! Again, the title is pretty self-explanatory. Adding dozens of more tech, the mod allows you to create more combos with the weapons you already have. 

And hey if you’ve got friends to play with, you’ll have a blast battling with the new tech, all you have to do to get them is buy them at the Outpost Tech Lab or find them in treasure chests!

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://catalogue.smods.ru/archives/5477

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1131820988

3. Extended Story

Do you also think the storyline of the game is served on a small plate? Are you like me who searched for a way to get more food on the plate? If you haven’t found that mod yet, you’ve got luck. I took the liberty to look for you!

Extended Story is a mod that mainly focuses on adding post-endgame content to your game. It also adds small amounts of content throughout vanilla Starbound's storyline (original author).

Currently adds:

• New boss encounters
• New weapons
• Armor sets
• More missions
• Biomes
• New tiles

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/extended-story.5146/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=899795176

2. Arcana

Who doesn’t like a mod, like a major overhaul to the starbound system? Well, I do. If you’re sold by the image above, you’ll be overwhelmed when you check the mod out.

One of starbound’s new promising mods, with 2261 5-star ratings on steam, offers you the thirst of a lifetime. Showcasing several features such as new blocks; new boss battles; new weapons; new planets; new races; and so much more!

And oh, as a bonus it is also compatible with our gamers’ favorites:

• Frackin Universe
• Elithian Races
• And much more

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/arcana.6093/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=2359135864

1. Frackin Universe

One of starbound’s oldest running mods makes its way through the charts with a whopping 19k+ 5-star ratings! You’ve likely seen this mod in many youtube videos, you can ell how much this mod has earned its fans’ adoration. It has even earned its title as “the new starbound” for many, and you’ll see why.

What is Frackin Universe you ask(for newcomers)? It is the largest mod for starbound, completely earning its other title as a game-changer - literally!

This mod gives races each unique abilities, complete with weaknesses and strengths. It does not only do that, but it also completely adds a new storyline; a new progression; a new set of effects such as madness, drunkenness, and a lot more debuffs and buffs.

I’ve said so much but we’ve barely just scratched the surface. It also comes complete with new tech, vehicles, weapon types and physics, and a better combat system.

I am afraid if we talk about everything it has to offer, the article will become too long. I say it’s better to uncover the mystery yourself ;)

And one last thing, equip yourself with the wiki once you’ve begun.

Get the mod here:

non-steam https://community.playstarbound.com/resources/frackinuniverse.2920/

steam https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=729480149

You may also be interested in:

• Starbound Best Weapons (And How To Get Them)
• Best Starbound Mods For a New Playthrough
• Starbound Best Race - Which To Pick?
• Starbound Best Mechs (And How To Get Them)
• Starbound Best Armor (And How To Get Them)