Get a leg up on the competition and fill your pockets full with loot with this handy list of the best spots for grinding in The Cycle: Frontier.

Getting your hands on gear in The Cycle: Frontier is no easy task. There are plenty of threats on the planet below. From ravenous creatures to heavily armed players, the odds of survival are never in your favor and the grind can really start to set in early on if you’re still figuring out where the best loot sites are.

RELATED: The Cycle Frontier: Beginner's Guide

Though the placement of resources is somewhat random, there is a pattern to them, and knowing where things tend to congregate can get you quite the haul of goodies. Making each trip into hostile territory quite the return on your investments. So with that in mind, here are some of the best spots for grinding in The Cycle: Frontier and what type of resources you can expect to find there.

Bright Sands has a lot of fun spots, but by far the best place to go, especially for beginners is the Waterfall Labs. Tucked away at the northern end of the map, this swampy locale with its large abandoned biodomes and walkways provide plenty of cover. Allowing you to sneak around undetected whilst harvesting its wares.

Waterweed Filament, Old Medicine, Polymetallic Prefabricates, and Electronic Cables are frequently found here. Why this is important is that these are crucial parts for creating the most important kind of equipment, backpacks, and combat stims in the Gear Fabricator. So if you’re running a packrat loadout, this is a good place to stock up on parts for new equipment.

This spots a little more hidden and harder to find, but once you stumble across it you’ll want to remember the route as it’s always worth a revisit. This downed starliner contains the best kind of scrap parts that can be used for all sorts of things in the Gear Fabricator back on the station.

There’s a lot of Prefabricated Metal to pick up, a chance to find abandoned gear, and in the cockpit are flight recorders that can be turned in as a mission reward. There are also two Meteor Crash Sites right next to it and if you’re lucky there could be a chunk of glowing space rock in there.

Cash is hard to come by and you’re always going to be short of currency in The Cycle: Frontier. Equipment can be expensive, the insurance can suck you dry if you’re having a bad run with drops and it can often feel like you’re just throwing your Krypto Marks down a hole. Thankfully there are currency farming spots.

One location in particular is the Base Camp and it’s a great little spot to help fatten up your wallet. This area has the highest concentration of Old Currency which can be converted into Krypto Marks. There’s also an abundance of Focus Crystals and Jewelry, which can be given to vendors to net yourself a nice little payday. So keep this spot in mind if you’re short on space cash.

Often overlooked as there are a lot of larger areas with plenty of loot scattered around, but the Rock Pools are an area on Fortuna III you don’t want to overlook. Though cover is a little sparse, there are plenty of benefits to taking a chance on this boulder-covered outcrop.

Around this rocky spot is plenty of Waterweed Filament and Brightcap Mushrooms which are major components in crafting Combat Stims. Plus, an abundance of Altered Nickel which can be put towards building Backpacks that you can shove even more treasure inside. It’s also often used as an extraction location, perfect if you want a speedy exit or a spot to camp out and pick off other Prospectors trying to leave if you fancy some easy ambush kills.

Located at the northern end of the map, the Dig Site is a popular haunt for Prospectors for all the right reasons. It’s out of the way of the busier central sections of the Bright Sands battlegrounds, and there’s an absolute ton of treasure to shove into your pockets as you pass through.

RELATED: The Cycle: Frontier - Guide To Solo Play

One of the main reasons to stop by here is the chance to hunt some prowling creatures and a large number of spots for gemstones to be picked up from lockers and boxes. There’s also a power puzzle that can be completed relatively quickly to get your hands on some high-end loot that’s sealed behind some locked doors. Though be quick, you don’t want other Prospectors dropping by and taking your hard-earned rewards from you.

For budding Loot Goblins, you’re going to want to put the Comms Tower on your list of favorite locations. Located on the far Western side of the map, this towering high-tech facility is often ignored by other Prospectors, but it’s a good spot to grind up cash.

However, it’s a little tricky as getting access to it requires the Server Room Key Card, these can be found inside jackets inside the tower. Once its doors are unlocked you can get your hands on its Data Drives and exotic textiles that have been stored away. There’s also usually some Old Currency and Jewelry tucked away that can net you a few extra pennies back on the station. All in all, a good way to get paid, though it requires a few extra steps.

Found at the Northern point of the map, tucked away in a shadowy canyon, the Abandoned Mines are often a ghost town that’s ripe for the picking. Similar to the Comms Tower, to bypass the security lock out front you’re going to need a keycard. But the extra legwork is worth it as there’s a huge deposit of Titan Ore locked behind those doors.

The access key for the Abandoned Mines in The Cycle: Frontier is a little harder to get your hands on. Unfortunately, it’s a random spawn at any location on the map. Though multiple keys can drop, finding one hidden away in a container is a bit of a dice roll. Once you get one, run straight to the mines as quickly as you can. Or, stockpile keys for back-to-back grinding runs.

For those looking for a large haul of loot but with an added slice of danger, heading over to the Geothermal Plant in Crescent Falls will get you a nice haul of minerals. In a nearby forest just next to this monolith of manmade engineering is a nice little cache of ores you won’t want to miss.

RELATED: The Cycle: Frontier - Guide To Mining

There’s an absolute tonne of Nickel and Altered Nickel to hack free from various mining spots under the boughs of these large trees. There are also a few Titan Ore nodes out in the wild, though be careful as the outer edges of the map where this location is tucked away is where the game often likes to dump new players. So keep your eyes open for hostile Prospectors when you’re breaking up those nodes.

This one is a little less subtle and easier to spot when your boots touch the dirt. The admin building next to the gigantic Starport that comes complete with an abandoned ship is a treasure trove of gear you don’t want to miss.

Though spawn rates for specific items are low, it’s got a high density and variety so you’ll get a nice stockpile regardless. You can run into Pistons, Ball Bearings, Alloys and if you’re very lucky, an Autoloader. There’s also a lot of Titan Ore, that’s been left unattended but since it’s in an area that’s dead center, it’s also going to be extremely busy.

Sadly another spot that’s dead center, since Crescent Falls is all about clumping everyone in the middle for a big brawl. But Greens Prospect is a spot just a stone's throw from the Starport Admin, another treasure trove of goodies. In Greens Prospect you’ll find a few ores, but its dumpsters and cabinets are full of various bits of scrap.

There’s a high chance of getting Hydraulic Pistons, Ball Bearings, and other metallic lumps that can be turned into loot or sold to the vendors. These big bins can also sometimes spawn pieces of rare gear like shields and helmets if you get lucky with your drop. So it’s always worth a quick scavenge if you have the chance.

NEXT: The Cycle: Frontier - Guide To PvE

An experienced Freelancer that's worked on a number of sites over the years. Matt's passion for gaming covers a range of titles and topics, plus he streams on Twitch under Digi_Matt.