Starfield is massive, has plenty of content, and there is loads to do. So, you can get overwhelmed pretty quickly. The game does not really give you a lot of information regarding what you should or should not do. In this Starfield beginner’s guide, we give you some useful tips and tricks that will help you get started.
Starfield Tips And Tricks
Don’t Fret Over Your Background And Traits
Once you get started, you will need to create your character and choose a background and set of traits. These backgrounds can be cool and might open up some dialogue options for you now and then, but you should not spend too much time picking one. Instead, focus your attention on the skills that you want to start off with.
Each background has three starting skills. You get a point each for these starting skills. This means that you get the rank 1 benefits. This gives you an edge at the start of the game, but as you level up, you can invest points into different skills and rank up. You can access any skill that you want down the line, no matter which background you select.
If you are unable to decide, then you can check out our guide on the best backgrounds and traits that you should pick.
It is also worth mentioning that at different points in the game, you do get the option to remove certain traits. The Kids Stuff trait, for example, lets you interact with your parents, but you need to pay them a weekly allowance. You do have the option to stop supporting your parents and hence remove the Kids Stuff trait.
Recommended Skills
While there are plenty of skills that you can get and rank up, without the ability to respec your skills, some degree of planning can be very useful. We recommend Weight Lifting as a must-have skill since it increases your carrying capacity. You can also look into Fitness and Pain Tolerance.
For combat, we can recommend Ballistics and Rapid Reloading since these apply to all guns that use ammo. Our recommended social skills are Persuasion, Outpost Management, and Ship Command. Persuasion is the skill that you should prioritize, while the other two make the game much easier and are nice to have.
Science skills are very important since your progress and activities are locked behind them. We recommend investing in Research Methods, Surveying, Weapon Engineering, Spacesuit Design, Astrophysics and Scanning.
When it comes to tech skills, we recommend investing in Boost Pack, Piloting, Security, and Payload. Security lets you hack things and can be very useful. Payloads will let you carry more items on your ship.
Use Your Scanner
You can use your scanner to quickly and easily see which items you can interact with. This will allow you to loot everything in areas without having to get close. It is worth mentioning that just because you have the option of picking something up does not mean that you should.
Stick To The Main Storyline
Starfield is a massive game, and not only is there a lot of side content, but you can spend hours exploring and scanning planets. We recommend progressing the main storyline since there are aspects of the game that unlock via progression. We also recommend completing your companion quests once they are available.
We recommend completing the side quest called Overdesigned since it rewards you with a very cool ship for free.
Keeping Up With The Lack Of Inventory Space
The amount of gear that you can carry will depend on your weight or mass limit. This can be increased by gear, skills, or aid items. If you surpass the weight limit, then you will start using up your oxygen, and the CO2 meter will start filling up. This is not going to kill you, but it does make things difficult. We recommend picking up the Weight Lifting skill since it increases your carrying weight.
You can store items in the cargo bay of your ship at the cost of speed and maneuverability. Your ship also has a small Captain’s Locker, which you can use to store a limited amount of items. This is where you should store your better weapons and armor.
Other than your ship, you can build outposts, which are great for storing gear and other items. Furthermore, if you are carrying too much, then you can head over to a local vendor and sell some items. Vendors have different inventories, meaning that they buy and sell different types of goods.
Do Not Store Stolen Items On Your Ship
Like other Bethesda games, you can pick locks and even steal things. We recommend not storing stolen items on your ship since they can be flagged as contraband if found. If you land in a controlled area, then your ship and crew will be searched. The charges for contraband are huge, and not only will you pay heavy fines but face jail time as well.
How To Sell Contraband
Contraband is of high value but very risky to move around. You can head to Wolf, which is close to the starting systems, and then head over to The Den. The Den has a Trade Authority shop, but you will not be scanned when you land. Allowing you to sell your contraband without fines or jail time. The Trade Authority is the only place you can sell contraband to other than pirates.
Buy A Bigger Ship
Your default ship gets the job done, but it cannot store a lot of cargo and only allows 2 crew members. You should level up your piloting as quickly as you can and then buy a ship that is better.
You Need Companions
As you explore the world, you will soon find yourself in charge of a fleet of ships and a couple of outposts that you need to manage. You can use companions to help you with the process. Companions come with a set of unique skills, and you can assign gear to them, making them very valuable indeed.
You can trade items with your companions and then transfer the gear that you need them to wear. Now open up your companion’s inventory and equip the gear you transferred.
Custom Ship Building
Ship building is majorly an end-game activity, but you can still check out the feature. When building your ship, you should look out for the warnings that the game provides. If your ship is too heavy, then it will lack mobility and will not be as fast. Some requirements are guidelines, while others are required to be fulfilled before you can complete your build.
You will spend a lot of time on your ship, so getting familiar with how things work is going to be very important. Check out different parts and modules that you can add to your ship.
These are all the tips for our Starfield beginner’s guide. To learn more, check out our guide on ship power allocation.