Last Updated on September 1, 2023 by Jake
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In the vast universe of Starfield, your character progression isn’t just determined by their equipment or decisions but also by their physical abilities. Out of the 82 diverse skills available in the game, 16 are dedicated to Physical Skills. These Starfield skills encompass a range of attributes, from your character’s endurance and stealth capabilities to their carrying capacity and running speed. Whether you’re aiming to improve your health, boost your strength, or master the art of concealment, the Physical Skills tree offers a plethora of options to enhance your gameplay experience. Dive into this guide to discover the best Physical Skills to unlock first and optimize your journey through the stars.
Starfield Physical Skills Tree, Effects, Tiers
| Physical Skills | Tier | Type | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxing | 1 | Novice | Increased unarmed attack damage and less O2 consumption when performing Power Attacks and Running. Increase chance to knock down enemies. | Rank 1: Unarmed attacks do 25% more damage. 25% less O2 used when using a power attack. Rank 2: Unarmed attacks do 50% more damage. 50% less O2 used when using a power attack. Rank 3: Unarmed attacks do 75% more damage. While in a fight and unarmed, running consumes 30% less O2. Rank 4: Unarmed attacks do 100% more damage and have a chance to knock down opponents. |
| Fitness | 1 | Novice | Increased O2 and less consumption of O2 when performing Power Attacks and Running. | Rank 1: +10% more oxygen available. Rank 2: +20% more oxygen available. Rank 3: +30% more oxygen available. Rank 4: Sprinting and power attacks now use significantly less oxygen. |
| Stealth | 1 | Novice | Makes you harder to detect, increase sneak attack damage, interacting with doors won’t alert enemies. | Rank 1: Introduces a Stealth Indicator. Sneaking becomes 25% harder to notice. Silenced weapons gain an extra 5% damage during stealth attacks. Rank 2: Enhances the Stealth Indicator. Sneaking efficiency increases by 50%. Silenced weapons benefit from an added 10% damage in stealth mode. Rank 3: Sneaking becomes 75% more elusive. Silenced weapons receive a 15% damage boost during stealth attacks. Rank 4: Sneaking is now twice as effective. Silenced weapons get a 20% damage increase in stealth. Doors you engage with in stealth mode won’t tip off adversaries. |
| Weight Lifting | 1 | Novice | Ability to carry more items. | Rank 1: +10KG carrying capacity. Rank 2: +25KG carrying capacity. Rank 3: +50KG carrying capacity. Rank 4: +100KG carrying capacity. |
| Wellness | 1 | Novice | Increased maximum health. | Rank 1: +10% max health. Rank 2: +20% max health. Rank 3: +30% max health. Rank 4: +40% max health. |
| Energy Weapon Dissipation | 2 | Advanced | Take less energy damage. | Rank 1: -5% Energy damage. Rank 2: -10% energy damage Rank 3: – 15% energy damage. Rank 4: +25% chance to reflect energy damage, -50% energy damage. |
| Environmental Conditioning | 2 | Advanced | Take less environmental damage. | Rank 1: 10 resistance to Airborne environmental damage. Rank 2: 10 resistance to Thermal environmental damage. Rank 3: 10 resistance to Corrosive and Radiation environmental damage. Rank 4: Less chance of getting a status effect from incoming environmental damage. |
| Gymnastics | 2 | Advanced | Adds combat slide, reduced fall damage, faster movement in zero gravity, and ability to jump higher. | Rank 1: Unlock combat slide, take 15% less fall damage. Rank 2: Faster movement in zero gravity, take 20% less fall damage. Rank 3: Reduced recoil when firing in zero gravity, take 30% less fall damage. Rank 4: Jump higher, run faster after combat slide and mantling. |
| Nutrition | 2 | Advanced | Increased benefits from food and drinks. | Rank 1: 10% more nutrition from food and drinks. Rank 2: 20% more nutrition from food and drinks. Rank 3: 30% more nutrition from food and drinks. Rank 4: 50% more nutrition from food and drinks. |
| Pain Tolerance | 2 | Advanced | Take less physical damage. | Rank 1: Take 5% less physical damage. Rank 2: Take 10% less physical damage. Rank 3: Take 15% less physical damage. Rank 4: 5% chance to take 0 physical damage when health bar is low. |
| Cellular Regeneration | 3 | Expert | Increased natural healing when injured. | Rank 1: Small chance of recovering from injuries naturally. Rank 2: Moderate chance of recovering from injuries naturally. Rank 3: Significant chance of recovering from injuries naturally. Rank 4: 20% chance of not getting injured when you should. |
| Decontamination | 3 | Expert | Increase natural healing when infected. | Rank 1: Small chance of recovering from infections naturally. Rank 2: Moderate chance of recovering from infections naturally. Rank 3: Significant chance of recovering from infections naturally. Rank 4: 20% chance of not getting infected when you should. |
| Martial Arts | 3 | Expert | Increase crit chance from melee attacks or unarmed attacks. Take less melee damage, chance to disarm enemies, and deflect damage. | Rank 1: +15% chance of dealing crit damage with an unarmed or melee attack. Rank 2: 15% chance to disarm enemies with an unarmed or melee attack. Rank 3: Take 10% less damage when wielding a melee weapon or when unarmed. Rank 4: Deflect 50% damage on enemies when successfully blocking a melee or unarmed attack from enemies. |
| Concealment | 4 | Master | Become invincible to traps, get increased ranged and melee sneak attack damage, and increase stealth. | Rank 1: Enemy mines won’t detect you. Your ranged stealth attacks deal 2.5x the usual damage, while melee stealth attacks inflict 4x the standard damage. Rank 2: Your stealth remains unaffected when running. Ranged stealth attacks deal 3x the regular damage, and melee stealth attacks deliver 5x the typical damage. Rank 3: When sneaking and entirely motionless, you mimic a Chameleon’s camouflage. Ranged stealth attacks have 3.5x the standard damage, and melee stealth attacks pack 8x the usual punch. Rank 4: Activating stealth makes far-off foes lose track of you. Ranged stealth attacks yield 4x the regular damage, while melee stealth attacks unleash 10x the standard damage. |
| Neurostrikes | 4 | Master | Stun enemies, increased EM damage, chance to knock down enemies close to the enemy you stun. | Rank 1: With an unarmed strike, there’s a 10% likelihood to immobilize an NPC. Rank 2: Your unarmed blows now inflict extra EM harm. Rank 3: There’s a 20% probability of immobilizing an NPC with a barehanded hit. Rank 4: After incapacitating a foe, nearby adversaries are also knocked off their feet. |
| Rejuvenation | 4 | Master | Health regen in and out of combat. | Rank 1: Gradually recover health when not in battle. Rank 2: Accelerate your health recovery when not engaged in combat. Rank 3: Boost your out-of-combat health recovery speed. You also start to heal, albeit slowly, during combat. Rank 4: Amplify your health restoration rate outside of combat. During battles, your health rejuvenation is notably faster. |
Best Picks For Physical Skills In Starfield
- Boxing: This skill not only increases damage in unarmed attacks but also conserves oxygen during power attacks and running. The added chance to knock down opponents makes it invaluable for close combat situations which makes it one of the best physical skills.
- Stealth: A must-have for players who value discretion. The Stealth skill introduces a Stealth Meter, making you harder to detect and increasing sneak attack damage. Plus, interacting with doors in stealth mode won’t alert enemies.
- Weight Lifting: An essential skill for those who like to hoard items. It increases your total carrying capacity and offers resistance to being staggered.
- Wellness: Boosting your maximum health is always a good idea. With an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits, this skill ensures you can withstand more damage.
- Environmental Conditioning: Given the diverse planets and moons in Starfield, gaining resistance to environmental damage is crucial. This skill prepares you for the unpredictable conditions of the Settled Systems.
- Gymnastics: Enhance your mobility with the Gymnastics skill. From reducing fall damage to moving faster in Zero-G environments, this skill is perfect for explorers.
- Cellular Regeneration: The ability to naturally recover from injuries can be a lifesaver. Whether through secret experimentation or healthy living, this skill boosts your body’s healing capabilities.
- Concealment: For those who prefer a stealthy approach, this skill is a game-changer. Ranged and melee sneak attacks do more damage, and you become invisible to traps.
- Neurostrikes: Disabling an opponent without a weapon is a powerful ability. This skill offers a chance to stun NPCs with unarmed attacks and deals additional EM damage.
- Rejuvenation: The ultimate survival skill. Regenerate health both outside of combat and during battles, ensuring you’re always ready for the next challenge.
These physical Starfield skills are a must for any time of character build your aiming to craft.
How To Unlock And Upgrade Skills In Starfield
Starfield’s character progression is tied to gaining experience and subsequently leveling up. This progression rewards players with skill points, which can be strategically allocated across the game’s five diverse skill trees. Here’s a breakdown the skill system of Starfield:
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- Starting Skills: Every new character begins their journey equipped with three tier 1 skills.
- Leveling Up: Each time you level up your character, you’re granted a skill point. Initially, these points can be invested in rank 1 skills. However, to access higher-tier skills, you must first unlock the preceding ones in the lower tiers. It’s worth noting that skills in the upper echelons demand more skill points than their lower-tier counterparts.
- Skill Challenges: To unlock new ranks for a skill, players must complete a series of challenges associated with that skill. Successfully doing so unlocks additional ranks for that skill.
- Skill Badges: In Starfield, skills are visually represented as badges on your character. Each skill tree boasts its unique badge design, differentiated by shape and color, making it easy to identify the tree a skill is associated with.
Each of these physical skills offers unique advantages that can significantly enhance your character in Starfield. Whether you’re focusing on combat, exploration, or survival, prioritizing these skills will set you on the path to success in the vast cosmos and even expedite the process of unlocking achievements.