Following years of rumors, speculation and plenty of hype, the highly-anticipated Starfield has finally landed on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. And based on the positive consumer and critical feedback it’s garnered — including our own Starfield review —?it seems Bethesda Game Studios’ latest sprawling role-playing game was worth the wait.
But in terms of scale and scope, the space-faring role-playing game is also, literally, one of the year’s biggest titles. As such, mastering its myriad mechanics, complex systems and deep features can be as daunting as, well, exploring 1000 planets. With that in mind, we’ve put together 10 tips to help you chart your course — whether you’re a seasoned RPG fan or a fresh Constellation recruit.
One of the biggest Xbox games in years, Starfield allows you explore, build and battle across a vast galaxy of hundreds of planets.
Don’t sink hours into creating your character
You’ll kick off your journey with the game’s deep character customization system, allowing you to highly personalize your brave star explorer or menacing space bandit. But while having complete agency over your character’s look is half the fun of beginning any new RPG journey, getting all those hairstyles and tattoo options just right can be time consuming. Thankfully, you needn’t sink endless hours into finding the perfect facial hair or body type, as the game’s Enhance clinics — spread all over the galaxy — will allow you to tweak your look to your heart’s desire, for a mere 500 credits.
Your Background skills — not backstory — will impact your path
Early in the game, you’ll also need to select a Background from over 20 unique options. Each includes a brief description with some fun backstory on your character’s history. While these colorful lore drops nicely romanticize your chosen path, they don’t significantly affect your story — aside from a few background-specific dialog options — or the overall gameplay experience.
All that said, you’ll absolutely want to choose your Background based on the trio of starting skills tied to your selection. So while, say, the Beast Hunter Background sounds cool, you’ll want to commit to it because you plan on progressing its Fitness, Ballistic, and Gastronomy starting skills; not because the hint of tangling with “hostile alien life” will maybe lead to scoring some rare, extraterrestrial-obliterating weapon — because sadly, it won’t.
Having a sharp tongue is cooler than having a big gun
On the subject of those all-important skills, you could dedicate an entire guide to each of the game’s five progression trees. That said, if we were to make a single skill-pick recommendation based on experience — and plenty of trial and error — we’d suggest choosing a Background with the Persuasion starting skill. It might not sound all that thrilling next to, say, Lasers, Piloting and Ballistics, but trust us — being a smooth talker in Starfield is often more effective than having a full ammo clip. In the long run, continuously leveling up this skill will save you precious time, resources, and valuable credits.
Piggyback on your companions’ skills
Speaking of Persuasion, the invaluable skill can often be leveraged to convince reluctant companions and crew to join your planet-hopping journey — a service that can cost a big chunk of space change. But enough about Persuasion; this tip is all about using your companions to benefit from coveted skills you might not have yourself. Each of the game’s pals possess their own skill sets, so with some smart management and allocation, you can reap the rewards of their unique strengths. Recruiting fan-favorite space cowboy Sam Coe — who carries Rifle Certification and Piloting skills – for example, will find you better equipped whether you’re in the cockpit or engaged in a ground-based firefight. Of course, be kind to your companions too, lest you want them to think you’re just using them.
Hack, steal and picket-pocket your way through the galaxy
In a game that includes laser blasters and light-speed technology, picking a lock might sound about as exciting as, well, sweet talking your way out of a sticky situation. But don’t be afraid to holster your blaster and brandish a digipick, as stealing will get you far in Starfield’s high-security galaxy.
There’s loads of awesome loot locked away, and sometimes the quickest and easiest – albeit unethical – way to access it is by investing in the Security skill on the Tech tree. As you rank up this skill, you’ll gain the ability to tackle tougher locks, as well as earn more auto-attempts for an even greater chance to score a weapon, spacesuit, or circumvented route.
You can even get a headstart on your life of crime by choosing a Background preloaded with the Security skill. Picking pockets can be equally beneficial for sticky-fingered players, but keep in mind this stealthy ability requires unlocking the Theft skill on the Social tree. Oh, and if your thievery only scores you a few lousy credits, feel free to invest the cash in a fresh supply of digipicks.
Give yourself a boost
At the risk of belaboring the point, Starfield is a big game that will see you traveling from every corner of its galaxy both by ship and on foot. The latter mode of transportation can be a bit tedious early on, especially while you get comfortable with the game’s encumbrance and oxygen systems. Unlocking the Boost Pack Training skill, via the Tech tree, will immediately give you a leg up — well, two legs — on navigating Starfield’s stretching world.
This skill obviously allows you to cover more ground faster, but that’s just the beginning of its benefits. It also lets you jump higher to access hard-to-reach areas, aids quicker evasion from surprise enemy attacks, and can give you the high-ground advantage against those same threats. All that, and it takes the sting out of bad falls. Ranking the skill further ratchets its usefulness, unlocking perks like reduced fuel depletion and increased fuel replenishment.
Stick to the critical path…at first
Starfield’s packed with 1000 planets ripe for exploration, but you’ll want to refrain from getting that intergalactic passport stamped too much in the game’s early hours. Initially sticking to the main missions will not only give you access to more pathways, characters, resources and other opportunities conveniently placed along the critical path, but it will also afford you some time to get acquainted with the central story and core gameplay.
More than all that though, following the campaign closely will set you on the path to earning your first Starborn power. Spoiler alert for those going into the game blind: Despite looking like a fairly realistic, NASA-sponsored space-exploration simulation, Starfield grants players with enough otherworldly powers to make a Jedi blush. To begin to learn about – and ultimately access – these magic-like, Artifact-tied abilities, you’ll want to at least stick with the main quest through the “Into the Unknown” mission.
Enjoy an intergalactic nap
Just as in real life, getting a good night’s sleepis important in Starfield’s sprawling galaxy. But slumbering in the epic RPG is even more beneficial, as hitting the sack will help heal your character. Even better, sleeping will grant you the “Well Rested” bonus, allowing you to gain an additional 10% experience points for the next 24 minutes (or 24 in-game hours.) Those really looking to grind experience points will want to lie down beside a cozy companion, as bringing a friend to bed boosts that buff to 15%.
Take a load off
One of the first things that hits you in Starfield isn’t an enemy blast, but this frustrating message: “Running while encumbered will quickly drain your oxygen!” Like lots of RPG’s, Bethesda’s latest has an encumbered system that seems to rear its ugly, heavy head at the most inconvenient times — like when you want to fast-travel. Thankfully, there’s a number of ways to lighten the load, from saddling your companions with your useless junk and storing it on your ship to selling unwanted items to vendors.
The best method though, is to loot more frugally. While it’s easy to hoover up everything in sight in games that don’t measure your mass, you’ll want to resist that hoarding, pack-mule mentality in Starfield. On the plus side, trudging ahead with too much weight will also help you rank up the Weight Lifting skill, ultimately increasing your carrying capacity.
Don’t be afraid to pick favorites
If it’s not already apparent, Starfield’s a massive game that will see you clogging your inventory with an equally enormous amount of items. It’s easy to fall behind, allowing your frequent looting to surpass your inventory management. Choosing favorites and assigning them to your quick-slots helps mitigate this, letting you quickly swap between items without wading through multiple menus.
This is especially useful in combat, where quickly switching between your go-to weapons will not only beget a smoother, more intuitive gameplay experience, but one that could save your bacon when things get heated. You’ll want to do this frequently, too, as new, better gear comes fast in Starfield. Of course, you needn’t reserve all your slots solely for your favorite death-dealers — feel free to toss a med-pack or other life-giving item in there for a handy health boost.
