Space is a big place, and that’s especially true in Starfield. With so many systems and so many things to do, it can become overwhelming at times. We’ve put together our top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners. Think of it as a sort of beginner’s guide for exploring the stars.
Find a good shotgun
There are plenty of good weapons to find in Starfield. But, shotguns feel a bit strong compared to other weapons. In fact, I played through most of my first playthrough using mainly a shotgun, with the backup of a long-range rifle and an auto rifle when I needed to hit the mid range. However, shotguns actually have a pretty decent range on them. They are obviously meant for up close, but when mixed with other combat capabilities you will find in the game, the shotgun is a great weapon for mowing down enemies.
Stop picking up everything
Trust me, don’t do it! I know, it’s tempting. Especially when first starting out. You want to grab the cool space toy on the desk, and the interesting-looking objects scattered about. But your carrying capacity is extremely limited, especially at the start. You can increase your carrying capacity, but even still you can’t be a hoarder. You will want to definitely keep an eye don’t the mass of things as well because all it takes is a couple of heavy items and suddenly you’re encumbered.
Unless it’s an Aid item
As a continuation to the tip above, you do still want to be sure to pick up any Aid items you come across. Not only do you want to be prepared to be able to cure a status effect in a pinch, but you’ll also eventually research new Aid recipes to craft. Most of the materials required to craft better ways of healing and buffing yourself actually come from Aid items like basic foods. Typically Aid items are also low in Mass meaning you can carry a lot of them without worrying about your carrying capacity.
Or ammo
Once again continuing on the last tip, pick up all the ammo you see. You’ll eventually have a handful of weapons, each probably using their own ammo type. Also, all ammo types have 0 mass. This doesn’t make much sense in terms of realism, but it’s clearly intended so you don’t feel obligated to skip out on picking up ammo. As such, you’ll want to pick up all the ammo you can find—there’s no reason not to!
Upgrade your ship, or even get a new one
Your beginner Constellation ship is good at getting you from point A to point B, but that’s about it. Eventually, you’ll want a ship that is more effective in combat, or even one with a massive cargo hold so you can store more resources and materials you find. You have a couple of options here. If you see another ship land nearby on a planet you’re on, you have the ability to sneak in and steal it.
You can also save up some credits and purchase a new one from the Ship Technician located in all the major cities. This can take a while to save up for though. You can also have upgrades added to your ship at the same ship technicians. Finally, why not try acquiring a new ship via a mission such as the Mantis mission to get the Razorleaf ship?
Plop down an Outpost
Outposts actually serve a lot of functions in Starfield. Whether you want to create a ton of factories producing manufactured goods, or just set up a cozy homestead in a distant star system, it’s totally up to you. However, regardless of the main purpose of your outposts, they will also have another use.
You can create storage containers, warehouses, and more that allow you to store items at your Outpost. Once you’ve picked a good planet for your first outpost, get it built and you’ll have access to a ton of extra storage for your items. It’s a huge boon as you progress through Starfield.
Learn how to Digipick
Digipicking—Starfield’s version of lockpicking—can be a bit tricky at first. I’d recommend checking out our Digipick guide for some tips on finding and properly using Digipicks. By successfully Digipicking locked containers, computers, and doors, you can access tons of useful items and credits.
It’s also worth investing in the Security skill to get access to higher-level locks. Digipicks will always pay for themselves once you’re able to unlock tougher locks and get access to better loot. I’d argue this is one of the most important of our top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners.
Make use of your companions
You have many different companions at your disposal, and you’ll want to make use of them. One of the more interesting features of your companions is that you can manually give them weapons and ammo for them to use. With the right weapons, you’ll be inflicting even more damage to your enemies.
Also, you can kind of use your companions as a mobile storage unit. Tell them you would like to trade, and you can temporarily store some extra items in their inventory.
Explore a little bit
Exploration is a huge part of Starfield. After all, it’s the main focus of Constellation, the organization you join at the beginning. There are great side missions and storylines worth your time, so don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path a little bit. It can be very rewarding to do so!
But even outside of story reasons, you will want to keep exploring. Some of the best items I’ve found were from exploring side areas I didn’t even plan on finding.
Do your main story missions
I know it may sound counter-intuitive to the above tip, but it’s for good reason. At some point, you’ll want to pick back up with your main story missions and make sure you are progressing forward. In the beginning, it’s a slower start, but once it gets going, it’s a fun and rewarding experience.
From a gameplay perspective, you may even want to complete the main story missions before focusing on a lot of side missions. I don’t want to get into too much detail for spoiler reasons, but the way the story and gameplay intertwine with NG+ in Starfield may make you want to complete the journey once before going all out on side content.
Now that you know our top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners, get out there and start your adventure. Hopefully, this beginner’s guide will help you along the way!
