Starfield does not have a maximum level cap, as it turns out, which means we can all get XP fast and spec out our early-game characters however we see fit! That, however, doesn’t mean there aren’t certain skills you’d want to prioritize over others. And, really, once you start investing perk points into Starfield‘s many interesting skill trees, you’re going to want to continue doing that as quickly as possible. That means earning XP and loads of it. Even though the level cap isn’t a concern in this game, real-world time may well be, so the odds are good that you’re going to want to up those XP gains as much as possible!
As with any other Bethesda Game Studios RPG, optimizing the XP grind is well within reach from the get-go. What’s particularly notable about Starfield, though, is that it offers a truly huge array of XP-optimizing features for us to burn through. So, let’s outline them and get those XP gains up. Or, if you’re otherwise inclined, consider checking out the various Starfield console commands: those work, too.
A Starfield experience farming guide
The first order of business is to consider all the different ways you could be earning a baseline amount of XP. Setting up a lovely 1.5 XP multiplier won’t pan out all that much if your XP gains are nil, after all, so you’re going to want to have a broad idea of what you should be doing in the first place:
- completing one-off quests
- completing radiant quests via mission boards
- exploring new areas (scanning, collecting resources, etc.)
- engaging in combat
- hunting high-level predators (Ahsa, Terrormorphs, etc.)
These activities alone will set you up with a steady flow of XP, even if you don’t intend to optimize them further still. And, since there’s an infinite number of mission board bounties and Terrmorphs to kill, you can farm to your heart’s content! Now, onto the two key XP optimization strategies.
Sleep is king
All Bethesda Game Studios RPGs feature sleep as the go-to option for XP gain optimization. It’s simple, too: all you need to do is to find an owned bed – your grungy ship cot will do just fine – and sleep in it. Just one hour’s worth of sleep will give you the ‘Well-Rested’ bonus, which grants you an extra 10% bonus on any XP earned. This bonus, of course, fizzles out over time, but since sleeping is quick and easy, this shouldn’t be that big of a concern.
If you successfully marry your character off to someone, the Well-Rested bonus gets an additional bump up from 10% to 15% extra, making this feature all the more desirable in the long run.
Don’t forget about XP-focused foodstuffs
Starfield‘s second main way of boosting XP gains comes from the game’s impressive array of drinks and foodstuffs, many of which will grant you additional XP over a set period of time. Drinking various types of Tranquiltea and the featured Chapaguri will help, of course, but it’s possible that you may not have an infinite supply of these foods to burn through. That’s where Alien Tea comes into the picture!
Notably, players can use any given Cooking Station to craft a batch of Alien Tea, a restorative brew that grants 1% of extra XP gains over the next 15 minutes. That’s rather low, yes, but it only takes Distilled Water and Fiber to craft Alien Tea in the first place, making it a cheap way of eking out some extra XP on the go.
Players are bound to figure out more ways to increase Starfield XP gains over time, so stay tuned for future updates to this guide!
