Starfield Best Way To Approach The Game

Starfield Best Way to Approach the Game

So, you’ve finally got your hands on Starfield! It’s a massive game, bigger than any other Bethesda title, with planets, stars, and stories galore. It can feel a little overwhelming, right? Don’t worry! This guide is here to help you find the best way to jump into this exciting universe. We’ll explore the different parts of the game, from the very beginning to deeper explorations, and help you chart your own unique path through the stars.

Starting Your Starfield Journey: Character Creation and Backgrounds

The first step in any great adventure is creating your character. Starfield offers a detailed character creator, letting you change everything from hairstyles to facial features. But more importantly, it also lets you pick a background and traits. These choices are important, as they influence how the game plays out.

Understanding Backgrounds

Backgrounds are like pre-set jobs for your character. They give you three starting skills. Some backgrounds are good for combat, like the “Soldier” which comes with skills in Fitness, Ballistics, and Boost Pack Training. Others are better for social interactions, like the “Diplomat” with Persuasion, Commerce, and Wellness skills. Pick a background that matches how you want to play. Are you the smooth talker? The space explorer? Or the gun-toting bounty hunter? The choice is yours!

Choosing Your Traits

Traits are different from backgrounds. They give your character special bonuses, but also some drawbacks. For example, the “Extrovert” trait makes you more effective when traveling with companions, but weaker when you are alone. The “Introvert” trait does the opposite. “Taskmaster” allows for increased companion damage while your companion is at less than 25% health, but your companions will be constantly healing. You can select up to three traits. Choose wisely, as these can have a big effect on your playthrough. Think about what kind of challenges you enjoy, and pick traits that will either help you or make the game more interesting.

• Tips for Character Creation:
• Don’t stress too much! You can always change your mind later through some console commands (for PC players) or by starting a new game.
• Read the descriptions of the backgrounds and traits carefully to get a sense of what they do.
• Think about your preferred playstyle. Do you love sneaky approaches or prefer to go in guns blazing?

The Early Hours: Focus and Exploration

Once you’ve created your character, it’s time to dive into the main story. In the beginning, the game guides you through the basic mechanics. Don’t rush it! Take the time to learn how things work. It’s essential to understand the inventory system, the crafting mechanics, and how to navigate menus. These seem simple but understanding them makes your adventure much smoother.

Main Story vs. Side Quests

Starfield has a compelling main story that will take you to some amazing locations. But, don’t only stick to the main missions. Side quests are a treasure trove of experience points, unique items, and fascinating stories. Also, if you just focus on the story, you’ll miss so many things and your levels may not be high enough to deal with many enemies. A good approach is to work on a side mission every now and then while progressing the main story. It breaks the game up nicely.

Early Exploration

The starting area, and the first couple of missions, introduce you to some of the core mechanics of the game, like mining resources, scanning flora and fauna, and basic combat. Take the time to explore these areas fully. Don’t just rush through. Scan everything! You will need resources for crafting, and the scanning experience adds to your overall level. Look for side areas, caves, and buildings to investigate and you’ll find resources, weapons, and other goodies that will help you throughout the game.

Key Activities Early On

• Resource Gathering: Get used to scanning planets and gathering resources. These are crucial for crafting and upgrading your equipment.
• Combat Basics: Practice with the different weapons and get comfortable with movement and using cover. Don’t underestimate the use of Boost Pack.
• Social Interactions: Talk to everyone you meet. You never know what they might offer. Some non-player characters may offer you quests or even become your companion.
• Ship Management: Learn to manage your ship, its cargo space, and its modules. You’ll need a good ship for traveling the vast expanses of the galaxy.

Skills and Progression: Building Your Perfect Character

Starfield has a complex skills system that allows for a ton of customization. Each time you level up, you earn a skill point that you can use to upgrade a skill. Skills are divided into categories, like physical, social, combat, science, and tech. Which you choose, will depend on your gameplay style. Your initial choice of background will suggest some, but you are free to explore your own. Each skill can be leveled up multiple times, giving you more options, and access to a wider array of skills.

Focusing on Key Skills

It’s tempting to level up everything at once, but that’s not usually the best approach. Instead, pick a few areas that you enjoy and focus on those. If you love gunfights, focus on combat skills like Ballistics and Lasers. If you love crafting, focus on Science and Tech skills. You’ll soon be upgrading your own weapons and suits. This will make you stronger in your chosen field. You can always add skills in other categories later when you feel more comfortable.

Experimenting with Different Skill Combinations

Don’t be afraid to experiment! It can be fun to mix skills from different categories. For example, you could be a science and social character, who uses their skills to get around violence. Or, a sneaky type who is good at both combat and stealth. You can respec your character later, but early experimentation can be useful to find a play style that suits you.

Understanding Skill Challenges

Some skills require that you complete challenges before they can be advanced further. For example, your ship weapons skills require that you kill a certain amount of ships with the weapon before it can be advanced. These skill challenges encourage you to try out different facets of the game and try new things.

Tips for Leveling Up

• Complete Quests – They provide a lot of XP.
• Scan and Survey Planets- You will gain a lot of XP for discovering new things.
• Engage in Combat- Fighting enemies is a good source of XP.
• Craft Items- Even basic crafting can add up to a lot of XP over time.

Exploring the Universe: Planets and Star Systems

Starfield’s universe is vast! There are hundreds of planets and star systems to explore. However, not every planet will be teeming with life, or filled with quests. Some planets will be barren wastelands. Some are rich in resources, and others are home to unique creatures and interesting biomes. It is worth exploring and seeing what you can find, as you never know what to expect.

How to Prioritize Exploration

When exploring, start with systems and planets that are close to your starting point. They tend to be at a lower level, and you will be able to explore them easier than a higher level system. Some planets have higher levels and more dangerous creatures, so keep an eye on the level of each system. Also, the main quests will often take you to locations you would otherwise not explore.

Understanding Planet Surveys

As you explore each planet, scan everything! Completing planet surveys is a good source of experience points and credits, but it can also lead you to resources that you can use for crafting. Be sure to use your scanner regularly to find resources, minerals, creatures, and flora that you can harvest or scan.

Dealing with Environmental Hazards

Some planets have hazards, such as extreme temperatures, radiation, or toxic atmospheres. Before landing, check the planet’s information for warnings. Make sure your spacesuit has the appropriate resistances, or you could be in trouble. You can upgrade your suits at workbenches with new modifications, and enhance their effectiveness.

Tips for Planetary Exploration

• Start with Surveying: Always survey planets when you arrive at a system. You’ll get resources for selling and a better understanding of the planet.
• Look for Points of Interest: Don’t just travel in straight lines. Look for landmarks, caves, and other points of interest on the planets you visit.
• Be Prepared: Make sure you have enough supplies and a good weapon before heading out on a new planet.
• Use Your Scanner: Never forget your scanner and the information it provides. It’s your best friend in Starfield.

Combat and Ship Battles: Mastering the Fights

Combat in Starfield is fast-paced and engaging. Both on foot and in space, you’ll find yourself in plenty of battles. It’s very important to understand the mechanics to help you survive. Whether you are using guns on foot, or ship weapons in space, you will need to keep upgrading your ship, and your weapons, to deal with higher level enemies.

Ground Combat Tips

On the ground, use cover, move tactically, and don’t be afraid to use your boost pack. Some weapons are good at short range, and others at long range. Take advantage of what is effective against each enemy type. Also, utilize the different mods on your weapons. Some enemies will be weak against laser weapons, and others against ballistic. Learn to use your surroundings to your advantage!

Ship Combat Tips

Ship combat is also very important. You need to know how to use your lasers, ballistics, and missiles effectively. Boost to evade incoming fire. Keep upgrading your shields and weapons to help you survive difficult engagements. You can also target specific enemy systems to disable them. For example, targeting their engines will stop them from boosting.

How to Improve Your Combat Skills

• Practice: The more you fight, the better you’ll get. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
• Upgrade Your Weapons: Look for better weapons and upgrade them at workbenches.
• Use Your Boost Pack: It’s your best friend in close-quarters combat.
• Use Cover Effectively: Take advantage of the environment to shield yourself from incoming fire.
• Upgrade Your Ship: A better ship can make a huge difference in combat.
• Try Different Weapons: See what you like and what is most effective against each enemy.

Crafting and Outposts: Building Your Space Empire

Crafting is a very important part of Starfield. It allows you to upgrade your weapons, create aid items, make new suits, and enhance the performance of your ship. To make anything, you’ll need resources, so you’ll need to gather and refine minerals from planets. Outposts allow you to set up bases on planets, where you can refine resources, and establish a location that you can return to when you need to rest.

How to Get Started with Crafting

To craft anything, you’ll need to find the appropriate workstation. Workbenches are for weapons and suits. Cooking stations are for aid items. Once you have a workstation, you’ll need to gather resources. It’s best to scan the resources on each planet and refine them as soon as you can. This will also provide you with a good source of XP, and will help with your character development.

Building Your First Outpost

When you set up an outpost, make sure to pick a location with several types of resources. These resources will be used in manufacturing, and as part of crafting recipes. You can use your outpost to establish a place to rest, refine resources, and store extra items that you do not need in your ship cargo.

Tips for Crafting and Outposts

• Gather Lots of Resources: You will need more than you think.
• Upgrade Your Outpost: Make sure to keep expanding your outposts as you grow.
• Prioritize Skills: Prioritize crafting and science skills as they enhance the game quite a bit.
• Use Your Outpost as a Base: Use your outpost as a resting point, and a place to store your stuff.
• Experiment with New Items: Try different crafting recipes to see what effects they have.

Engaging with Factions: Choosing Your Allies

Starfield has several different factions that you will meet as you explore the galaxy. These factions have their own missions, stories, and benefits. You can join them all, and pick and choose which ones you want to play. These factions offer you extra storylines, benefits, gear, and ship upgrades. It’s worth exploring each faction to see what they offer.

How Factions Influence Gameplay

Joining factions is a great way to get side quests and more story content. Each faction has its own unique gameplay loop, and they affect your interactions within the game. Some factions will be morally gray, and others will be lawful and orderly. Choosing a faction can significantly change the way you play the game, and the story that unfolds before you.

Exploring the Benefits of Factions

Completing faction quests can earn you new weapons, armor, and even ship upgrades. They can provide you with access to unique locations. Factions can also offer you other benefits, like increased skill points, special ship modifications, and other gameplay boons. For example, joining the UC Vanguard can allow you access to unique ship parts. Joining the Crimson Fleet can allow you to sell stolen goods.

Tips for Engaging with Factions

• Explore Every Faction: Each faction has its own story. Try to explore them all.
• Consider your Role Play: Pick the factions that align with your own role play style.
• Prioritize Benefits: Choose the factions that will enhance your gameplay in the way that you like.
• Don’t Rush Your Choices: Faction quests take a lot of time. Don’t rush them.
• Check for Conflicts: Some factions may clash, and choosing one, may make you an enemy of another.

Starfield is a game about choice and exploration. There is no one right way to play it. The best approach is to experiment, try new things, and find out what you like. Don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path and explore the wonders of the cosmos. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a legend in the Starfield universe. Enjoy your journey amongst the stars, and forge your own legend.