Starfield Gameplay Strategy And Planning Guide

Starfield Gameplay Strategy and Planning Guide

Okay, space explorers! Starfield is a huge game with so much to see and do. It can feel a little overwhelming at first, but don’t worry! This guide is here to help you plan your adventure and make the most of your time in the Settled Systems. We’ll talk about everything from picking the right background to building amazing spaceships. Let’s jump in!

Character Creation and Background Choices

Your journey in Starfield starts with creating your character. This isn’t just about how you look; it also affects your starting skills and how people react to you in the game. Think of it like picking a superpower and a cool history all in one!

Understanding Backgrounds

Backgrounds are like your past jobs or life experiences before joining Constellation. Each one gives you three starting skills. These skills help you in different ways. For example:

• Combat-focused backgrounds: These like ‘Bounty Hunter’ or ‘Soldier,’ give you skills in fighting, using weapons, and being tough in battle. If you like action and want to be good in fights, these might be great choices.
• Diplomacy-focused backgrounds: Backgrounds like ‘Diplomat’ or ‘Professor,’ gives you skills in talking to people, making deals, and convincing others to see your way. If you want to talk your way out of trouble these are for you.
• Exploration-focused backgrounds: if you want to explore the space, the backgrounds like ‘Explorer’ or ‘Surveyor’ will give you skills in scanning planets, gathering resources, and understanding what is around.

Don’t worry too much about picking the “perfect” background. You can develop any skills you like as you play. However, your background does influence your starting position.

Choosing Your Traits

Traits are like extra quirks or features that your character has. They can be both good and bad, adding a bit more challenge and fun to the game. Here are some important points about Traits:

• Pick Carefully: You can only select a maximum of three traits during character creation, but you can remove them later in the game. They are an opportunity to customize your character beyond skills.
• Think about the tradeoffs: Each trait comes with both a positive and a negative. For example, one trait might give you more money, but people might not like you as much. Read the descriptions of traits properly before choosing.
• Experiment: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations of traits on your first playthrough. This is also a good way to learn more about what is good for you.

Choosing the correct background and traits is an important first step in your Starfield adventure, so take your time!

Skills: Investing in Your Character’s Growth

Skills are how your character gets better at different things in Starfield. As you play, you earn experience, and when you level up, you gain a skill point to invest. Let’s take a look at skills and what you need to know to use them effectively.

Skill Categories

Skills are divided into categories like:

• Physical Skills: These help you with things like your health, carrying capacity, stealth, and physical fitness. Good if you like to be in the middle of the action.
• Social Skills: These help you with persuading people, buying and selling, and getting better rewards. Useful if you like to talk your way out of things.
• Combat Skills: These skills focus on weapons, fighting, and being a powerful warrior in battle. If you enjoy combat, this is a category you’ll want to explore.
• Science Skills: Science skills help you with research, crafting, and understanding advanced technology. It’s good for players who want to be engineers or researchers.
• Tech Skills: These skills allow you to be better with ship systems, crafting, and technology. These are good for spaceship enthusiasts.

Planning Your Skill Progression

You don’t need to be good at every skill. Instead, focus on what you like to do in the game. Here are a few ideas:

• Early Game Focus: In the beginning of the game, focus on basic skills that are universally useful such as combat, lock picking, or persuasion. It gives you the best start and help you tackle anything the game throws at you in the early game.
• Combat Build: If you prefer fighting, invest in skills in the Combat and Physical categories.
• Diplomacy Build: If you prefer to talk your way out of situations, then invest in the social skills. These skills will open a lot of alternative approaches.
• Science and Tech Build: If you want to be a researcher or a ship designer, invest in Science and Tech skills to get crafting skills.

Exploration: Discovering the Settled Systems

Exploration is a big part of Starfield! There are countless planets and locations to check out, each with its own unique challenges and rewards. Let’s talk about how to explore effectively.

Understanding Planet Scanning

When you arrive at a new planet, scanning it is the first thing you should do. This gives you valuable information like:

• Resources: Know which planets have the resources that you will need for your equipment.
• Points of Interest: Find out about landing points, bases, and other locations to explore.
• Fauna and Flora: Discover the local wildlife and plants, these can be harvested and used for crafting recipes.
• Planet Traits: Get to know about the unique challenges or opportunities a planet provides.

Use your scanner often. It can show hidden resources, interesting locations, and important items.

Surface Exploration and Encounters

Once you land on a planet, get ready for anything! Here’s how to make the most of your time on the ground:

• Use Your Scanner: Constantly scan your surroundings to find resources, creatures, and points of interest.
• Watch Out for Hostiles: Some planets have dangerous creatures or enemies. Be prepared to fight or try to sneak past them.
• Explore Buildings: Many planets have abandoned buildings or research facilities that can offer interesting loot, resources or story details.
• Complete Survey Tasks: Scan unique creatures, plants, and landmarks on a planet. Complete them for additional rewards and resources.

Star Map and Navigation

Navigating through Starfield is a process that will require you to use both the star map and your personal map.

• The Star Map: This is your overall view of the Star Systems. You can use it to select specific planets or areas for travel.
• Local Maps: In specific locations or planets, you can use local maps to find specific buildings or places.

Combat: Fighting for Survival

Combat is a big part of Starfield. Whether you prefer using firearms, stealth, or melee weapons, you’ll need to learn how to fight effectively. Let’s go over some pointers for how to approach combat situations in Starfield:

Understanding Weapon Types

Starfield has a variety of weapons, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. It is important to test and learn which weapons work for you.

• Pistols and Rifles: These are the standard weapons. Good for combat in most situations.
• Shotguns: Very effective at close range, but lose effectiveness at long distances.
• Heavy Weapons: These deal a lot of damage, but are slower and require heavier ammo.
• Melee Weapons: A different way to fight using knives, swords, or other melee weapons. These work best in close quarters combat.

Try different weapons to find the ones you like best.

Combat Tactics and Strategies

Here are a few tips to improve your chances in combat:

• Use Cover: Always use cover to avoid enemy fire. Move from cover to cover to approach the enemy carefully.
• Aim for Weak Points: Shoot enemies in their weak points or unprotected areas for more damage.
• Use Grenades and Mines: Use grenades to damage groups of enemies or use mines to create traps.
• Manage Your Ammo: Be aware of your ammo usage and always try to collect new ammo.
• Healing Items: Always keep healing items on hand, so that you can heal during combat.

Space Combat

Starfield also has a space combat element, using your ship to fight against pirates or other enemy ships. Here are a few tips for space combat:

• Upgrade Your Ship: Make sure to upgrade your ship with better weapons and shields.
• Use Boost and Thrusters: Boost to get away from enemy fire and use thrusters to make sharp turns to engage the enemy.
• Target Systems: Target specific ship systems to cripple enemy ships.

Spaceship Management and Customization

Your spaceship is your home in Starfield, and you can customize and upgrade it to your heart’s content. Let’s dive into what you need to know about ship management and customization.

Ship Components and Upgrades

You can change many things on your ship to make it better. Here are some important parts:

• Weapons: Equip new lasers, missiles, and cannons to blast enemies.
• Engines: Improve the speed and maneuverability of your ship with engine upgrades.
• Shields: Enhance your ship’s defense with stronger shield generators.
• Cargo Hold: Expand the storage capacity to carry more loot and resources.
• Reactor: Improve the power capacity of your ship’s reactor for more effective use of different systems.

Ship Building and Customization

Building your own ship is one of the most fun things to do in the game. Here’s how it works:

• Ship Building Locations: You can build or modify ships at ship services stations at ports in major cities.
• Choosing Parts: Pick and choose the parts that best fit your ship’s function and your play style.
• Testing Your Ship: When you modify a ship, always check the ship for any issues or unwanted side effects.
• Ship Design: Experiment with different layouts and designs to make the perfect space vessel.

Outposts: Building Your Base

Outposts allow you to create your own settlements on planets. It can serve as a base of operations, production center, or simply a home away from home. Let’s go through how to build them:

Planning Your Outpost Location

Before starting building, consider these points:

• Resources: Choose locations with the resources you need.
• Terrain: Pick flat, easy-to-build terrain for your outpost.
• Environment: Consider the climate and dangers of the environment.

Building Structures

You can build various structures at your outpost. These include:

• Habitats: Build living spaces for your crew.
• Storage: Build storage containers to store all resources.
• Workstations: Create work benches for crafting and research.
• Extractors: Place extractors to collect resources from the planets.
• Defenses: Build turrets and other defenses to protect your base.

Managing Your Outpost

Once you have your outpost built you should properly manage it.

• Crew Members: Hire crew members to help with outpost operations.
• Supply Lines: Connect your outposts with supply lines to send resources between them.
• Research: Research new technologies and improvements for your outpost.

Faction Choices and Questlines

Starfield has several factions you can join. These factions come with different questlines and stories. Here is a little about the main factions:

• Constellation: They are the main story faction. They are explorers who research the mysteries of the artifact.
• United Colonies: They are the largest and most powerful faction of the Settled Systems. It is great for players who are interested in military.
• Freestar Collective: They are a group of independent star systems that value freedom and individuality. It is a good fit for a player who likes a freedom-oriented approach.
• Ryujin Industries: This is a mega-corporation that operates in different areas. This is a good fit for players who like corporate intrigue.

Each faction offers its own distinct perspective on the Starfield world. It is best to explore them all, before making a final decision.

Inventory Management and Resources

Inventory and resource management are important for your survival in Starfield. Let’s check how to manage your resources and items.

Managing Your Inventory

• Carry Capacity: Be mindful of how much you are carrying. Always check your weight, so that you don’t become encumbered.
• Storage Solutions: Use your ship’s cargo hold or storage containers in your outposts to store items.
• Organize Items: Use categories in the inventory to organize your items and resources for easier access.

Resource Gathering

Gathering resources are important for crafting.

• Scanning: Scan planets for important resources.
• Mining: Use mining tools to gather resources.
• Harvesting: Collect plants and other organic materials from planets.

Crafting and Research

Crafting and research allow you to create new items and improve your abilities. Let’s learn more about crafting and research.

Crafting System

Here is how the crafting system works in Starfield:

• Workbenches: Use workbenches to craft items using different resources.
• Crafting Recipes: Find or learn new recipes to craft new types of items.
• Resource Requirements: Make sure you have the necessary resources for crafting an item.

Research System

The research system helps you improve your technology, crafting, and outpost.

• Research Lab: Use research labs to unlock new technology and crafting recipes.
• Research Projects: Select research projects you are interested in.
• Research Material: Gather the needed materials to complete the research projects.

Tips for Beginners

Here are some extra tips to help you get started:

• Explore Slowly: Don’t rush through the main story. Take your time to explore different planets.
• Talk to NPCs: Interact with the NPCs to learn more about the story.
• Read Tutorials: Read through all tutorials to get the basic understanding of the game.
• Experiment: Try out new things and different approaches.

Starfield is a big, fun adventure. With these tips and a bit of planning, you’ll be able to make the most of your space journey! Happy exploring!