Starfield Ultimate Beginner To Pro Guide

Starfield Ultimate Beginner to Pro Guide

Starting Your Journey: Character Creation and Backgrounds

Okay, so you’re ready to jump into the vast universe of Starfield! The first big step is creating your character. This isn’t just about making them look cool (though that’s fun too!). It’s about choosing a background and traits that will shape how you play the game. Think of it like picking your starting class in a fantasy game, but in space!

Choosing Your Background

Your background in Starfield gives you three starting skills. These aren’t permanent, you can still learn any skill you like, but they give you a head start. Here are a few popular backgrounds and what they mean for your gameplay:

• Explorer: If you love finding new places and checking out everything the galaxy has to offer, this is a great choice. You’ll start with skills in Surveying, which helps you scan planets for resources, and Astrophysics, for understanding space stuff. You also get Lasers, which will help you out in early combat.
• Combat Medic: Love a good fight but also like keeping people alive? Combat Medic is your background. It gives you skills in Pistol training, Medicine for healing yourself and others, and Wellness for extra health. It’s a good option if you plan to get into space battles early on.
• Cyber Runner: Want to be sneaky and tech savvy? Cyber Runner gives you skills in Stealth, Security for picking locks, and Theft. Great for players who like to avoid direct conflict and prefer a more subtle approach.
• Diplomat: If you prefer talking your way out of situations rather than fighting, the Diplomat background is for you. It gives you Persuasion skills to win arguments, Commerce skills to get better deals, and Wellness for extra survivability.
• Homesteader: Want to build bases and farm resources? Homesteader gives you skills in Geology, Surveying, and Weight Lifting. This is great for the role player who likes to settle in and build.

Remember, there are other backgrounds to choose from! Browse them, read their description, and pick the one that excites you the most.

Selecting Your Traits

Traits add even more customization to your character. These are like little buffs (good things) or debuffs (bad things) that can affect your gameplay. You can choose up to three traits. Be careful, some traits can make the game harder!

• Introvert: You’re better when traveling alone, but less effective with a companion. This is great for solo players.
• Extrovert: The opposite of Introvert. You’re better with a companion but worse on your own.
• Spaced: You get more health and oxygen in space, but less on planets. A good choice if you spend a lot of time in space.
• Terra Firma: Opposite of Spaced, better on planets, worse in space.
• Taskmaster: When your ship’s crew is present, your ship automatically repairs itself when at low hull, but when your ship is not crewed, your ship’s hull has less health.
• Kid Stuff: Your parents are alive and well, and will visit often. You’ll get a small amount of credits and items from them, but you’ll have to visit them to see them.
• Wanted: You start with a bounty on your head, which can make things interesting.
• Empath: You are better at performing actions alongside your companions if they like you, but worse if they don’t like you.
• Hero Worshipped: You have a unique fan who shows up from time to time.

Some traits might sound like a great idea at first, but consider how they might affect you later. For example, the ‘Wanted’ trait might be exciting, but you’ll constantly be dealing with bounty hunters. Choose traits that fit how you want to play the game.

Understanding Starfield’s Core Mechanics

Now that you have your character ready, let’s talk about how the game actually works. Starfield has lots of systems to learn, but it is not hard once you get the hang of it.

Navigating the Galaxy

Starfield uses a star map system. You can’t just fly directly from planet to planet. Instead, you have to use the map to jump between star systems. Each system has its own set of planets, moons, and space stations. Here’s a simplified breakdown:

• Star Systems: These are the big groups of planets and other celestial bodies.
• Planets and Moons: You can land on any planet or moon you see in the star system. They’ll all have different environments, resources, and dangers.
• Space Stations: These are man-made structures found in orbit around planets or floating in open space. You can dock here to trade or take on missions.
• Grav Jump: This is how you travel between star systems. You have to charge your ship’s Grav Drive first before you can jump.

The star map shows important information. It will show the level of planets which represents how difficult it is, what resources are available on a planet, and whether there are any quests for you to take there.

Combat: Ground and Space

Combat in Starfield is divided into two main parts: ground combat and space combat. Both have unique mechanics.

Ground Combat

On foot, you’ll use weapons like pistols, rifles, shotguns, and melee weapons. Combat is in first-person. Remember these important things:

• Aim Down Sights: It’s more accurate.
• Cover: Use rocks, walls, and other objects to protect yourself from enemy fire.
• Boost Packs: You have a boost pack, which allows you to jump higher and quickly dash in any direction, giving you great mobility. Make sure to use it often.
• Ammo: Keep an eye on your ammo supply. Running out of bullets in a firefight is never a good thing.
• Enemy Variety: You will face humans, aliens, and robots, all of which require different tactics to defeat them.

Space Combat

Space combat is all about piloting your spaceship, using lasers, particle beams, missiles, and turrets to damage or destroy the enemy ships. Here are some key points to understand:

• Ship Control: You have to manage ship speed, thrusters, and weapon systems. This will take some practice.
• Targeting Systems: lock on to your enemies before firing your weapons. Different ships require different strategies.
• Shields and Hull: Keep track of your shield and hull health. If your hull reaches zero, your ship will be destroyed.
• Ship Upgrades: You can upgrade and customize your ship with new weapons, shields, and engines. This will become very important.
• Power Management: You can divert power to shields, engines, or weapons. This adds a layer of strategy to space battles.

Inventory Management and Resource Gathering

In Starfield, you’ll spend a lot of time picking up resources. Managing your inventory is very important. At first, it can be overwhelming. Here’s how to handle it:

• Encumbrance: If you carry too much, your character will move slower and won’t be able to run or boost pack. So always make sure to not carry more than your limit.
• Storage: You can store extra resources in your ship, or in storage containers at your outposts. This makes exploration easier.
• Resource Scanners: use your scanner to find resources on the planet. You’ll need different resources for crafting and building.
• Crafting: Craft weapons, armor, and other items. This is essential for improving your equipment.
• Outposts: You can build outposts and establish resource farms. It will help you gather resources faster.

Progression and Character Development

As you play Starfield, your character will get stronger and smarter. Here is how that works:

Skills

You will gain experience points by doing almost anything in the game. When you level up, you’ll get a skill point to use in the skill tree. This tree is split up into five main categories: Physical, Social, Combat, Science, and Tech. Each has a different style to them. Here’s a brief overview:

• Physical Skills: These include skills like Weight Lifting, Stealth, and Wellness. They improve your character’s physical abilities.
• Social Skills: These focus on dialogue and relationships, such as Persuasion, Commerce, and Leadership.
• Combat Skills: Skills in this category are about using weapons, like Ballistics, Lasers, and Shotguns.
• Science Skills: Here you find skills that boost research, medicine, and planet scanning.
• Tech Skills: These allow you to improve your ship, build better outposts, and use technology more effectively.

Each skill has four ranks. You need to complete challenges related to the skill before you can rank them up. Choose skills that fit your playstyle and remember that you can learn anything. You can pick any skill in the tree and change your playstyle whenever you want.

Companions and Crew

You are not alone in Starfield. You can team up with companions, which can aid you in combat, help you with tasks, and also share their unique perspectives. Here are some important things to know about them:

• Recruiting Companions: You will meet potential companions during your travels. You can choose which companions to bring with you.
• Companion Abilities: Each companion has their own set of skills, which can be very helpful to your character. For example, some are good in combat while others are great at repairing ships.
• Affinity: Your decisions and actions affect how companions feel about you. If they like you they will be more effective with you, and vice versa.
• Crewing Ships: You can assign crew members to your ship, to enhance its performance.

Becoming a Pro: Advanced Strategies

Now that you have the basics down, let’s look at ways to go from beginner to advanced. These tips will help you play the game even better.

Ship Building and Customization

Your ship is your home in space. You can buy new ships, but you can also customize your existing ship to fit your needs. Here is how you can do it:

• Ship Modules: Upgrade your ship with new engines, weapons, shields, and cargo holds.
• Ship Customization: Change the layout and color of your ship for a unique look.
• Ship Performance: Build ships for different purposes, such as combat, exploration, or cargo hauling.

A well-built ship can make a big difference in both combat and exploration. Think of it like a car, you would want it to have everything it needs, like enough cargo space or stronger weapons for battles.

Outpost Management

Outposts are your bases on different planets. They allow you to gather resources, craft items, and create safe havens. Here are some tips for making the most of them:

• Resource Extraction: Build extractors to gather resources automatically.
• Storage and Production: Use storage containers and crafting stations at your outposts to make your life easier.
• Crew Management: Assign workers to your outposts to run them more efficiently.

Outposts will become extremely useful as you play the game, so don’t ignore them. They will provide a safe place for you and will be a constant source of resources.

Exploration and Discovery

Starfield is all about exploration. Here are some tips to help you find all the secrets that the universe has to offer:

• Scanning Planets: Fully scan planets to find all of their resources, locations, and creatures.
• Unexplored Areas: Look for locations that are not on the map, they will likely have unique rewards and stories.
• Following Quests: Quests will take you to different places and uncover many stories of the universe.

Exploring can be very rewarding. You’ll find new resources, unique weapons, interesting characters, and much more.

Mastering the Skill System

We talked about skills before, but let’s go a little deeper into how to make the most of them.

• Skill Synergies: Some skills work well together. Figure out which combinations work best for your playstyle.
• Early Investment: Pick a few core skills early on, and focus on ranking them up.
• Flexibility: Don’t be afraid to try out different skill combinations. You can always change your playstyle.

The skill system is very flexible and allows you to play the game the way you want to. So make sure you are choosing the skills that suit your style.

Trading and Economy

Trading is another important aspect of Starfield. Here are some tips to become a good trader:

• Find Good Deals: Visit multiple vendors to find the best prices for items.
• Sell Resources: Sell extra resources that you do not need, or resources that are overabundant to make extra money.
• Improve Skills: Investing in commerce will grant you better prices when trading.

Trading is an important part of the game. If you become good at trading, you can easily upgrade your ship and equipment.

Starfield has a very rich world and many mechanics. It will take time to understand everything, so take your time and don’t rush, because there is a lot to explore and discover.