Complete Starfield guide to help you cross the stars
All the Starfield tips and tricks for character creation, ship building, exploring, using weapons, and more
With this huge Starfield guide, we'll help all you Constellation recruits journey across the Settled Systems to unravel the mysteries of the universe - it's also available to play on PC and Xbox Game Pass right now. Starfield is an absolutely massive game, with so many moons, space stations, planets, and systems to explore. To help you make sense of it all, we've got you covered with guides on all sorts below, from mission choices and romances, to character and ship customization and fast travel. Here's everything you need to know about voyaging across the Settled Systems in Starfield.
Be aware of mission spoilers below, particularly under the "Quests" section!
Recent updates
As of November 30, this complete guide has help on over 80 Starfield topics. We've got tips, tricks, and tutorials for some total basics, such as stealth, boostpacks, and ship inventory, to full mission and decision guides.
Starfield review
In the GamesRadar+ Starfield review we awarded Bethesda's new RPG a full 5/5. We've played the game for over 80 hours and found ourselves constantly surprised by what it had to offer, and the scale over which its action unfolds. Simply put, Starfield is "an expansive and beautifully crafted open world experience full of endless discovery and opportunities."
Key info for Starfield
Starfield system requirements
Bethesda has outlined the Starfield system requirements that you'll need should you want to play its latest RPG on PC, so we've laid out the recommended and minimum specs, as well as some guidance to help you get your rig ready.
Starfield platforms, consoles, and Steam Deck
Starfield is an Xbox Series X console exclusive but is also available on PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. That means it's Starfield on PS4 or PS5 isn't happening soon and likely never will. Playing Starfield on Steam Deck is possible too, but it's definitely not the best experience. Starfield's huge size means it's hard to make space for and doesn't perform especially well - the game is also not Steam Deck verified yet, but it could be in the future.
Like most Xbox Games Studios titles, it's also available on Xbox and PC Game Pass, so you won't need to buy it separately if you have a subscription to either service. This is a result of Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media in 2021 – a deal which included Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 creator Bethesda Game Studios.
Starfield multiplayer
There is no Starfield multiplayer as it's a single-player game with no online components. Based on previous Bethesda RPGs, it seems unlikely that an online co-op feature would be added but it's possible that mods may provide a solution.
General Starfield tips
Let's at least start with the Starfield basics. We've got tips to get you started, details on things like encumbrance, lockpicking, your boostpack and more. Oh and don't worry, you can change your appearance later on too.
9 Starfield tips to know before you blast off
All the key things to know before getting started in Bethesda's long-awaited Starfield.
How to farm credits in Starfield
Starfield credits are necessary to buy all sorts of important items and resources. While one key glitch has been patched, there are still lots of ways to get money fast.
How Starfield lockpicking works
Starfield lets you pick locks on safes and doors with digipicks and interconnecting rings that can be a bit of a headscratcher.
How Starfield persuasion challenges work in dialogue
There are colors and numbers, but how does persuasion really work in Starfield?
How to carry more in Starfield and increase encumbrance
It's still my least favorite game mechanic, but handily Starfield gives you a few ways to avoid overencumbrance.
How to farm Starfield XP and level up quickly
Each time you level up, you'll get a Skill Point, so that means levelling up quickly will help you reach the best Skills fast.
How to cure afflictions in Starfield
Here's how to fix everything from lung damage to contusions and other things that may ail interplanetary explorers.
How to use Starfield boostpacks
Trust me, you're going to want to know about how best to use your boostpack and travel as far as possible.
How to wait in Starfield
Passing time by waiting or sleeping might be necessary to wait for a shop to open, wait for an NPC to be available, or because a mission demands it.
Where to sell items in Starfield
With so many different types of items that can be sold with wildly different values, it's important to know where the best places to sell are.
Starfield console commands and how to use them
Get your Starfield cheats here, but just be careful you don't completely mess up your game.
Starfield mods
Starfield's PC version is still ripe for modding, with players creating all sorts of weird, wonderful, and useful mods for the game.
Starfield FOV
You can change your FOV on PC and Xbox Series X if you want to alter how much you can see at once, be it for performance or for personal preference.
Starfield characters and companions
Character customization is defintiely going to take you a little while, especially when you start looking into the traits and backgrounds for your character too. Overall, there's a fair amount to consider after you've finally come up with your perfect look, so we have guides for all of that below, along with all the details on companions and crew.
All Starfield backgrounds and the best ones to pick for your character
The choice you make for your Starfield background can have impacts on the story and your dialogue options.
All Starfield traits, how they work, and the best ones to pick
The character creation menu is vast, but we're here to help you pick your traits.
Every Starfield name Vasco can say
Your character in Starfield is also going to need a name, and robot companion Vasco has an extensive list of names it can say.
How to change appearance in Starfield
If you're thinking of making a change, here's how to tweak your face, body, and hair whenever you want.
Where to find your parents in Starfield
If you chose the Kid Stuff trait, you'll want to find your in-game parents in their New Atlantis home ASAP.
All the Starfield companions and what they do
Who you can smooch and how to get into a relationship with each of them.
All the Starfield romances and relationship details
Who you can smooch and how to get into a relationship with each of them.
How to assign Starfield crew
A list of crew members you can recruit for your ship and outposts, and what exactly they can do to help.
Starfield Skills and abilities
Moving on from actual character customization, there are Skills that you can unlock as you level up and other powerful abilities to find out in the Settled Systems. These can impact all sorts of elements of the game, from the ships you're able to pilot, to your effectiveness with persuasion.
All of the Starfield skills and the best ones to unlock first
How to level up, our pick of the best ones, and where to even start
How to find powers in Starfield and unlock more
It was only teased before, but having powers is definitely an integral part of the Starfield experience.
Starfield Exploration and fast travel
Starfield is undeniably huge, and it's not always easy to understand how exactly to get about in the galaxy. Here you'll find guides on warp jumping, how to scan planets, and more.
What are Starfield biomes and what does biome complete mean?
How to get a 100% rating for planet scanning and earn that all-important survey data.
Starfield planet traits
While scanning and surveying a planet, you may also need to seek out one or more traits it possesses, though there are a few different ways you can gather this information.
How to sell Starfield survey data
Fully surveying planets gets you data you can sell, but loses a lot of value unless you take it to the right place.
Starfield temple and spinning rings puzzle explained
These temple puzzles that get you more alien powers after completing them are a bit weird and it's not especially clear what you've got to do initially.
How to grav jump in Starfield and reach new planets
The first step to exploring the universe beyond is figuring out how the star map works.
How to fast travel in Starfield using the Scanner and Starmap
You can ping yourself around the galaxy in a number of ways in Starfield.
All Starfield cities and what you'll find there
You're going to want to make a beeline for these during your travels across the Cosmos.
Starfield Paradiso location
The beach resort is a large settlement in the Porrima system that has nice beaches, great weather, and some useful shops like other cities in Starfield.
Starfield weapons and combat
There are a lot of weapons in Starfield, so let's dive into exactly how they differ, how to hot swap weapons, and how best to be stealthy.
Starfield weapons, mods and damage types explained
Know your lasers from your ballistics, your physical damage from your energy.
How to switch weapons in Starfield
Here's how you can swap out your weapons and add them to your favorites wheel for even speedier swapping.
How to use stealth in Starfield
It turns out you actually need a perk to be truly stealthy in Starfield.
Starfield Ships
You ship is your home in Starfield, and it's also highly customizable. Plus, there's a disctinct joy in both stealing someone else's high-end ship and building your own almost from scratch. We've got details on all that and more below.
Starfield ship customization and building explained and the best Starfield ships
There's not much better than creating a ship from scratch in Starfield, even down to where your crew will sleep, but we've also laid out the best ships which you can buy or steal.
How to rename your ship in Starfield
Ships you own can be freely renamed as part of the customization process.
How to dock in Starfield and board ships
It's the first step to stealing your own spaceship. You know you want to.
How to access Starfield ship storage and inventory
Covering all things like expanding your cargo, actually storing stuff, and more.
Best Starfield ship weapons
There are lots of different weapon types you can fit your starships in Starfield, but there are some types you should definitely use as soon as they're available.
How to steal ships in Starfield
It's not bad if they shot first - and they have a much better ship than you.
How to smuggle in Starfield and where to sell Contraband
Be a naughty space pirate or theif, but more importantly, don't get caught.
How to fix unattached modules in Starfield
If you're getting this warning while making your ultimate starship, then here's how to fix it.
Starfield ship parts
Essential ship repairs can be made while flying using ship parts, but these heavy components must be looted or bought.
All Starfield shipyard locations
Shipyards can be found all over Starfield's Settled Systems, but some are definitely better equipped than others!
Starfield flight simulator location
You'll need to begin the United Colonies faction questline to gain access to this simulator, but it's a useful thing to have access to as things you do in the simulator contribute towards certain Skill challenges!
Starfield crafting and resources
When you're not space-faring, shipbuilding, or helping out your factions, you can also spend time crafting useful consumables and materials, and building outposts.
Starfield crafting and research mechanics explained
From weapon mods to buildings, gear and more, you're going to want to get to grips with research.
How Starfield outposts work and what you can build
Plus everything you'll need to run them smoothly.
Starfield Factions
There are quite a few Starfield factions to discover, from the space cowboys that are the Freestars to the more Cyberpunk-esque Corps, Ryujin. Handily though, you can essentially just join all of them, which makes for a really good range of missions.
Starfield Freestar Collective questline
Every mission in the Freestar Collective faction questline.
Starfield Ron Hope choice
The Freestar Collective questline culminates in a big choice you've got to make with Ron Hope.
Starfield Crimson Fleet questline
The full Crimson Fleet faction quest list.
How to join the Crimson Fleet Pirates in Starfield
Learn how to join the pirate faction and become a space buccaneer.
Should you betray Delgado with Mathis in Starfield?
Part of the Echoes of the Past mission, but should you go along with Mathis' choices.
Who should you give Kryx's Legacy to in Starfield?
Is it better to choose SysDef or the Crimson Fleet?
Starfield Ryujin questline
Every mission in the Ryujin megacorporation faction story.
Starfield Guilty Parties mission
There's a mole in Ryujin, and you've got to help Dalton figure out who it is!
Starfield Sabotage mission
This Ryujin quest sees you infiltrating a rival company's building and it's pretty tricky overall. Stealth is optional, but however you approach the mission, you'll need to be well prepared!
Should you tell Hadrian about her Dad in Starfield?
Towards the end of the UC questline, you'll need to decide how you'll handle learning the truth about Hadrian's father.
Starfield Religions
If you want to join one of the Starfield religions you will have to choose between one of the three - Enlightened, Universal and House Va'ruun. We'll walk you through what they're about and the potential benefits of joining up.
Starfield quests and missions
Here we've collated all the main and side mission queries you may have in Starfield. Obviously, the game is huge, so this - and all of the other sections of our Starfield guide - will expand as we discover more.
Should you Lie to or Attack the Pirate in Starfield
This one's right at the start, and it's a good lesson that you don't always have to turn to violence.
Starfield Constellation questline
Every mission in the main Constellation story.
How to save Moara in Starfield and complete The Old Neighborhood
The first mission and a good way to get to grips with all the systems.
Following Distortions on the Scanner in Starfield explained
A slightly tricky bit of the Into the Unknown mission explained here for you.
Should you protect the Lodge or go to the Eye in Starfield?
A big old choice this one for the High Price to Pay mission.
Where should you build the Armillary in Starfield?
There's a question as to whether it's better on your ship, or at an outpost where there's Titanium and Noedymium.
Starfield locked door and Pilgrim's Computer puzzle on Indum 2
You've got to correctly answer a series of questions on this computer to get past the locked door.
Starfield Scorpion's Sting puzzle
The Scorpion's Sting puzzle is quite different to the alien temple puzzles that you've no doubt seen already, so here's how you solve it.
Starfield Emissary or Hunter choice
Who should you side with in this stand off? It turns out you can also side with neither, which can get you the best rewards.
Starfield Entangled choice
The Entangled mission is one of the final missions in Starfield's main Constellation story, and it ends up with a tough choice to make.
How to open the Starfield Lock prison cache in cell D-02-106
This one is for the Echoes of the Past mission and can earn you some great items.
Starfield Mantis mission and secret outpost puzzle
You'll definitely want to complete this secret mission as you get an excellent ship and spacesuit set.
How to find the Beautiful Secrets lost dataslate in Starfield
Help Warner find his lost slate before anyone at Ryukin notices.
Starfield Almagest jackpot
The Almagest space casino is a decent spot for some early-game loot and credits.
Starfield Alternating Currents choice
You need to choose between helping Louisa or Zoe in this mission.
Starfield First Contact mission
The First Contact mission sees you help the executives of Paradiso deal with old colony ship from Earth, but there are a few ways you can go about dealing with the whole situation.
Starfield's ending explained
Completing the main Constellation questline gets you to the ending of Starfield, and we've laid out exactly what unfolds in this guide.
Starfield New Game Plus
Starfield's New Game Plus option offers some unique rewards and more, so make sure you're clued up on exactly what it entails before making the choice to start this new mode.
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Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.
- Will SawyerGuides Writer