Starfield: Complete Guide

A practical guide to Starfield in its Free Lanes era: character creation, skills, combat, ships, outposts, the Terran Armada DLC, and how to get the most out of the late game and New Game Plus.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Update 1.16.244 (June 11, 2026), the Free Lanes update and the Terran Armada DLC. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Pick a Background for its skills, not its flavor. Each Background grants three starting skills. Combat-heavy picks (Soldier, Bounty Hunter, Ronin) make the opening hours smoother; Cyber Runner or Diplomat suit stealth and speech runs.
2. Traits are optional and some cost you. Kid Stuff sends part of your credits to your parents; Dream Home gives you a house with a mortgage; Wanted sends bounty hunters after you (but boosts damage at low health). Most traits can be removed later, so don't overthink them.
3. Put early points into Boost Pack Training, Security, and a weapon skill. Boost Pack Training (Tech) opens traversal; Security lets you open locked containers; one weapon-category skill (Ballistics, Lasers, Rifle Certification, etc.) speeds up the early game.
4. Skills rank up via challenges. Each rank above 1 requires completing a skill challenge (e.g., "kill X enemies with a pistol") before you can spend the next point. Put points where you actually play.
5. Do the main quest to "High Price to Pay" before worrying about completion. The main story unlocks Powers from Temples, which is where Starborn gameplay comes from.
6. Sell early loot to the Trade Authority (kiosks and shops in most major cities) and ship technicians. Contraband sells only to the Trade Authority and pirate havens.
7. Use the new Free Lanes cruise mode. Since April 2026 you can fly freely between planets inside a system instead of fast-travel loading screens, and space POIs appear along the way.
8. Check Gameplay Options. The Free Lanes update added sliders for Legendary Enemy Modifiers and Incursion frequency. Turn them down if the game feels too spiky, up if you want more loot.
9. Save often and in multiple slots. Bethesda game rules apply: quests can break, and a hard save before major decisions is cheap insurance.

Character Creation

Backgrounds worth considering

Background skills can also be sanity-checked in the in-game menu before you confirm. Don't worry about the "perfect" pick: skill points come every level and everything is reachable.

Useful traits

• Hero Worshipped: a fan follows you around; comes with some useful freebies.
• Raised Enlightened / Raised Universal / Serpent's Embrace: religion-flavored traits. Enlightened and Universal each give access to a special chest in their New Atlantis house of worship; Serpent's Embrace buffs you after grav jumps but penalizes you if you stop jumping.
• Spaced / Terra Firma: trade-offs between health/O2 in space versus on planets.
• Taskmaster: badly damaged ship systems have a chance to be instantly repaired by crew, but crew costs twice as much to hire.

Skills and Progression

Skills are split into five trees: Physical, Social, Combat, Science, Tech. Each skill has four ranks. Higher tiers of each tree unlock after investing a set number of points in that tree.

Early-game priority picks

Mid-to-late picks

• Starship Design (Tech): unlocks higher-tier modules in the shipbuilder.
• Research Methods / Weapon Engineering / Spacesuit Design (Science): crafting upgrades and mod slots.
• Outpost Engineering (Science): more complex outpost buildings.
• Rifle Certification / Sharpshooting / Marksmanship (Combat): if you're a rifle user.
• Concealment and Stealth: silent assassin builds.

Combat Basics

• Weapon types matter less than damage type. Physical, Energy, and EM damage have different effectiveness; EM damage stuns rather than kills, useful for nonlethal takedowns and ship boarding without killing crew.
• Use cover and boost packs. Boost-jumping above enemies is one of the most effective tactics in the game.
• Legendary gear rolls matter. The Free Lanes update added Rank 4 Legendary effects (examples in the official breakdown include Saboteur, Reckless, and Enigmatic) and two new quality tiers above Advanced: Superior and Exceptional.
• Legendary Enemy Modifiers such as Tank, Tricky, and Martyr can appear on tougher enemies. You control when they start appearing in Gameplay Options.

X-Tech (Free Lanes)

X-Tech is a new resource from combat and exploration. Use it at workbenches to:

• Reroll legendary effects on weapons and spacesuits (per the official breakdown, 5 rerolls that cost X-Tech and credits, after which the full modifier list opens up for direct selection).
• Upgrade ships at the buildable Ship Optimization Terminal (shields, weapons, engines, grav drive).

Also new: Upgrade Module slots on weapons and suits that improve one attribute each, plus weapon skins you can apply at a workbench.

Ships

Flying and ship combat

• Distribute power between weapons, shields, engines, and grav drive. Before a fight, max shields and your main weapon group.
• Targeting mode (after Targeting Control Systems) lets you aim at engines, shields, and weapons. Knock out engines, then dock to board and potentially steal the ship.
• Stolen ships need to be registered at a ship technician before you can sell or modify them.

Shipbuilding tips

• You need Starship Design ranks for higher-class modules.
• Check the "flight check" tab: missing cockpit, landing bay, docker, engine, fuel tanks, or grav drive will block you.
• Class B and C reactors enable heavier ships but require Piloting ranks 3 and 4.
• Free Lanes added Ship Equipment schematics (new equipment you can fit in the ship builder once discovered), and the Terran Armada DLC adds Terran-specific modules (double-decker habs, a new cockpit, structural parts).

Free Lanes cruise mode

Cruise mode lets you fly between planets within a star system. While cruising you can walk around your ship, talk to companions, and use workbenches. Autopilot slows your ship as you approach the destination. New points of interest can appear during these trips.

Outposts and Crafting

1. Scan a planet for resources, pick a spot where multiple resources overlap, and place an Outpost Beacon.
2. Build Extractors on resource nodes, powered by Solar Arrays or Wind Turbines (the power available depends on the planet).
3. Add storage connected to extractors, then use Cargo Links to move resources between outposts in different systems.
4. Research projects at the Research Lab unlock crafting recipes and mods.

Free Lanes improvements worth knowing:

• Shared Outpost Container lets you move items between outposts.
• A Database tracks locations, recipes, resources, and ingredients so you know where to find materials.
• A Milliewhale outpost pet, unlocked through the "Housesitting" quest on Anchorpoint Station.

Factions and Major Questlines

Some faction quests lock others off (the Crimson Fleet versus UC SysDef decision is the big one), so read the objectives before committing.

Terran Armada DLC (April 2026)

Terran Armada is a paid story DLC released April 7, 2026 (listed at $9.99 in the official announcement). It pits you against an authoritarian faction that believes it represents the "true" children of Earth, built from United Colonies and Freestar Collective members who vanished during the Colony War, now backed by robotic soldiers.

What it adds:

• Incursions: repeatable encounters shown as markers on the Starmap, from small skirmishes to large infiltrations of Terran vessels. Some story Incursions advance the narrative; optional ones reward exploration. Terran tech can block your grav jump until you shut it down. Black Box Incursions received stability fixes in 1.16.244.
• Delta: a reprogrammed Terran Armada robot companion.
• ModelG mini-bot: an Elite Crewmember from the "Spare Parts" quest at The Well.
• Loot: military-themed weapons, grounded tactical spacesuits, Terran ship modules, a pre-built elevated cabin outpost module, and faction-themed workbench skins.

Other Free Lanes Content

• Anchorpoint Station: a new starstation with vendors and quests.
• Moon Jumper: a new land vehicle built around vertical boosts (on top of the earlier REV-8).
• Asteroid base home you can buy.
• Colony War Action Figures: 27 collectible figures (sealed and unsealed versions, 54 total), each with a bonus, such as Commander Sarah Morgan (more affinity with Sarah) or UC Marine (5% more laser damage).
• Muria can now be recruited as an Elite Crewmember (find her near GalBank in New Atlantis).
• Starborn Powers: you can now progress powers with Quantum Essence without entering New Game Plus, and the Quantum Entanglement Device lets you carry gear through the Unity.

New Game Plus and the Unity (spoiler-light)

After finishing the main quest you can enter the Unity and restart as a Starborn in a parallel universe. You keep your level, skills, and powers. Before Free Lanes you lost all items and ships. The Quantum Entanglement Device now lets you transfer items through, which makes NG+ much less punishing. Some NG+ universes have variations that change the main plot.

Before entering the Unity, finish any companion and faction questlines you care about in the current universe, since progress resets.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Dumping points into skills you don't use. Ranks require challenges; unused skills stall.
• Hoarding every weapon. Weight adds up fast. Store junk in your ship cargo and sell regularly.
• Ignoring Security. Many of the best containers and doors are locked.
• Picking Kid Stuff or Dream Home without reading the downside.
• Stealing ships without registering them. You can't modify or sell them until you pay registration.
• Rushing into the Unity before finishing faction arcs you care about.
• Letting Incursions interrupt everything. If they feel too frequent, adjust Incursion frequency in Gameplay Options.

Advanced Tips

• EM weapons + Targeting Control Systems let you disable ships and board without destroying valuable hulls.
• Use X-Tech on your best gun, not every gun. Rerolls are the single biggest power jump in the late game.
• Build a dedicated cargo ship with shielded cargo if you smuggle contraband past scans.
• Outpost crafting chains: put a Research Lab, Industrial Workbench, and storage at one hub outpost fed by cargo links.
• Companion affinity: the Commander Sarah Morgan action figure boosts affinity with Sarah.
• Legendary Enemy Modifiers raise difficulty but also make fights more rewarding; delay them until your build is set.
• Creations: Bethesda's Creations menu has over 1000 items, including Verified Creator story content (June 2026 highlights included Watchtower and Redgrave). Some Creations disable achievements; check the listing.

FAQ

Is Starfield on PlayStation now? Yes. It launched on PS5 on April 7, 2026, alongside Free Lanes and Terran Armada.

Do I need Terran Armada to use Free Lanes? No. Free Lanes is a free update for all players; Terran Armada is a separate paid DLC.

Can I fly between planets without loading screens? Within a star system, yes, using Free Lanes cruise mode. Jumping between systems still uses the grav drive.

What carries over into New Game Plus? Your level, skills, and powers carry over. With the Quantum Entanglement Device from Free Lanes you can also carry gear through.

What is X-Tech used for? Rerolling and customizing legendary effects on weapons and suits, and ship upgrades at the Ship Optimization Terminal.

How do I get Delta as a companion? Delta comes from the Terran Armada DLC story. Play into the DLC's main quest.

Is Shattered Space included? Shattered Space is a separate story DLC set on Va'ruun'kai, included with Premium and Constellation Editions.

Sources

• Starfield on Steam
• Steam news feed: Everything in Free Lanes & Terran Armada; Update 1.16.236, 1.16.242, 1.16.244
• Starfield — Wikipedia
• Starfield Steam news hub