Starfield Beginner’s Guide#
Character Creation: Backgrounds and Traits#
Starfield has no class system and no attribute allocation. Your character’s differences come down to two creation choices:
| Choice | Mechanic | How to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Grants 3 novice-tier skills at the start | Pick for the playstyle you want — for a persuasion run, choose a background with Social skills |
| Traits | Passives with one benefit and one drawback bundled | Read the drawbacks before committing; some traits bring ongoing resource or social consequences |
This site has not compiled the full trait list with per-trait effects, so we won’t enumerate them — the on-screen descriptions at creation are more accurate than any guide; read each one before confirming. Appearance customization affects no stats; pick what you like.
📌 Advice: beginners shouldn’t chase the “strongest opening.” Backgrounds only grant 3 novice skills, and all 82 skills can be unlocked with skill points later — your opening choice locks in nothing.
The Opening: One Small Step, Step by Step#
The first story mission is One Small Step, where you work as a hired miner for Argos Extractors at a mining outpost on Vectera, a moon in the Narion system. The opening sequence:
| Step | What to do | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Follow supervisor Lin’s instructions | Learn basic movement and interaction |
| 2 | Pick up the cutter | Your starting work tool |
| 3 | Mine the beryllium | Complete the mining steps as prompted |
| 4 | Touch the unearthed Artifact | Triggers the story’s anomaly sequence |
| 5 | The Crimson Fleet attacks | A scripted ambush; fight back normally |
| 6 | Meet up with Barrett | Board the ship Frontier with him |
| 7 | Learn ship handling | Space combat and boarding tutorial at the Kreet research lab |
| 8 | Grav jump to Jemison | Heading to the Alpha Centauri system |
| 9 | Arrive at New Atlantis, MAST district | Enter Constellation’s headquarters, The Lodge |
| 10 | Meet Sarah Morgan | Formally join Constellation; the story opens up |
Completing the first mission rewards you with 8,000 credits, a Constellation backpack, and the key to The Lodge.
Your Starting Ship: the Frontier#
The starting ship Frontier is a Discovery-class vessel, handed over by Barrett after the first mission. Its default loadout:
| Component | Default configuration |
|---|---|
| Pulse lasers | Dragon 221P ×2 |
| Cannons | Mauler 104L |
| Missile launcher | Atlatl 270A |
| Engines | White Dwarf 2000 ×2 |
| Grav drive | NG160 |
| Reactor | 330T Stellarator |
| Shield | 10S Protector |
The Frontier is a balanced starter: its firepower spans lasers, ballistics, and missiles, well-suited to early-system missions and pirate skirmishes. No rush to swap ships — get comfortable with the ship modification UI at a ship technician first.
Early Exploration Route#
The opening story walks you through these systems in order; follow it to learn jumping and landing:
| Order | System | Key locations | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narion | Vectera moon, Kreet | Opening missions, first space combat tutorial |
| 2 | Alpha Centauri | New Atlantis on Jemison, Gagarin | Constellation’s HQ; your main supply hub |
| 3 | Cheyenne | Akila City | Freestar Collective heartland; start of the Rangers line |
| 4 | Volii | Neon | Ryujin Industries and corporate infiltration gameplay |
New Atlantis is the early game’s best home base: the MAST district of the United Colonies capital holds The Lodge and the Vanguard recruitment point, and the city has workbenches, shops, and full ship services — treat it as your residence.
Survival Rules: Oxygen, Weight, and Environmental Resistance#
Planet-surface exploration revolves around three core meters:
| Meter | Mechanic | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Oxygen (O2) | Drains while sprinting, jumping, or heavily overloaded; at zero it eats health | Sprint in bursts; avoid sustained loaded runs |
| Carry weight | Over the limit, movement and O2 recovery slow sharply | Stash surplus materials in ship cargo or outposts |
| Environmental hazards | Heat, cold, radiation, corrosion — varies by planet | Check hazard types on the star map before landing; wear matching resistance gear |
Atmosphere, gravity, and hazard levels vary wildly across planets. The basic exploration rhythm: scan for resource points and hazard types before deciding whether to land or build an outpost.
Early Practical Advice#
- Learn the scanner first — the handheld scanner marks minerals, flora and fauna, and points of interest; sweep an area before acting
- Join Constellation early — the story, companions, and ship upgrades all orbit The Lodge
- Check challenges before skill ranks — ranks 2–4 require completing the skill’s Skill Challenge first; confirm you’ll use it before spending points
- Check fuel before jumping — grav jumps consume He-3 fuel; being stranded in a remote system is miserable
- Save before big decisions — the story and faction lines have many irreversible nodes; manual saves are the cheapest insurance
- Rotate your companions — the four romanceable companions and Vasco each carry story and dialogue reactions; rotating unlocks more content
Skill Priorities#
These priorities are based on the verified skill category structure (Physical, Social, Combat, Science, Tech — see Skills):
| Direction | Category | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Survival and damage tolerance | Physical | Health, oxygen, and carry weight directly define your exploration radius |
| Lockpicking and infiltration | Tech | Digipick lockpicking shows up constantly in missions |
| Ship handling | Tech | Piloting and similar skills boost space combat and jump efficiency |
| Dialogue returns | Social | Persuasion and Commerce improve missions and economy |
| Damage output | Combat | Invest in the skills matching your preferred weapons |
Beginner FAQ#
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the game available in Chinese? | This site hasn’t verified the language list item by item; check the supported languages on the Steam or store page before buying |
| Can I change background or traits later? | Background is locked at creation; some traits can be removed through specific in-game means — per-trait rules aren’t compiled here, so trust the in-game descriptions |
| Do companions die permanently? | The exact death rules aren’t compiled on this site; no assertions |
| Can ships be fully customized? | Yes — modular building covers engines, weapons, cargo, and cosmetics; see the ship building page |
| Is an internet connection required? | Purely single-player; online is only for achievement sync and the Creations mod store |
| What carries into NG+? | Level, skills, and Starborn powers persist; ships, outposts, regular items, and credits are wiped — see the endgame page |
Version Updates Relevant to Beginners#
| Version | Date | Relevance to new players |
|---|---|---|
| 1.11.33 | 2024-05 | Expanded surface map boundaries; easier navigation early on |
| 1.12.30 | 2024-06 | Trackers Alliance bounty missions add income beyond the story |
| 1.13.61 | 2024-08 | The REV-8 wheeled ground vehicle is purchasable from ship technicians; easier planet-surface travel |
| Free Lanes | 2026-04-07 | Seamless in-system travel and new encounters refresh space exploration |
New players (especially on PS5 and Game Pass) should simply start on the current version — no need to adjust for old-version guides.