Starfield Walkthrough#
This page maps Starfield’s progression rhythm. The game has no traditional linear “chapters” — its backbone is Constellation’s Artifact hunt, with five faction lines hanging alongside, all eventually leading to Unity and New Game+. Ordered by “what to do first, what to do later, what to keep,” here are the route nodes you can reliably reproduce.
A note up front: much of this game isn’t about getting everything right the first time. When stuck, the decision criteria matter more than any single step — so this page emphasizes “what to watch, what logic to follow” over rote memorization.
I. The Opening: From Miner to Constellation#
The first story mission is One Small Step. You begin as a hired miner for Argos Extractors, and while working a mining outpost on Vectera in the Narion system you unearth an Artifact that triggers an anomaly. The Crimson Fleet then raids the site; you board the Frontier with Barrett, complete the flight tutorial at the Kreet research lab, grav jump to New Atlantis on Jemison, and join Constellation.
The progression logic here is simple — follow it step by step:
| Node | What to do | Common snags and judgment calls |
|---|---|---|
| Mining anomaly | Touch the unearthed Artifact; follow the guidance out | Watch for zero-g and visions around you — scripted sequence, nobody dies |
| Ambush and retreat | Fight off the Crimson Fleet, board with Barrett | The transit fights are scripted; play them normally |
| Flight tutorial | Learn piloting and boarding at Kreet | Remember power allocation and targeting — space combat reuses them constantly |
| Arriving in New Atlantis | Land on Jemison, head to the MAST district | Memorize the route into the city; you’ll commute often |
| Joining up | Meet Sarah Morgan at The Lodge, take the collection quest | This unlocks the Constellation story markers and first-mission rewards |
Opening judgment: the game never punishes “wander first, push later.” After reaching New Atlantis, don’t rush the story — sweep the city’s shops, mission boards, and ship services counter first; it massively cuts later travel costs.
II. The Story: The Artifact Collection Loop#
The Constellation story’s core is the loop collect Artifacts → visit a Temple → gain Powers. Further in, Artifacts pull you across more systems, and your opponents stop being ordinary people — you meet the Starborn, chasing the same Artifacts.
The Story’s Stable Milestones#
| Stage | Direction | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Early collection | Find Artifacts in nearby systems; brush against the factions | Don’t lock any faction line out; keep room to return |
| Meeting Starborn | Cross paths with the Hunter and the Emissary | They want the same thing; the conflict centers on Artifacts |
| Temples and Powers | Enter temples and complete the guided runs to gain Powers | Powers are potent in combat and exploration; master the ones you have first |
| Convergence | You close in on the truth of Unity | This is the NG+ threshold — see section VI |
Story vs. level: the story has no hard level gates, but enemies scale up as you go. The criterion: if you’re being repeatedly crushed at an Artifact site, your thinking isn’t wrong — your gear or skills lag. Patch up a faction line or swap to stronger weapons and armor instead of grinding.
III. The Five Faction Lines#
Five parallel faction lines run alongside the story without conflict — you can slot them in at any point. Each differs sharply in flavor and rewards:
| Faction | Main base | Theme | Good for | Key tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Vanguard | New Atlantis MAST district | Military service, frontier defense | Players who want fleet and legion lines | Some nodes advance through persuasion, not firepower |
| Freestar Rangers | Akila City | Frontier law, western flavor | Fans of borderland atmosphere | Dialogue choices visibly shift your reputation |
| Ryujin Industries | Neon | Corporate espionage, stealth infiltration | Stealth-run players | Favor the “unnoticed” route for the best experience |
| Crimson Fleet | The Key station (Kryx system) | Undercover work, pirate politics | Dark-route players | Save before committing to a stance |
| Constellation personal lines | Spread across members | Stories of four romanceable companions | Completionists | Bring the matching companion; unlocks at a certain point |
The insertion principle: faction lines give you a second stable source of XP, gear, and reputation beyond the story. When the story stalls or money and gear run thin, that’s usually the moment to pause and clear a faction line.
IV. Companions and Constellation#
Constellation’s core members travel with you as companions, each with their own background and personal missions; the robot Vasco follows throughout, handling dialogue and logistics.
| Companion | Rough role | How to recruit | Affinity value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Morgan | Constellation chairwoman; former UC Navigator Corps leader | Joins early in the story | Romance/marriage; personal line advances story and abilities |
| Barrett | The man who brings you into Constellation | Early story | Romance/marriage |
| Andreja | Of House Va’ruun | Mid-story encounter | Romance/marriage; story tied to House Va’ruun |
| Sam Coe | Freestar Collective native, traveling with his daughter | Mid-story encounter | Romance/marriage |
| Vasco | Robot companion | Throughout | Carries dialogue and supply tips |
Judgment: companions aren’t just firepower — they react to your choices and build affinity. To see everything, rotate companions through their own personal missions instead of tethering one.
V. Key Choices and Criteria#
The game has many “pick one” moments. Here are the decision principles, not a single prescribed answer:
- Faction alignment: some lines eventually put opposing sides in front of you. Finish each side’s prerequisites before deciding — don’t lock an ending at the start.
- Betray or stay loyal: undercover lines expose your stance late. There are irreversible points before betrayal — save beforehand to revisit the other branch.
- Starborn stance: late-story handling of the Hunter versus the Emissary directly shapes the ending; decide which side you actually agree with before choosing.
- Dialogue skills: access to high-tier dialogue options depends on Persuasion and similar skill ranks. Reload, level the skill, and return — sometimes it unlocks a completely different resolution.
VI. Unity and New Game+#
The story ends at Unity — a threshold across universes. Crossing it opens New Game+ (Starborn rebirth), the core of this game’s NG+ loop.
What Carries Over and What Doesn’t#
| Item | Carried over | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Level and skill points | Yes | Your power never resets to zero |
| Powers | Yes | All unlocked Powers remain usable |
| Ships / outposts | No | Wiped and reset in the new universe |
| Regular gear and items | No | Most supplies are cleared |
| Credits | No | The currency resets |
| Starborn identity | Kept / enhanced | Grants an exclusive Starborn ship and suit; repeatable to strengthen |
Judgment: precisely because levels, skills, and Powers carry across universes while ships and supplies wipe, your first playthrough shouldn’t grind for 100% collection. Focus on “unlock Powers, max practical skills, memorize system routes”; leave gear collecting for NG+ where the repeat labor is lowest.
VII. Practical Progression Heuristics#
Here are name-agnostic decision logics that generalize better than a step list:
- Enemies you can’t dent: check your weapon tier, then whether the enemy carries a shield trait. Switching damage type (ballistic / laser / EM) beats blindly stacking firepower.
- Missing supplies: prioritize faction missions with fixed rewards over random field drops.
- Travel fatigue: upgrade your grav drive and fuel planning early — many travel costs drop to zero; on planet surfaces, buy the REV-8 ground vehicle (added in 1.13.61).
- Wanting the full story: clear faction and companion lines first, then finish the story. The finale pushes you straight into Unity — once you cross, this universe’s faction progress replays in NG+; watch everything you want on the first pass.
- Uncertain routes: manual-save before every key node. Autosave spacing is irregular; manual saves guarantee you can return to a pre-decision state and try another path.
VIII. The Recommended Overall Order#
Pulling it together, here’s a sequence that minimizes repeat labor:
| Stage | Main goal | Side benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Complete One Small Step; join Constellation | Unlocks the story and New Atlantis |
| Step 2 | Establish yourself in New Atlantis, Akila City, and Neon | Learn the shops, mission boards, and ship services |
| Step 3 | Slot faction lines in alongside Artifact collection | Multi-line income of gear, XP, and reputation |
| Step 4 | Complete each companion’s personal missions | Affinity and romance-line story |
| Step 5 | With weapons, armor, and ship range ready, push the story to Unity | Unlocks Starborn identity and NG+ |
| Step 6 | In NG+, fill collections, farm rare gear, and enhance Powers | Finish what the first universe left undone |
Closing note: this game scales to your appetite. This site has no reliable data on exact story completion time, but it’s certain that sampling every faction, companion, and NG+ loop takes far longer than the story alone. Don’t chase perfection at the start — walk the skeleton through first, then let NG+ fill in the blanks.