Vast, mysterious, and brimming with secrets, Starfield invites you to explore the farthest reaches of the Milky Way in Bethesda’s first new universe in 25 years. Whether you’re navigating its sprawling star systems, customizing your ship, or diving into its evolving storylines and updates like the recent Shattered Space DLC, questions abound. Ready to chart your course? We’ve gathered your biggest Starfield questions and answers to guide you through this cosmic adventure on PC and Xbox.
For your sake, we compiled some of the questions we had both before starting Starfield and had as we played, which we answered (to the best of our abilities) below. We even pulled some questions and answers from our launch day AMA – which is more expansive and has more niche questions – so you should check that out, too.
What’s Starfield about?
Starfield is a 2023 action role-playing game set in a vast open-world space environment within the Milky Way galaxy. Players assume the role of a space miner who joins Constellation, a group of explorers seeking mysterious Artifacts scattered across various planets and star systems. The game features exploration of over 1,000 planets, customizable spaceships, and a rich narrative involving factions, ancient mysteries, and the discovery of parallel universes. The storyline follows the player’s journey from a miner to a key figure in uncovering the secrets of these Artifacts and facing off against a rival group known as the Starborn, who come from a parallel universe. Starfield combines space exploration, combat, and role-playing elements in a sci-fi setting that has been described as “Skyrim in space”.
You are a space miner who gets wrapped up with a group looking for these mysterious space artifacts, which leads to other mystical inhuman events. We don’t want to spoil things for you, so all you need to know is that you are just a miner who is looking for some precious artifacts around the galaxy.
Is Starfield more like Skyrim or Fallout?
Starfield shares elements with both Skyrim and Fallout but leans more towards Fallout in terms of combat and weaponry, featuring firearms like sniper rifles and assault rifles, alongside some melee options and unique powers, whereas Skyrim focuses more on magic and melee combat. In terms of quest design, Starfield offers a large number of quests-around 300, more than Fallout 4 but fewer than Skyrim-but many players feel these quests lack the depth and meaningful choices found in both Skyrim and Fallout, often feeling repetitive and less impactful. The world of Starfield is immersive and richly detailed like Skyrim, with a strong sense of exploration and discovery, but its gameplay mechanics and narrative style evoke Fallout’s sci-fi setting and combat style more closely. Overall, Starfield can be seen as a blend, but its gameplay and quest structure align it closer to Fallout, while its open-world exploration and atmosphere echo Skyrim’s expansive feel.
Definitely more like Skyrim, but with shooting. (There’s no V.A.T.S or shooting assist like in the Fallout series.)
OK, well, how is the shooting in Starfield?
The shooting in Starfield is surprisingly good, offering a satisfying and varied combat experience. Players can choose from different weapon types including ballistic, energy, and electromagnetic weapons, each with unique characteristics like recoil and damage effects. Combat also incorporates tactical elements such as power allocation to weapons for faster reloads and specialized skills that enhance damage or provide stealth advantages. Additionally, zero-gravity environments add a unique challenge, affecting weapon handling and player movement. Overall, the shooting mechanics are well-designed to cater to different playstyles, from close-quarters melee to long-range sniping, making combat engaging and dynamic.
Surprisingly good! Bethesda shooters aren’t exactly known for being butter-smooth, and while it’s not as precise as, say, Halo Infinite, the first-person shooting in Starfield is akin to a mid-tier Xbox 360 shooter – aka, perfectly passable.
Do I need to really like Bethesda games to like Starfield? Or will I like it if I just like space?
If you enjoy space exploration and the vastness of the cosmos, you don’t necessarily need to be a die-hard Bethesda fan to like Starfield. The game offers a rich space-themed setting with over 1,000 planets to explore, blending Bethesda’s RPG elements with a space-sim experience. While some longtime Bethesda fans find it familiar yet lacking the spark of previous titles, many players who appreciate sci-fi and space adventure find Starfield rewarding and immersive. Its appeal extends beyond Bethesda’s traditional audience, offering a thoughtful depiction of humanity’s future in space that can captivate anyone interested in the stars and exploration.
Starfield is, through and through, a Bethesda game – a staggeringly large scale RPG that focuses more on creating a sense of place than anything else. If you’ve bounced off the studio’s previous games, you’ll likely tire of Starfield too. Yes, the game has impeccable midcentury NASA space vibes, but vibes can only get you so far.
How long does it take to beat Starfield?
The main story of Starfield can be completed in about 15 to 23.5 hours if you focus solely on the primary missions, with some players reporting finishing it in under 20 hours when playing at a steady pace. However, the game offers a vast amount of side content and exploration opportunities, which can extend playtime significantly. Players aiming to complete side quests and explore the universe thoroughly typically spend between 50 to 70 hours, while completionists who want to experience everything may invest upwards of 140 to 180 hours or more. Additionally, Bethesda has indicated that the game truly opens up after the main story, with some players spending over 130 hours in post-story content, making Starfield a deep and expansive RPG experience.
If you’re curious about how long it takes to beat Starfield’s main campaign, a few of us at AELGAMES have completed all of the story missions in 20 hours. But it’s tough to say when you’d ever be “done” with Starfield, given all the faction quests, random missions, and errant exploration that comprises the game. Bethesda’s Pete Hines told Xbox On he’s 165 hours in his most recent playthrough yet claims he hasn’t remotely scratched the surface.
Can you be an alien in Starfield?
In Starfield, you cannot play as an alien character by default; the game starts with human exploration and the discovery of ancient alien remnants rather than interacting with living intelligent aliens. However, there is a quest on Titan’s moon New Homestead that allows you to obtain an alien costume, enabling you to role-play as an alien for fun and immersion purposes. Additionally, mods exist that add alien NPCs and character presets inspired by Star Wars, allowing players to customize their characters with alien appearances if they wish. So while the base game focuses on humans, there are ways to experience being an alien through quests or mods.
Visually, no, you cannot be a cool beast or alien in the same way you can play as different races in Skyrim. You can have Alien DNA, which is a trait you pick in character creation.
Does Starfield feature a lot of crafting?
Starfield features an extensive crafting system that plays a significant role in gameplay. Players can craft a wide variety of items, including medicine, food, weapon mods, spacesuit upgrades, and equipment for outposts. Crafting is tied to collecting resources from the many planets and moons you visit, and unlocking advanced recipes requires completing research projects and investing in specific Science Skills. Dedicated workbenches for different item types-such as weapon, spacesuit, industrial, pharmaceutical, and cooking stations-are found in key locations like the Lodge in New Atlantis, and some can even be added to your ship. While crafting does not cover ship building (which is handled through vendors), it is otherwise a core system, offering hours of depth for players who enjoy gathering materials and customizing their gear and outposts.
Not much, really, but you do have the option to build various workbenches and complete research projects to unlock more. It takes a lot of work and a lot of skill points to be able to make things as useful as med packs, though. And you can never craft ammo.
Is there romance in Starfield?
Starfield includes romance as a meaningful but limited feature, allowing players to develop relationships with four specific companions-Sarah Morgan, Barrett, Sam Coe, and Andreja-all members of the Constellation faction. Romance progresses through building affinity by spending time together, making dialogue choices they appreciate, and completing their personal quests. Players can flirt with their chosen companion, eventually leading to a special romance quest and even marriage, which includes a wedding ceremony on the beaches of Paradiso. However, romance options are relatively straightforward compared to other RPGs, focusing on a committed relationship rather than casual encounters, and only one companion can be romanced per playthrough.
There are four confirmed romance options available, all of which are members of Constellation, and even if you don’t want to commit to any single character, all of their respective companion quests can be fully explored.
Do enemies in Starfield scale to your level?
Enemies in Starfield do not universally scale to your level. While some enemies, particularly in faction or companion quests, can scale to match your level even in low-level star systems, most enemies are tied to the level of the star system you are in rather than your character level. There is a minimum enemy level threshold set at about 75% of your current level, meaning enemies below that are scaled up to keep combat engaging. However, you will still encounter lower-level enemies in higher-level areas and vice versa, creating a varied challenge. Additionally, as you level up, enemies gain access to better weapons and armor rather than simply increasing their level. This system encourages exploration of different star systems with varying difficulty rather than a strict enemy level scaling like in some previous Bethesda games.
The quick answer is no, not as far as we’ve seen. You can easily run into high level enemies early on in your Starfield experience, and we were underleveled for much of the story. Some main missions had enemies ranging from level 1 to level 36 – which can really catch you by surprise if you don’t quicksave often. Still, there was never an enemy so high-leveled that we couldn’t take them out while 10-15 levels under.
Can I build a house in space?
In Starfield, you can build outposts on planets, which function as your bases rather than traditional houses. These outposts require specific materials and skills, such as Science, to research and unlock new building options. Due to the harsh environments of many planets-like low or no oxygen, varying atmospheric pressures, and radiation-building structures often involves prefab components and airlocks to survive these conditions. While you can’t build a conventional house as on Earth, you can create complex outposts with various buildings and automated systems, allowing for resource extraction and manufacturing. The building system includes limits on the number of structures but offers enough room for sizable complexes, especially on planets with more hospitable conditions and cities.
Yep. Well, you can buy a house in space. You can even start with a house if you pick the Dream Home trait.
What happens if you die in Starfield?
In Starfield, if your character dies, the game will simply reload your last save, meaning you won’t lose all your progress but will return to the point of your most recent save. There are no additional penalties such as losing experience points or items, unlike in some other games. This encourages players to save frequently, especially before and after combat or significant events, to avoid being stuck in a death loop. The death mechanic is straightforward with no harsh consequences, allowing you to focus on improving your skills, gear, and strategies to survive better in the vast universe of Starfield.
If you die in Starfield, your body will pathetically ragdoll onto the ground and you’ll reload from your last save. That said, save (and quicksave) often if you like to get yourself into tricky situations.
Can you build a ship from scratch in Starfield?
In Starfield, you cannot build a ship entirely from scratch starting with a blank slate. Instead, the process involves taking an existing ship-whether one you own or have acquired-and stripping it down by removing all its parts. Once the ship is completely deconstructed, you can then rebuild it piece by piece using the shipbuilding interface, effectively creating a new ship from the ground up. This method requires you to have sufficient credits and the necessary piloting and starship design skills to access all components. While the shipbuilding UI may seem clumsy at first, experimenting in build mode allows for customization and upgrading as you gradually assemble your ideal vessel.
No. Using the Ship Builder at a spaceport only allows you to modify a ship you already own. You have to start with a preexisting ship and can’t build one from the ground up.
Are there laser guns in Starfield?
Starfield features a variety of laser guns, including laser rifles and pistols, which are a popular choice for players due to their high fire rate and energy-based damage. Notable laser weapons like the “Unmitigated Violence” laser rifle stand out for their high damage output and unique perks, making them some of the best weapons in the game. Players can find and upgrade these laser guns through quests, loot, and crafting, with options ranging from standard laser rifles to specialized electromagnetic (EM) guns designed to target robots. Laser weapons in Starfield offer a futuristic combat experience with visually distinct beams and scalable damage, making them a key part of the player’s arsenal.
Starfield will start you off with “ballistic” weapons (guns that use metal bullets, just like ours do, but just look kinda sci-fi), but you will eventually get weapons that shoot lasers. These aren’t exactly Star Wars blasters, and adhere more to Starfield’s hard sci-fi aesthetic than you’d maybe want. It’s more like you’re shooting light out of an oblong battery with a trigger and a scope, but it’s still pretty cool.
Can I get a lightsaber in Starfield?
While Starfield does not include lightsabers as part of its official content, players can obtain and use them through mods, particularly on PC and Xbox. The popular “Immersive Sabers” mod adds three different lightsabers complete with iconic sound effects, customizable beam colors, and workbench upgrades. This mod also introduces a unique lightsaber perk that allows players to deflect bullets and melee attacks, enhancing combat with a Star Wars flair. Lightsabers can be found as loot from defeated enemies or purchased in stores once the player reaches certain levels. This mod provides a highly immersive experience for fans wanting to wield lightsabers within Starfield’s sci-fi universe.
Speaking of Star Wars, it’s absolutely understandable to want a lightsaber or some kind of laser sword in your space game. But while we have found a space sword in Starfield, it’s made of metal. Sure, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bethesda hid a super powerful lightsaber-like weapon as an easter egg somewhere in the game, but we haven’t found it yet.
How important is it to play through the main quest in Starfield?
The main quest in Starfield is highly important, especially for new players, as it serves as an extended tutorial that systematically introduces core gameplay mechanics such as interplanetary travel, ship operation, companion management, outpost building, and stealth tactics. Completing the initial main quest segments unlocks essential game features and companions, making the universe more accessible and meaningful. While players can explore side quests and factions, it is strongly recommended to progress through the first part of the main story to fully grasp the game’s mechanics and narrative foundation. The main quest also unlocks a core gameplay feature deeper into the storyline, which enhances the overall experience. After completing key main quest milestones, players gain freedom to explore the universe at their own pace.
There are some important gameplay features tied to the main story quest, so you’ll want to do it first, or at least hit a certain point in the game before you start running off to do side quests. (You’ll know when you get there.)
How do skills and skill points work in Starfield?
In Starfield, skills are organized into five main categories: Physical, Social, Combat, Science, and Tech, each with its own focus and divided into four tiers. When you level up, you earn one skill point that you can spend to unlock or upgrade skills within these categories. To access higher-tier skills, you must invest a certain number of points in the lower tiers-4 points for Tier 2, 8 for Tier 3, and 12 for Tier 4. Each skill also has four ranks, which you level up by completing specific challenges related to that skill, allowing you to further enhance its benefits. Your choice of skills shapes your character’s abilities and playstyle, from combat proficiency to crafting and social interactions.
You gain a skill point every time you level up, but you can’t just spend them all willy nilly. There are several skill trees and, as skill trees usually work, you can’t just grab the stuff at the end of the tree without grabbing a few along the way.
You can also use skill points to upgrade your skills several times, but you’ll have to complete little missions for each skill before you can move it up a rank. For example, to upgrade your Ballistics skill, you’ll need to kill a bunch of enemies using a gun.
Is there New Game Plus?
Starfield features a unique New Game Plus mode that becomes available after completing the main story. Unlike traditional NG+ modes, it only carries over your character’s level, experience, powers, and skill progression, while all items, ships, credits, side missions, and relationships reset. Starting NG+ grants you a special Starborn Guardian spaceship and a powerful Starborn spacesuit with built-in boost capabilities. You also gain new story permutations, dialog options, and at least one new main mission, offering fresh narrative experiences. Additionally, you can choose to reset the main campaign or skip it by revealing your Starborn identity, making each New Game Plus run feel like exploring a new universe within the multiverse concept of the game.
Yes, Starfield features a New Game Plus mode, and it’s – no spoilers here – absolutely wild. Some players who’ve finished the game suggest mainlining the entire campaign from the jump, and that the real game begins in New Game Plus. Others say to play it like you would a typical Bethesda game. Our suggestion? Follow your heart.
What are the most common questions players have about Starfield’s story and gameplay
The most common questions players have about Starfield’s story and gameplay revolve around the following themes:
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Exploration and Planetary Mechanics: Players wonder if the entire surface of planets is explorable, whether planets have dynamic day-night cycles or rotate, and if environmental factors like temperature affect gameplay and survival.
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Character Creation and Customization: Many ask if custom backgrounds and free choice of starting skills are possible, similar to Bethesda’s previous RPGs, and how backgrounds influence dialogue and quests.
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Quests and NPCs: Questions focus on the presence of procedurally generated quests and random encounters, whether NPCs have unique reactions based on player choices, and how branching storylines affect faction relationships and character fates.
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Outposts and Building: Players are curious about the ability to build multiple outposts on a single planet and whether it’s possible to establish outposts on Earth within the game.
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Gameplay Style and Combat: Many want to know how Starfield’s gameplay compares to previous Bethesda games like Skyrim or Fallout, the nature of its shooting mechanics, and whether it supports multiplayer or is strictly single-player.
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Resource Management and Survival: Questions about the abundance of resources, crafting, and survival elements such as fuel consumption for ships and environmental hazards are common.
These questions reflect the community’s interest in how deeply Starfield integrates exploration, role-playing depth, dynamic storytelling, and survival mechanics into its vast sci-fi universe.
Will exploring planets in Starfield reveal unique storylines and quests
Exploring planets in Starfield can lead to discovering points of interest such as abandoned outposts, caves, and settlements where you may encounter NPCs offering quests or activities, often procedurally generated rather than handcrafted unique storylines. While exploration allows for random encounters and some mission opportunities, the vast majority of the over 1,000 planets are procedurally generated with flora, fauna, and resources, meaning unique, deeply crafted quests are mostly limited to a smaller number of key locations. Unlike previous Bethesda RPGs, planetary exploration is more about visiting pre-populated sites rather than freely roaming large, story-rich environments, so players should expect a mix of interesting discoveries and some repetition rather than consistently unique storylines on every planet.
