Summary
Given how massiveStarfieldis, some of the community’s current unwritten rules are likely to adapt as players spend more time with the game and uncover new tricks. Not to mention, any ofStarfield’spost-launch expansionscould also drastically reshape how players experience the game, leading to new unwritten rules. As it currently stands though, the community is still fairly confident in a few unwritten rules forStarfieldthat players can follow to get the most out of each playthrough. From things like how players should build their character, tips for inventory management, and when to do certain quests, theStarfieldcommunity recommends that players follow, or at least understand the reasoning behind these helpful habits.
Boost Pack Training is a Must-Have Skill
It’s not impossible to go throughStarfieldwithout having boost pack training, but it’s arguably an invaluable convenience to have this ability readily available. While there are multiple types of boost packs and even advanced combat skills, only a standard boost pack and the first boost pack training skill rank are necessary to make use of this feature. In short, it’s better to have boost pack training and not need it than to need it and not have it, because of how convenient it can be for exploring inStarfield.
Don’t Be Afraid of Being Over-Encumbered
Being over-encumbered inStarfieldwill drain the player’s oxygen, which when empty, will then drain the player’s health if they continue to walk or run. While this isn’t a problem for players who use mods forStarfieldspecifically for inventory management, many players are likely to go to unnecessary lengths to avoid letting their health drain this way. However, this alone will never be fatal to the player, so for the most part, being over-encumbered is nothing to be afraid of.
Carrying around too much junk is a classic habit for players throughout Bethesda’s RPGs, which is why it’s such apopular type of mod forStarfieldand its predecessors. However, knowing that being over-encumbered inStarfieldisn’t lethal can save players a lot of time, especially when all they need to do is make it to the nearest vendor to sell their resources and rare items. Additionally, while having low health isn’t always a practical strategy, being over-encumbered is one of the most consistent ways to meet the conditions of the Cornered weapon effect, which increases the player’s damage based on how much of their maximum health is missing.
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
Creating a character with a highly specializedskill build inStarfieldcan be an appealing concept for players who enjoy a more immersive, role-playing experience, but this type of playstyle can be very restricting. Like the many Bethesda RPGs that came before it, there are no limitations inStarfieldfor players who want to become proficient with every individual skill. This type of jack-of-all-trades build is a guilty pleasure that players have no practical reason not to enjoy.
Outpost and Ship Building in Starfield Is Worth the Effort
Players who are committed toStarfieldshould consider the benefits of building their own outposts and ships, compared to using pre-built ones that can be purchased. This isn’t to say that players should never buy houses or ships inStarfield, because there’s ultimately no downside to this besides the high price of credits involved. In fact,buying a ship inStarfieldis actually a great way for players to get a ship with much better overall performance than the free starter ship, especially considering that purchased ships can be fully modified later anyway.
Buying Houses in Starfield is Overrated
The main downside to buying houses inStarfieldis that outposts and even ships can provide the same functionality as well as several other additional utilities. Because of this, pre-built houses inStarfieldare essentially storage containers with a scenic view, where their main appeal arguably comes from their role-playing opportunities. It can be a bit of effort to learnStarfield’s building mechanics for the first time, and this is likely to intimidate players who are more interested in other aspects of the game, but building custom outposts and ships can be an extremely rewarding endeavor.
With the right planning and execution,building an outpost inStarfieldcan be a passive source of rare crafting resources over time. Additionally, the resources that players generate from their outposts are essentially infinite, which is why crafting with these materials and then selling the products is one of the best legitimate money and XP farms inStarfield.
Having a Good Ship in Starfield Is Life or Death
Having access to a top-tier ship requires a big commitment to unlocking the prerequisite skills, butbuilding a custom ship inStarfieldcan be a game-changer for space combat. Not to mention, having access to high-end ship parts and skills lets players carry more cargo and travel farther distances without stopping for loading screens or inventory management.
Prioritize the Companion Questlines in Starfield
ThroughoutStarfield’s main story and side quests, the game will often require players to dismiss their current companion to complete quests with a specific companion. Additionally, players can unknowingly lock themselves out of certaincompanion quests inStarfieldby progressing too far in other quests that have no apparent conflict. Because of how unpredictable this can be, players should arguably prioritize completing the questlines for their favorite companions inStarfield.
Completing the companion questlines inStarfieldis by no means mandatory, but they can still be quite enjoyable experiences that some players won’t want to miss out on. With this in mind, it’s a shame that players can lock themselves out of some of these quests without proper warning of this consequence before it’s too late. Ultimately, the only solution for players in this situation is to start aNew Game+ inStarfieldin order to complete any companion questlines that they accidentally missed out on, which can be quite a daunting task. In hindsight, players should strongly consider completing the questlines for their favorite companions as soon as they become available.
