Your journey throughout the vast, expansive universe of Starfield would be incomplete without a solid crew for your ship. Therefore, you can hire members for your ship, maintain your outposts, and even tag along during the missions. Here is our complete guide on how to hire crew members in Starfield.
Remember that the number of crew members you can carry on your ship depends on the crew capacity. However, you can upgrade your Ship Command skill to upgrade this capacity to 8. Let’s see what crew members are, how to hire them, and the best starting crew in Starfield.
How to Hire Crew in Starfield?
The randomly generated NPCs are the most common type of crew members you will encounter in Starfield. These are unnamed characters with no story or personality; their only value to your team is their skills.
Normally called “Specialists” or “Experts”, these NPCs are found throughout various bars across many planets and can be recruited with a one-time hiring fee. The fee and skills depend on the level of the NPCs. Check our credit farming guide if you're having trouble affording crew mates.
How to Make Companions Crew?
You'll find two types of companions in Starfield that can be recruited to your crew. The first are the Constellation members, who are highly fleshed-out characters with their own storylines.
Not only do they aid you with your adventure, but they also have their own personalities and can be romanced (except VASCO, who's just a robot). These companions join your crew as you progress through the main story.
These five companions are listed below.
Second, some minor or optional companions with specific skills can be hired if you can afford their recruitment fee. They don’t have individual personality quirks or stories, yet they are named characters who can help with your ship or outposts. You can find these optional companions throughout various bars, spaceports, or other space hubs on different planets.
Best Starter Crew
Since your first ship only has three slots for crew members, the best starter crew you can get in Starfield are the three Constellation members: Sarah Morgan, Barrett, and VASCO. You can get them early in the game and work towards fleshing out their stories. Their skills are far more significant than any minor companion or random NPCs can provide.
Sarah Morgan
The first human companion you can recruit is the head of Constellation herself, Sarah Morgan. She can join your crew after the first mission, One Small Step. Her charming personality and extraordinary skills make her one of the best additions to your ship.
Skills
- Astrodynamics: Rank 4
- Lasers: Rank 3
- Leadership: Rank 2
- Botany: Rank 1
Barrett
Barrett is another human companion who works for Constellation. You can get him to tag along with your journey during the Back to Vectera mission, which appears early in the main storyline.
Skills
- Starship Engineering: Rank 4
- Particle Beam Weapon Systems: Rank 3
- Robotics: Rank 2
- Gastronomy: Rank 1
VASCO
This robot buddy is the first companion to join your adventure during the campaign's starting mission, One Small Step. He is one of the best early companions, with incredible ship maintenance and defense skills.
Skills
- Shield Systems: Rank 2
- Aneutronic Fusion: Rank 1
- EM Weapon Systems: Rank 1
That’s everything you need to know about hiring a crew in Starfield and the best starter crew. Bring these companions along to make your space travels a lot easier. While you're here, also check out our best starting builds and advanced shipbuilding guide.
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