Starfield is a game set in space, about space, covering a lot of space. That's a lot of space, but what's the point of space if there's nothing to do there? You're going to be flying around space with your Starship pretty frequently. So today, we will look at Starfield's various space activities.
Starfield has thousands of planets to explore and several dozen star systems to visit. A seemingly endless amount of space exploration is available, and you must be familiar with all the mechanics of space travel. Once comfortable with space travel, you can enjoy space exploration in Starfield.
Space Exploration
First, it's essential to understand that space travel and exploration are done mostly through the Star Map. It's disappointing for those expecting a No Man's Sky approach to space travel. Using fast travel, you can only directly land on a planet or travel through star systems.
Each star system is made up of its own isolated space, and you can jump through these Star Systems and land on the individual planets and moons found there. Landing is also done through the Starmap menu.
- Open up the Starmap and choose a system to fly to. The distance you can fly is dictated by the power of your Grav Drive (more on this later).
- Once you open the Starmap, you can land on any landing spot.
- Once you've picked a planet, you can also survey it thoroughly.
- You can also jump to different star systems. You can jump directly to explored star systems, but unknown ones require individual Grav Jumps.
- Note that you can't land on planets like Neptune without a planetary surface or safe landing spot.
Grav Jumping
Grav Jumping uses your ship's Grav Drive to jump to a different star system. You can do it at any time using the Starmap. To Grav Jump, open the star map and select a Star System with a white dot. Star Systems with red dots indicate that you either lack the fuel to go this far or need to explore surrounding systems first.
In both cases, you must stop in a nearby Star System before proceeding to the one with the red dot. Once you've selected a Star System, you must wait for your ship's Grav Drive to charge up and take you to your destination. Upgrading the Grav Drive increases your travel distance and reduces the charge time.
Scanning Planets
Yes, you can get a basic planet scan from the comfort of your Starship. When you're hovering over a planet in the Starmap, you'll see the option to scan its surface. Once you do this, your ship will automatically scan the planet, and within a few seconds, you'll get to find out information on it.
This information includes all the details of a planet, such as its atmosphere, temperature, flora, fauna, and even available resources. You also get to see how many traits the planet has and what percentage of it you have successfully surveyed. It's an excellent method to determine the best planets for building outposts if you plan to set them up.
Dogfighting
Dogfighting or space combat is a significant aspect of space exploration. You'll find yourself in combat against space pirates and the militaries of factions such as the UC and the Freestar Collective. It's essential to build a ship that is ready to take on these challenges.
However, having a powerful ship is only enough if you know how to pilot it. Mastering space combat means learning all the systems and weapon types involved. You can also invest in crew members and various skills to improve your combat performance in space.
Smuggling Contraband
If you're tired of having your theft limited to picking locks and pickpocketing, you can take it into space! Contraband refers to items deemed illegal by the Freestar Collective and United Colonies. Your ship is scanned for illegal goods when entering one of their territories.
However, there are ways to smuggle contraband in Starfield, and it can help you farm a lot of Credits once you get the hang of it. Become a bona fide smuggler and master the art of the trader build. Getting the Mantis ship helps a lot with this early on!
Stealing Enemy Ships
Space combat isn't all about shooting down enemy ships and looting them. You can disable their engines and board enemy starships. To do this, you need the Targeting Control Systems skill that allows you to shoot down and disable enemy engines.
Once the enemy ship is disabled, you can fly close to it, dock your starship, and kill the enemy crew. After this, sit in the pilot's seat and go to a nearby hub to register or sell it. Just be sure to avoid the notorious den bug!
That's all the space activities available in Starfield for now. While these might seem lacking for now, there are sure to be mods and DLC that add even more stuff to do! In the meantime, learn how to change your appearance and the bucket-on-head trick.
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