The Starfield Guide Everything to Know Before Starting

This starfield guide covers everything a newcomer should know before diving into the Settled Systems, from character creation to which skills to prioritize to the first quests worth tackling to unlock key abilities. It’s built to keep new players from getting lost in a game with an enormous amount of content to explore.

Key Takeaways

This starfield guide recommends a balanced background for beginners, like Space Scoundrel or Beast Hunter, over an overly specialized pick

The key early skills to prioritize are Weight Lifting, Boost Pack Training, and Ballistics

Items can be sold directly from the ship’s cargo hold without needing to move them into the character’s inventory first

Joining the Vanguard faction in New Atlantis is a strong starting point for newcomers

The Into the Unknown main quest unlocks a key combat ability that shouldn’t be skipped

Starfield Guide Choosing a Background and Traits

The starting point of this starfield guide for beginners is picking the right background. The recommended options for newcomers lean balanced rather than overly specialized, like Beast Hunter, which focuses on combat and stamina, Space Scoundrel, which focuses on pistols, persuasion, and piloting, or File Not Found, which focuses on health, combat, and piloting as well.

Players can also pick up to three traits, each offering a mix of advantages and drawbacks. It’s worth knowing that a chosen trait can be removed later, so there’s no need to overthink the choice too much during character creation.

Starfield Guide Which Skills to Prioritize First

According to this starfield guide drawn from experienced players, the three skills worth prioritizing first are Weight Lifting, which increases carry capacity, Boost Pack Training, which unlocks jetpack use, and Ballistics, which boosts firearm damage, since these are foundational skills that touch nearly every aspect of gameplay.

Beyond those three, other worthwhile skills include Fitness for oxygen capacity, Stealth for sneaking, Persuasion and Diplomacy for negotiations, Dueling for melee combat, Astrodynamics for space travel, and Scanning and Security for exploration and unlocking valuables.

Starfield Guide Managing the Ship’s Cargo Hold

One thing many new players don’t realize is that the ship’s cargo hold can be accessed two ways, either directly on the ship or through the ship menu to transfer items. The most important part is that items can be sold straight from the cargo hold while talking to a vendor, without needing to move them into the character’s personal inventory first, something plenty of beginners assume incorrectly.

Starfield Guide The First Quests Worth Doing

Instead of rushing the main story alone, this starfield guide for beginners recommends exploring side content too, especially joining the Vanguard faction in New Atlantis, which is a great starting point for understanding the game’s systems and world.

That said, main story progress shouldn’t be ignored entirely, since the Into the Unknown quest is a key milestone that unlocks a powerful combat ability with long-term impact on gameplay. Balancing side quests with main story progress is the key for a smooth start.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Starfield Guide

Can a wrong trait choice be fixed: yes, a chosen trait can be removed later

Does the main story need to be rushed: not necessarily, but reaching the Into the Unknown quest is worth prioritizing for its key ability unlock

Which skills should be avoided early on: overly specialized skills with no clear early payoff are better saved for later

In short, this starfield guide for beginners comes down to picking a balanced background, prioritizing three foundational skills first, learning to manage the ship’s cargo hold, and exploring side content like Vanguard alongside the main story up through Into the Unknown.