Starfield: Quickstart and Core Mechanics

Okay Dusty, time to get your feet wet. Purpose of this guide is to go over all the major game mechanics so you can make sensible decisions as you start your trek into the stars. I will be developing this guide as I’m able to.

Here’s the tl;dr version of optimal character parameters for completing the main quest.

Pick one of these for your initial build

Cyberneticist
Soldier
Xenobiologist
[FILE NOT FOUND] (note, this is an actual pick, not a make-your-own)

• Extrovert
• United Colonies Native
• blank/whatever you want

As you level up, first focus on developing your skills in this order:
Combat, Social, Tech, Physical/Science

Primary Skills:
Physical : Wellness, Energy Weapon Dissapation, Pain Tolerance, Rejuvenation
Social: Persuasion, Negotiation, Scavenging,
Combat: Lasers XOR Ballistics, Particle Weapons, Rifle/Heavy Weapons stack
Science: Medicine, Surveying
Tech: Piloting, Security, Shield Systems

Secondary Skills:
Physical : Fitness, Weight Lifting (if you’re a horder), Rejuvination
Social : Commerce, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Ship Command
Combat : Any/all
Science: Astrodynamics, Space suit design, Weapons Engineering, Outpost Engineering, Aneutronic Fusion
Tech: Any Weapon System, Payloads (if you’re a horder)

There are some skills that you must spend at least one point in to unlock relevant game mechanics. They are:
Physical->Stealth: enables sneaking
Physical->Gymnastics: enables sliding
Social->Negotiation: enables bribing
Science->Surveying: enables zoom
Tech->Boost pack training: enables jetpacks
Tech->Piloting: enables directional thrusters on ship
Tech->Targeting Control Systems: lets you pick a system to attack on a ship

You may not want/need that game mechanic, but I put them here to let you know they will change how you play the game a bit. Definitely get boost pack training.

To beat the main quest, you will eventually need to develop a proficiency in all the main areas of gameplay: social interaction, personal combat and ship combat. You will also encounter a need to learn ship design and outpost building.

Now to cover each game mechanic in detail

This section covers basic controls and core mechanics outside of piloting and dialogue.

All motion controls are near the standard WASD.

Left click – fire

Right click – aim

Jump – Space

Sneak (toggle) – Left Ctrl

Sprint (toggle) – Left Shift

Walk/Run – Caps lock

Melee – V

Thrown attack – G

Reload – R, or left click when empty. If you interrupt the reload animation, it will only partially reload the clip.

Scan mode (toggle) – F

Character Menu – Tab

Game Menu – ESC

Tapping a key and holding a key are different actions. Tapping F will switch to scanner mode, holding F will toggle your flashlight.

Play around with this for a bit to make sure you know what a short tap feels like.

If a menu action has a letter next to it with a line underneath it, that indicates a long-press. (I imagine this feels more intuitive on a controller than on a keyboard)

Perk-specific:
Jet-pack – Long-Space (after jump). Requires 1 Skill/level point in Tech->BOOST PACK TRAINING. It is worth noting that this is only done in bursts and there is a particular rhythm between presses. You can trigger the jet-pack immediately after jumping, but that is rarely optimal. This rhythm changes as you level up the perk.

Slide – Left-Ctrl while Sprinting (Left-Shift). Requires 1 Skill/level point in Physical->GYMNASTICS

I call this my “loot finder”

A short F will toggle between scan mode and normal mode. Most combat controls are disabled while in scan mode (such as action-bar/# keys, which typically include your health packs).

It will also replace any “activate” or “use” commands with the standard “scan.”

Scan mode will give you a wealth of information about your current environment.

1. Your compass and status indicator icon. Quest objectives are marked by the blue Hexagon. The solid curve line on the bottom of the circle is your stamina/O2. Note the gravity here as that will affect how you move around. Typically, anything above 0.66g and you’ll want to walk/run rather than try to use your jetpack.

2. Current planetary survey status. Fauna are animals, Flora are plants, Resources are Minerals. The circular question marks are planetary traits, marked as “unknown” points of interest when you are exploring a planet. These bars will fill up as you get close to and hit ‘e’ to scan different objects in the game. Planets also contain multiple biomes, and a green indicator will show up here if you’ve found all the relevant flora/fauna for your current biome.

3. Display/targeting indicator changes. Targeting indicator now marks the distance between you and what you’re looking at. Your maximum scan range is off to the left and the circle acts as a viewport for your scan region.

4. Interact-able object. Anything you can pickup, talk to, attack, or harvest will get at least a blue outline. A blue outline indicates a general object that might be scannable. For flora, fauna, and resources, this blue outline will change depending on where you’re at in your planetary survey. Solid blue means you’ve scanned this individual, and solid green means no more scans are needed on this object.

5. Laser cutter. If you have one in your inventory, then the laser cutter is the only ‘weapon’ you can use in scan mode. Left click to bring it out, and Long-R to holster it. It’s intended use is to mine minerals, but it is a potent weapon if you take the “laser” weapon perks, despite it’s 10m range limit.