Starfield Ship Building Guide

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Bethesda has delivered one of the best space sims in recent years. While you can build your own ship in Starfield, it can get complex, possibly requiring a guide if you go into its depths. You have plenty of options for how you will travel through the universe. There are plenty of great ships to find or purchase, which you can either keep as is or upgrade. Shipbuilding can get creative, as people have been recreating their favorite ships from Halo, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. No matter what you want to build, we have a guide to help you figure out what you need to do and some tips to navigate the overwhelming feature.

Starfield Ship Building 101 Guide

Starfield ship building guide Ship Technician — Image Source: Bethesda via The Nerd Stash

Where to Customize & Build a Starship

Any populated, civilized place like New Atlantis or the plentiful space stations will have a Ship Services Technician. From talking to this worker, you have two options. You can purchase a ship or modify any you own. Through the prologue, you obtain a free ship, the Frontier, to get you started. Any ship can be torn apart to recreate from the ground up or have simple modifications.

Not a single Ship Services Technician will have everything that you need. Some unique items will need the right salesman. A popular way to play is being a space pirate, which requires a shielded cargo bay to avoid the confiscation of your contraband. Explore the universe for what you need and ensure you mark or remember where those preferred Ship Services Technicians are located.

Build Versus Upgrade

Starfield ship buidling guide Razorleaf — Image Source: Bethesda via The Nerd Stash

At first, it can be a bit tricky when you start building a ship in Starfield. You can either upgrade or build it, but the difference can throw you off as you start to learn the basics. Upgrading a ship lets you buy upgraded versions of parts you already have, but there is a limit to what you can upgrade. This is only for some essentials, like engines, grav drive, and weapons.

In the Ship Builder menu, you get a broader look at your ship. You can move the camera around to select any piece of your ship’s exterior. You can move pieces around, delete them, or replace them with something better. This is how you can get a real boost as you swap out your hull, reactor, shield, and other important parts for an improvement.

The easiest way to start building is to remove or delete what you don’t want. There will be a gap where it was, and when you highlight that placement, blue circles will appear. These indicators are where it attaches. A button automatically lets you attach the section you want, like adding a new reactor or storage, without maneuvering it to fit, which can be finicky. Just know that certain attachments won’t always work, as pieces will not attach to any empty space.

All Starfield Ship Classes

Starfield leaves out plenty of information for you to figure out or look up a guide, like the class system for ship parts when you get to building. There are A, B, and C classes, which are essentially a rank of quality. A is the lowest, then B, and C is the highest tier, although trade-offs can prove that an A in some situations could beat out a C. The main takeaway is that ships will not be able to be created if there is a conflict in classes, particularly when it comes to the parts you attach conflict with the class of your reactor.

The Best Ways to Afford Ship Parts

Starfield ship building guide exterior — Image Source: Bethesda via The Nerd Stash

Ships, both building and buying, in Starfield get expensive. Depending how you are playing or the credits you have will determine what you decide to do for a new ship.

Money is the biggest factor in most cases, even if you steal a new ship, as you will want to beef it up. Selling items through however you are roleplaying will get you the most money, as quests usually don’t pay as much. Selling items can earn you quite a bit of money to afford fancy ships or pieces to upgrade. Contraband can get you a lot of credits, but you will need a shielded cargo bay to bypass security patrolling outside of planets. Putting it in your cargo hold with that shield should get you through without problems.

You can get ships for free, which requires additional work. The obvious choice is to steal if you see a ship that you like. Ships randomly land on planets or can be seen flying. You can board by destroying their engines when flying or, if landed, get inside through the hull. Either way, kill the crew and take their ship for yourself, as long as you have the perk to fly that type of vessel. The other way to get a free ship is to do quests, as some end with a ship, like the quest titled “Mantis.”

All Habs in Starfield

Storeroom hab — Image Source: Bethesda via The Nerd Stash

Most parts of a ship when you are building in Starfield are clearly written out for you to figure out what they do. Weapons are meant for combat; shields protect you, and engines will make you faster and help maneuverability. Habs can be unclear if you want more room for crew members, workbenches, and other benefits. Below are the different habs and what they offer: