Top 5 Best Science Skills in Starfield

By upgrading your Science skills in Starfield, you can significantly progress and explore the universe with higher efficiency. To better understand this, you can check out our list of the best Science skills in Starfield. Thanks to this skill tree, you can get better parts for your weapons and find more resources to create them. Below, we have described the most useful skills that you need to pay attention to.

Best Science Skills To Choose in Starfield

Like all other perks, the skills of the Science tree can be upgraded to level 4. Note that some of them become useful only after reaching a certain level. Below, we have described the best ones, including the benefits you will receive at each level.

5. Planetary Habitation

The advantages of every skill level are listed below:

• Level 1
  • Build Outposts on planets with extreme temperatures: Deep Freeze and Inferno.
  • Increases the maximum number of Outposts by 4.
• Level 2: 
  • Build Outposts on planets with extreme pressure. 
  • Increases the maximum number of Outposts by 8.
• Level 3: 
  • Build Outposts on planets with toxic or corrosive atmospheres. 
  • Increases the maximum number of Outposts by 12.
• Level 4: 
  • Build outposts on planets with extreme gravity. 
  • Increases the maximum number of Outposts by 16.

Imagine a situation in which you have found a planet filled with many resources. However, external factors such as climate or other obstacles prevent you from building an outpost without hindrance.

Thus, you can’t place extractors to passively mine resources, let alone colonize the planet. Fortunately, with the Planetary Habitation skill, you won’t have this problem. Let’s have a look at the opportunities that open up to you at each level and realize how useful it is. We definitely recommend that you focus on leveling up this skill.

4. Weapon Engineering

Here’s what awaits you if you level up this skill:

• Level 1: 
  • Craft improved weapon mods at a Weapon Workbench.
  • Research additional weapon mods at a Research Lab.
• Level 2: 
  • Research and craft superior weapon mods.
• Level 3: 
  • Research and craft cutting-edge weapon mods.
• Level 4: 
  • Research and craft master-level weapon mods.

In our opinion, this is an indispensable science skill in Starfield if you are a fan of powerful weapons. With each new step in the story, you will find plenty of weapons that you will change to new, better, and more powerful ones. But someday, there will come a time when you will find the one that you don’t want to change to any other. 

This is where Weapon Engineering comes in. Despite the basic characteristics of the weapon, you can install unique modifications on it that will turn it into a killing machine.

3. Astrophysics

Here are the opportunities you’ll gain by mastering this skill:

• Level 1: 
  • Scan the moons of your current planet. 
  • There’s a 10% chance of discovering a trait when scanning.
• Level 2: 
  • Scan any planet or moon in this system.
  • There’s a 20% chance of discovering a trait when scanning.
• Level 3: 
  • Scan any planet or moon within 16 Light Years. 
  • There’s a 30% chance of discovering a trait when scanning.
• Level 4: 
  • Scan any planet or moon within 30 Light Years. 
  • There’s a 50% chance of discovering a trait when scanning.

Searching for planet traits is a rather boring and monotonous process that can take a lot of time. Fortunately, with Astrophysics, you can significantly reduce the time and effort of your search. For various research tasks, this skill will become indispensable because now you can scan objects that are even dozens of light years away.

2. Scanning

Here’s a description of each level of this upgrade:

• Level 1: 
  • Detect uncommon inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces and more information about ships in space.
• Level 2: 
  • Detect rare inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces and more specific information about ships in space.
• Level 3: 
  • Detect exotic inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces and gain better combat information on ships in space.
• Level 4: 
  • Detect unique inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces and gain a complete list of cargo on ships in space.

Very similar to the previous one, but a much more useful skill. This way, you can scan not only planet traits but also get information about the resources that are located there. Thus, you significantly reduce the time spent searching for the necessary resources to a minimum. In addition, you can also use this skill to scan ships. If you’ve joined the Crimson Fleet faction, this skill will be indispensable. You can better learn about the enemy’s equipment, its weaknesses, and strengths, and then use it to destroy or board them.

1. Research Methods

Here are the benefits at every level for this skill:

• Level 1: 
  • Resources required to craft items and complete research projects are reduced by 10%.
• Level 2: 
  • Resources required to craft items and complete research projects are reduced by 20%.
• Level 3: 
  • Resources required to craft items and complete research projects are reduced by 40%.
• Level 4: 
  • Sudden developments during research are twice as common. 
  • Resources required to craft items and complete research projects are reduced by 60%.

This is another science skill in Starfield that will help you save a lot of time. Imagine a situation in which you need to complete a research project that requires a bunch of different resources in large quantities. Without the Research Methods skill, you will probably refuse to complete the task, losing experience and rewards. 

But if you thought about it in time and spent skill points to level up this skill, you will most likely enjoy doing such research. The skill will significantly reduce the consumption of hard-to-find, unique resources, and you won’t have to fly into space searching for another mine.

Related:

Top 5 Best Weapons in Starfield

Starfield is available now on Xbox Series S|X and PC.