Best Skills to Unlock and Upgrade First - Starfield Guide - IGN (2024)

One of the first choices you’ll have to make in Starfield is your background, which comes with one point in three of the 25 skills you can choose at the beginning of the game. But how do these choices affect you further down the line? Which skills are best to start with?

This comprehensive guide will explain everything you need to know about selecting the six best skills everyone should consider unlocking and upgrading in Starfield when first starting out.

Understanding How Skills Work in Starfield

A few quick points of clarification – some skills unlock abilities that you wouldn’t get otherwise, such as Boost Pack Training, Piloting Thrusters, Targeting Control Systems, and Theft. Want to pickpocket? You're going to need the Theft skill. Others improve things that you won’t get the full picture of early on without investing at least one point, such as Stealth, Security, and Geology. It’s good to examine the description of each skill to see what additional functionality it provides.

The skills themselves also level differently than Bethesda’s previous games. After putting one point into a particular skill, you’re given a challenge to complete. After you meet the requirements, such as using a Boost Pack in combat or killing a number of enemies with a particular kind of weapon, you can spend another skill point to level up that skill.

Multiple points are required to move down different levels of the five skill trees, so investing multiple points in a skill you use often rather than having to spread them out among the other beginner skills will still pay dividends down the line.

Best Skills to Unlock and Upgrade First in Starfield

Want to learn more about a particular skill? Click the links below to jump to…

• Boost Pack Training
• Weapon Type (Your Choice, But Take At Least One)
• Stealth
• Research Methods
• Security
• Targeting Control Systems
• Other Skills to Consider Upgrading

Boost Pack Training

If you want to use a jetpack, you’ll need to invest a point into Boost Pack training. After unlocking it, if you have a pack equipped that has the boost pack function, press jump again in the air to activate it.

Weapon Type (Your Choice, But Take At Least One)

Even if you go in on the Persuasion skill, you will still face combat of some kind. Investing in the weapon type of your choice early on (if your Background doesn't include one) will go far in the long run. Every kill with that weapon will move closer to the rank up of that skill, so if you’re using a type you don’t have a point invested in, you’re kind of wasting a potential damage upgrade. After you complete a skill challenge you will need to spend a Skill Point to upgrade it.

Also, putting a point in Ballistics or Lasers will have that weapon type pull double duty. For instance, kills with a ballistic pistol will provide points toward the ranks up of both the pistol and the ballistic skill tree. Leveling a weapon in the combat tree early is a great way to get a jump on training with the more advanced weapons later down the tree, such as Heavy Weapons, Rifles, and even Snipers.

Stealth

Putting a point in Stealth activates your stealth indicator at the top of your screen. You can still try and crouch around without it, but you won’t know whether or not an enemy can see you. However far you want to level the skill up is your choice, but if you don’t put at least one point in it, stealth isn't really a viable option.

Research Methods

If you plan on doing lots of crafting, this one's for you. This will save a lot of resources down the line, as researching more projects will continue to level the skill up, creating a cascading effect over time.

Not only does it save resources if you want to go hard on crafting, but getting the skill all the way leveled increases the chance of Sudden Developments, which autofills certain project requirements even if you don’t have all the resources, and lets you finish projects way more easily. Every mod or research project completed without this skill is wasting your time and resources.

Security

You’ll have an abundance of locks to pick across the stars, so it’s a good idea to put at least one point in Security, which will let you attempt to pick Novice and Advanced Locks. And the more locks you open, the further you can enhance the skill.

Since Security is on the Tech tree, putting a point here and continuing to level it up not only allows you to break open more locks but allows you to allocate points to some of the cooler ship upgrades.

See also: Lockpicking Explained - Best Tips for Success

Targeting Control Systems

Skill Description: Unlock ship targeting functionality. You'll also have the time to lock onto enemy ships reduced by 60%, as well as 20% increased system damage in targeting mode.

If you want to board enemy ships so you can kill them face-to-face and take all their stuff, Targeting Control Systems unlocks the functionality to target individual parts of enemy ships. This means you can target the engines so they can’t get away and then approach and dock their ship before boarding for a hostile takeover.

Other Skills to Consider Upgrading

That’s not all, though; here are 10 additional notable skills to consider upgrading as you progress through the game and unlock more Skill Points.

• Commerce
  • Earn upwards of 25% more on all sold items. This is great for those relying on contraband and other illegal goods to earn their Credits.
• Theft
  • Unlocks the ability to pickpocket targets, as well as upwards of 50% increased chance to successfully pickpocket, and even pickpocket holstered weapons.
• Piloting
  • Gain the ability to use ship thrusters, increase turning rate and maneuverability, and pilot Class B and Class C ships.
• Spacesuit Design
  • Gain the ability to research and craft upwards of cutting-edge Spacesuit and Helmet mods.
• Weapon Engineering
  • Gain the ability to research and craft upwards of master-level weapon mods.
• Persuasion
  • Have upwards of a 50% increased chance of success when persuading someone.

• Starship Design
  • Gain the ability to install upwards of unique and experimental ship modules.
• Planetary Habitation
  • Gain the ability to build outposts on dangerous planets with extreme and dangerous environments.
• Geology
  • Receive additional inorganic resources, including the occasional rare resource, from surface objects.