Things to Do First in Starfield - Starfield Guide - IGN (2024)

When you first start playing Starfield, there’s a very good chance you are going to be overwhelmed in a number of ways. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice given to you when it comes to creating a character, by the absurd amount of loot lying on the ground every 10 steps you take, and so much more. With that in mind, we’ve prepared a list of tips for Things to Do First in Starfield.

Character Creation

The following tips apply to things you should be mindful of when creating your character for the first time. If you only want help picking the best background and trait, head over to the Best Starting Traits and Backgrounds guide.

With a lot of character creators, once you make your character, you’re stuck with it, and so, there’s a little extra pressure to make it as perfect as can be. But in Starfield, it’s very easy to change any cosmetic aspect of your character by visiting specific vendors throughout the galaxy who can make you a whole new you. Just know that it will cost you some money though.

Character Background

• Best Starting Traits and Backgrounds

Character Traits

Almost every trait has both a positive and negative to it, and you can really put yourself in a tight bind if you don’t remember both sides of the coin. If you take Dream House, you’ll be asked to pay 125,000 credits to GalBank or pay a small 500 credit fine occasionally, but the upside is a huge safe storage space for gear – even contraband. If you choose Kid Stuff you will have some delightful encounters with your parents, and some embarrassing ones, but you will send them a small fee weekly as well. If you take Terra Firma, keep in mind before picking a fight that you’re much weaker in space than you are on a planet’s surface. It is possible to remove these traits later on in the game, by various means, but you cannot replace them with new ones.

During the Opening Mission

These tips apply to what you may encounter in the opening hours of the game as you confirm your chosen character and start your adventure to meet the group known as Constellation.

When you're first getting the lay of the land you're presented with a ore to mine. Go ahead and grab it, but don't fret about getting it all if you'd rather get a move on. Most of the ore in this first area doesn't sell for much and won't be of much use until way later.

Once you're free to explore after creating your character, it's time to loot! Be sure to look through open crate. You might even get a lucky drop and get a rare, epic, or legendary weapon! Be sure to prioritize food and medical gear for healing. Don't bother with small things like pens or notepads, though. Your inventory will fill up quickly. Instead, prioritize grabbing weapons, enemy spacesuits if they drop, and other items with high value (basically anything over 100).

In the future, you won’t want to be this loot happy, but since you’re right about to board your ship and can offload all your junk into your ship’s storage, then flip it all once you arrive at New Atlantis, you don’t need to worry about that right now.

In the future, you’ll want to loot only the stuff you can equip or sell for a good amount: Helmets, spacesuits, a bunch of maelstrom machine guns, materials, digipicks, and the like are worth hauling. If you do fill up earlier than expected, try to prioritize items with low weight and high value, like books, antiques, and certain desk ornaments. There are two forms of storage on your ship, the main cargo hold, which you can expand through the very complex shipbuilder, and the captain’s locker. Remember your companion can also haul a lot of gear so use them as well.

Once you've reached the top of the Kreet research lab, you'll open the door to the roof and see three pirates standing there waiting for you. If you interact with them, you'll get your first lesson in persuading an enemy. If you already have the Persuasion skill, go ahead and work on that if you intend on ranking it up in the future. If not, you'll want to save before engaging the enemy and get to shooting. The captain will drop some sort of rare weapon that is usually worth the trouble. It’s a random drop though, so if you’re down with save scumming, save before the fight, and reload if you’re not happy with what you got.

Arrival in New Atlantis

The following tips are for when you complete the tutorial and make it to New Atlantis, at which point you can begin exploring the whole city as well as distant planets:

If at this point you've kept up with looting, both your ship and personal storage should be nearly maxed out, which is perfect, since the first thing you can interact with on New Atlantis is a vendor kiosk with 5000 credits — just look for the yellow kiosk by a ship technician as you leave your ship. You should have enough weapons, spacesuits, packs, and junk to completely drain the kiosk of its credits.

You can even sell right from your ship’s hold so no need to load up before heading to the shop. Look for the prompt on the screen to swap to your ship's inventory and sell from there too. If you fully tap out the kiosk’s credit limit, there’s also a store called Jemison Mercantile just past the security checkpoint. Worst comes to worst, you can reset a shop's credit by waiting for 48 hours. Simply take a seat somewhere and wait the first 24 hours then wait another 24 once that's up.

Once you reach New Atlantis, you’re able to book it towards The Lodge, which is where you’ll meet the members of Constellation and get wrapped up in your first big mission. Our recommendation is to put on your blinders, ignore most of the distractions, and power through the main quest for at least few hours until at the very least you complete the quest "Into the Unknown." There’s a few reasons for this:

• Gaining access to The Lodge also nets you a free room to rest in, and more importantly, a basem*nt storage area full of crafting tables, along with a chest you can dump as many materials you want in when your ship gets full.

• The second reason is that advancing the main story will earn you some very interesting rewards that can change the nature of the game through Tap to Reveal. Once you unlock this new thing, the door will open for many more, and at that point you can choose what to prioritize.

Once you’re satisfied with your main quest progress and want to go off the main path, the best way to find new things to do is to check your activities list in your quest log. Oftentimes you’ll gain a prompt for a sidequest without even realizing it just by running past an NPC dropping a nugget of gossip. These activities can start you on long, winding side missions, or they can just be a quick little conversation that nets you some quick EXP or credits.

One specific type of side mission that will pay off quick and early is a faction side mission. One that we recommend is the UC Vanguard faction, which you can start simply by talking to the recruiter behind the desk at MAST. He’s also Sarah’s contact, so you should be talking with him anyway if you’re following the main storyline. During the main missions, you should also get a side mission called Mantis. Definitely do that one.

You can join all factions without conflict, so don't be sheepish about enlisting with a group when you're given the chance.

You’ll gain some cash right up front after a quick flight test simulator, and you’ll get some more rewards after you’re sworn in. It also puts you on the path to do the Crimson Fleet faction mission. And hey, we’re not going to tell you what kind of person to be in Starfield, but smuggling and selling contraband through them is one of the best ways to make money in Starfield.

• See also: How to Smuggle and Sell Contraband

Don’t forget about your starting traits! Did you take the trait that causes your parents to still be alive? Maybe you got the Dream Home trait? If you do, you might as well reap the benefits of these choices. These aren’t the most immediately rewarding questlines, but some of them do pay off in interesting ways if you see them through, so make sure to get those activities started.

Check out these guides next:

• How to Access Premium Content with Premium Edition
• How to Use Cross-Saves
• How to Visit Your Dream Home (and Pay Off Your Mortgage)
• How to Visit Your Parents with the Kid Stuff Trait
• How to Win Ship Battles
• How to Increase Carry Capacity
• Things Starfield Doesn't Tell You
• Strange Encounters