How to Customize Ships in Starfield: A Comprehensive Guide
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Customizing your ship in Starfield is a multifaceted process that allows you to completely overhaul your vessel, both aesthetically and functionally. It involves a blend of purchasing upgrades, adding new modules, and visually tweaking its appearance. This level of customization is a core feature of the game, allowing players to truly create a ship that fits their playstyle and personal taste. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how you can customize your ships in Starfield:
The Ship Services Technician: Your First Stop
The primary way to access ship customization in Starfield is by interacting with a ship services technician NPC. You can find these technicians at most spaceports and landing zones in populated areas. Simply approach a technician and select the dialogue option, “I’d like to view and modify my ships.” This will take you into the ship modification interface.
From this interface you can see a list of ships that you own. You can switch between them using the LB and RB buttons. Choose the ship you wish to modify.
Upgrading and Adding Modules
The ship customization interface gives you access to a powerful Ship Builder. Here, you can significantly alter your ship’s stats and capabilities:
- Module Upgrades: You can pay to upgrade individual ship modules. This might include improving your weapons, bolstering your engines, upgrading your shields, installing new grav drives, increasing your cargo capacity, or upgrading your reactor.
- Adding New Modules: You can attach completely new modules. This expands your ships capabilities allowing for new types of weapons, more cargo space, improved mobility and much more. To add a module, move your cursor to an empty space on your ship or move existing modules away, then press the appropriate button to enter the module menu. Choose a desired module from a menu containing weapons, engines, shields, grav drives, cargo, reactors, and more.
- Rearranging Existing Modules: You can ‘grab’ modules using a cursor by hovering over them and pressing the corresponding button, and then move modules on your ship.
Visual Customization
Starfield also offers several options for visually customizing your ship:
- Painting Your Ship: While in the Ship Builder, you can highlight a part of your ship you wish to modify the color on. Then select the color wheel button. A color wheel will appear, allowing you to select and apply the desired color.
- Interior Decoration: Starfield also allows you to manually decorate the interior of your ship. This involves picking up items and placing them in the living quarters, storage, and cockpit.
Renaming Your Ship
Giving your ship a personalized name is another great way to customize it. You can do this by:
- Speaking to a Ship Technician and choosing to view and modify your ships.
- Clicking “Ship Builder.”
- Clicking “Flight Check.”
- Clicking “Rename” and entering a new name of up to 14 characters.
How To Access The Ship Builder
You can access the Ship Builder through two primary methods:
- Ship Services Technicians: As previously mentioned, these NPCs located at spaceports will enable you to customize your ship.
- Large Landing Pads at Outposts: If you build an outpost, you can use the large landing pad to access ship customization options directly.
Starship Design Skill
While not directly part of customization, the Starship Design skill impacts which ship parts you can install and how effectively you can manage your resources. Leveling this skill will unlock access to higher-tier components and improved performance overall.
Stealing and Buying Ships
While you can heavily modify the starting ship, you may also acquire new ships through:
- Purchasing: You can buy ships at various ship services technicians across different star systems.
- Stealing: You can steal and pilot ships from certain locations and from enemies.
- Earning: Certain ships are given as rewards for in-game activities, quests, and traits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I completely change the look of my ship?
Yes, you can significantly change the look of your ship in Starfield. You can replace and reposition almost every module, allowing you to craft a unique design. You can also adjust the color of individual modules and add interior decorations.
2. Are there any limitations to ship customization?
Yes, there are limits. You cannot simply add any part to any place on the ship. The game imposes rules regarding size, weight, and power. Each new part must connect to an appropriate place on the existing ship layout. Furthermore, upgrading higher tier parts may require a higher level of Piloting Skill.
3. How do I unlock more ship customization options?
You gain access to more modules and customization options by purchasing them from the Shipwright Shops, obtaining exclusive rewards, or simply leveling your character and their Starship Design Skill.
4. Can I add workshops to my ship?
Yes, you can add workbenches to your ship by adding a HAB module. Inside the HABS tab in the ship builder menu, you can select and install different workbench stations, such as research labs, armor benches, and pharmaceutical stations.
5. How many ships can I own in Starfield?
You can own up to ten ships at once. To acquire a new ship when you reach this limit, you must sell one of your existing ships.
6. Where can I find the best ships in Starfield?
The “best” ship depends on your needs, with some better at combat, others at cargo and others at speed. The Narwhal is a good option with a high-powered reactor, while the Razorleaf is a great early all-round option. You can purchase some great ships in specific locations or earn others by completing certain quests and challenges.
7. What is the best free ship in Starfield?
The Starborn Guardian is considered one of the best free ships in the game. It is acquired through main quest progression. The Razorleaf is another highly valued free ship earned early on by completing a specific quest line.
8. Can I steal ships from the Starborn?
No, you cannot steal Starborn ships or armor.
9. What is the best ship for carrying cargo?
The Silent Runner is widely regarded as the best ship in Starfield for carrying a large amount of cargo.
10. How do I sell my ships?
To sell a ship, talk to a Ship Technician and choose the option to “Let me see what ships you have for sale”. You will be given the option to sell any of your existing ships.
11. Where can I buy Class B ships?
Class B ships are purchasable at Deimos Staryard, found orbiting Mars by talking to Nikau Henderson.
12. Is the Starship Design skill important for customization?
Yes, the Starship Design skill is essential. This allows the player to unlock the ability to install higher-level and more complex ship components.
13. What is the best class of ship?
The best class of ship depends on what you are looking for and your playstyle, but the class C ships are the most powerful and complex. However, many consider class A to be ideal due to the added speed and manoeuvrability. It may be best to experiment with a variety of ships and parts to see which one fits your personal preference.
14. How do I change my ship’s color?
Enter the Ship Builder, highlight the ship part you want to change, and select the color wheel option. Select the color you like and apply it.
15. Can I rename my ship?
Yes, you can rename your ship in Starfield. Go to a Ship Technician, choose to modify your ships, click “Ship Builder,” then “Flight Check,” and finally, choose “Rename.”