If ‘Starfield’ Isn’t Clicking For You Yet, Try Doing These Things

There has been a common sentiment, more than I’ve seen with most other games, that many people start out disliking Starfield or being unimpressed with it, only to have it “click” some amount of time later, where the game turns a corner and those same people end up loving it. Or even starting to consider it a personal GOTY contender.

I wanted to find out if there was a common thread about when and why this “click” happens in Starfield, so I asked my readers and got hundreds and hundreds of responses. I’ve tried to narrow it down to some specific quests or moments, and here’s my advice of what you might want to do in order to start really getting what the game is about. And barely any of it involves the main storyline:

The First Main UC Quest – For my money, and apparently many others as well, some of the best quests in the game are that spawn out of joining the UC near the start of the game. You do this by going to the MAST District and talking to the guy in the lobby. There, you’ll be set in motion on a quest to battle a resurgent monster threat that culminates in getting some great gear in an extremely badass finale mission.

The Crimson Fleet Infiltration Quest – This is the second main UC quest you can start in parallel a little while after you join (I think it can also start by getting arrested in New Atlantis). It’s probably the best quest in the game as you’re sent undercover to invade the system’s largest pirate crew, and you must choose between doing your duty or remaining loyal to your new pirate friends. An incredible questline no matter what you choose.

The Main Freestar Quest – Another good faction quest, this time a winding mystery of who is responsible for threatening farms to leave their homes, and why. The best part is being rewarded with a ship that is three times as good as the one you start with, which will total change how you feel about space travel.

Getting the Full Constellation Crew – The beginning of the main Constellation quest can be pretty dull, but once you unlock the full squad, including Sam Coe and Andreja, that opens up the door for many more companions both in terms of combat benefits but also starting to form actual relationships with these characters, rather than them just sending you to this planet or that planet.

The Mantis Quest – I’ve talked about this before as one of the best side quests in the game, and you can do it early on for big benefits and a good “Fallout” moment at the end, when you realize what it’s done. Kill a Spacer and get their “Secret Base!” note, and follow the instructions from there.

Getting a Not-Terrible Ship – Cannot say enough how bad your first ship is. While I’ve already recommended the Star Eagle, the ship you get from the Freestar quest, you can get one from the Mantis quest, or you can steal one from hijacking one in space (kill the engines, then board) or ones that land on the ground. Instantly, space combat will go from bad to pretty awesome once you have a competitive ship.

Ryujin And Neon – Technically this is not a “faction” per se, but it’s a lengthy espionage storyline inside the game’s Cyberpunk city, where if you’re a stealth/persuasion player in a game like this, it’s the essential quest you’ll want to run to really get the most out of that playstyle. Apply at a kiosk for a Ryujin job, and it starts from there.

Exploring Somewhere Random, And Finding Something Cool – You can’t really pinpoint this, but simply going off the beaten path and finding…something, anything wild and unexpected. You may find nine boring planets, but the tenth has an elaborate pirate base where you fight in low gravity and get a legendary drop. Or you find a planet full of giant praying mantises or dinosaurs. Or you just see a beautiful planetrise on an alien landscape. I’ve experienced all those, and they’re my favorite moments in the game, quite honestly.

Maybe Starfield will never click with you, and that’s okay. But I wouldn’t give up until you’ve tried a good chunk of the above, and see what you think then.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.