Starfield: 10 Best Skills (2024)

Exploring the galaxy in Starfield can be a wealth of fun. Exploring new planets, discovering exotic aliens, finding rare loot, and meeting new people. The bad part is many of these aliens and people aren't the friendly type, as if space wasn't dangerous enough.

However, you'll need to hone your skills if you want to survive for long in the wide reaches of space, and thankfully Starfield has plenty of skills to spend points on. But which of these are the best to spend upgrade points on, regardless of class or play style you prefer?

10 Stealth

The quiet approach may not be the preferred way of solving problems in Starfield, but it doesn't hurt to have the option. Stealth lets you sneak by crouching, which is useful since this game likes to throw enemies at you, often in big numbers.

But, many missions also have plenty of options in how to approach them, and the ability to either enter into a combat situation or avoid one entirely through sneaking can be a game changer. Even using it on one quest or encounter makes this skill well worth it.

9 Piloting

Traveling from one star system to another in your favorite spaceship is how you'll spend a lot of time in Starfield. Knowing that it comes in handy to have the Piloting skill, since the first level of this skill allows for boosters, which are great for covering distance fast both in and out of space combat.

The next levels allow you to pilot larger classes of ships. This is a boon for not only farther space travel but also allows you to survive deadlier space combat and stow a higher amount of stuff on your spaceship.

8 Weight Lifting

Like any Bethesda game, there's a lot of loot to be found on the various planets of Starfield, and only so much you can carry at a time. Granted, technically you can carry as much as you want, but being over-encumbered does slow your movement after a time.

This also allows O2 to build up which can cause some health problems for your character. Each level of Weight Lifting you have gives you extra carrying capacity, which means you can carry more loot, weapons, or anything that catches your eye.

7 Target Control Systems

Person-to-person fighting is only half the combat systems in Starfield, as ship combat is a necessary thing when spacers or any other enemy faction wants to raid your ship. While upgrading your ship's weapons definitely helps, it also isn't a bad idea to invest in some ship-based combat skills either.

One of the best skills of this kind would be Target Control Systems. The first level allows you to target individual ships in combat (which is a no-brainer for effectiveness), and from there, the speed and damage in which you target other ships is increased greatly.

6 Wellness

Whether it's enemy weapons, the harshness of alien planets, or just fall damage, you're sure to get hurt sooner or later. Wellness gives you more wiggle room for when that happens, and each level of this skill adds more health points to your total.

This hopefully means healing less and having more time between healing. Combines with other health-based skills, and you'll be an absolute juggernaut in a fight, or just able to survive longer in hostile terrain.

5 Negotiation

Some people love to play a character gifted with a silver tongue, and if that's you, then look into the Negotiation skill. This skill brings up optional skill-based dialogue choices in some conversations.

Much like persuasion or threatening, you'll have to make the right choices and hope luck is on your side too. But, it definitely helps to have one more fallback between just walking into a mission with guns blazing, especially when you want to learn more about the mission at hand.

4 Theft

Sometimes you can't talk your way out of a problem, and you may not necessarily want to shoot your way out of it either. Sometimes you can steal your way out of it, as Theft is a pretty straightforward skill, the first level allows you to pickpocket NPCs.

The next levels increase the chances of you being successful at doing so. This skill is a go-to for missions that require you to retrieve an item from an unsavory character, or when you just really like someone's hat.

3 Commerce

Not everything in Starfield is a fight for our life, and sometimes you just want to go shopping for a new outfit or ship. Even if you're not keen on a shopping spree, sooner or later you'll need to buy or sell something to a nearby merchant.

That's where the Commerce skill comes in, which allows you to buy items at cheaper prices and sell items for higher prices. It's a win-win however you look at it, and your life as a space trucker is one step closer.

2 Demolitions

While explosives may not be everyone's favorite mode of finishing a fight, it can be handy to chuck a grenade once and a while. Demolitions make this far easier, and each concurrent level increases the damage and radius of your explosive ordinance.

But, it's perhaps the first level that does the most, as it allows you to see the trajectory arc of the grenade as you prepare to throw it. This lessens any unfortunate mis-throws that could damage you or your allies.

1 Rejuvenation

Skills like Wellness are one thing, but being able to regenerate health naturally is far better than relying on health supplies. That's exactly what Rejuvenation is there for, a higher-level skill that can take some working up to, but it's well worth the points.

You slowly regenerate any lost health at higher rates the higher the level of the skill. You may still need meds from time to time, but it does help to be able to walk away from a fight knowing you'll be in full health before the next one.

Next: Starfield: The Best Starting Traits