Here you can get an overview of how ships in Starfield are built. MeinMMO shows you details about shipbuilding, the different systems, and images of ships that have already been shown in trailers.
The shipbuilding in Starfield is said to be one of the biggest features of the sci-fi RPG. Your ships will always accompany you and depending on which path you want to take in the game, the focus of your ship will be on different tasks.
smugglers need secure storage, protected from customs scanners. Pirate hunters should opt for mobile ships that can outmaneuver enemy hunters. Luxury liners should pamper their passengers with extra service.
We do not yet know all the details about shipbuilding in Starfield. But what has already been shown, we explain to you here in the overview:
At the opening event of gamescom 2023, there was also a new, impressive trailer of Starfield to see:
Info about the feature – Details on shipbuilding
We start with a few basic information about the shipbuilding feature:
- You start with a “free” ship that you can upgrade – the “Frontier”
- You can own multiple ships and have a main ship
- Large ships or fleets are said to be possible only in the endgame
- The feature is described as “expensive”; you need a lot of in-game currency
- There are at least 10 docks where you can redesign your ships
- Different docks offer different parts – also visually
- You can control ships in third person or first person perspective
- When you redesign your ship, you have to pass a “Flight Check”
- You cannot land directly on every planet, but need certain equipment for some terrains
- Hostile ships can be boarded, but must then be “registered” at a high cost
- Jumps with the Grav-Drive can be interrupted by enemy (pirate) ships
- You can take crewmembers who improve your ship
- The ship has a total health (hull strength); modules come with their own health values
- You can probably call your ship anywhere, like a mount in other games
- If you don’t feel like building ships, you can upgrade existing systems or buy finished ships
By the way, all ships in the game were actually built in the ship designer, which is also available to players. However, that doesn’t mean that you can replicate the biggest ships in Starfield yourself.
How large your ships can actually become cannot be said for sure at the moment. However, the previously shown material on Starfield allows some conclusions to be drawn:
Ship Modules – The foundation of every ship
Your ship consists of 13 different module types, each with its own properties that change the values of your ship. At the various docks, you will receive modules with a different distribution of values.
Some parts you need to be able to perform certain actions – such as landing on special planetary surfaces. Other parts only bring visual functions.
Here are all known module types:
- Cockpit
- Provides hull points, space for crewmembers and storage
- Habitat
- Accommodations for more crewmembers
- Shield Generator
- Creates a shield around the ship
- Cargo Hold
- Increases your storage space
- Engine
- The engine determines speed / acceleration / mobility
- Fuel Tanks
- Stores Helium-3 for all drive applications: Must be refilled
- Grav Drive
- Enables lightspeed jumps, determines range (light years) and consumption
- Reactor
- Provides energy bars that can be distributed in subsystems
- Weapons
- Energy weapons / projectile weapons / lasers / electro-magnetic: Different weapons provide different advantages in battle
- Landing-Gears
- You can land on certain planets
- Landing Bay
- You can leave the ship on certain planets
- Docker
- For docking maneuvers in space
- Cowling
- Structural elements that change the appearance
The appearance of the module types can vary greatly, allowing for countless combinations and a high degree of customization.
If you want to keep a module longer, you can upgrade it at a dock and thus increase its values. So you don’t necessarily have to buy a better module. However, it is still unclear whether there are stronger or only specialized modules.
Each module strengthens certain values. Additionally, the mass of the modules is important because you need to dimension your drive accordingly. A bulky freighter also needs powerful engines; otherwise, the cargo will never arrive.
Here is an example of the values of a drive from the showcase:
- Engine module
- Class
- Max. Power
- Engine Thrust
- Maneuvering Thrust
- Engine Health
- Hull
- Crew Capacity
Your drive thus affects different areas of the ship and can even increase the crew member capacity. Modules also come with their own health, which means they can be damaged independently of the ship’s hull.
Sub-systems & values – You determine the balance
How do sub-systems work? When you’re sitting in your cockpit, you have access to an energy distribution matrix. Your reactor module determines the amount of energy that you can freely distribute among your subsystems.
Want more thrust to flee from the space police? More energy on the lasers to toast the enemy’s shields? You can distribute energy freely and boost the following systems:
- LAS / Laser
- BAL / Ballistics
- MSL / Missile Damage Strength
- ENG / Engine
- SHD / Shield
- GRV / Gravity Drive
During your adventures in space, you will constantly be busy playing with the energy regulators. Energy management will be particularly important during combat against other ships – depending on whether you need shields because you are being pursued or weapon power because you are attacking.
What values should you pay attention to? Below we show you a few values of the ships in Starfield. They are composed of your modules and the design of the ship.
You decide where to set your focus, in which direction you balance your ship:
- Hull – health of the ship
- Shield – more health / regeneration when not in combat
- Cargo – how much stuff you can take with you
- Shield Cargo Capacity – possibly space for contraband
- Max. Crew – the maximum number of crewmembers
- Jump Range – maximum distance with a Grav-Drive jump
- Mobility – better maneuverability
- Top Speed – maximum speed in a system
- Mass – the mass of your ship
Particularly the mass is an interesting value that you need to pay attention to. Because the mass determines how powerful your drive must be. Maneuverability also suffers on large, heavy ships.
If you want to see the segment on shipbuilding from the deep dive of Starfield, you can find the English video here:
Customization options – Scope still uncertain
In principle, you can assemble all modules in the game as you wish. The only limits to your imagination are set by the size of a dock.
- Different modules
You can apparently find visually different modules with similar values at different docks. The design of the modules depends on the respective planet where you buy the parts. The ship designer then allows you to assemble the modules freely.
- Painting tools
The hull of your ship can be painted as colorful as you see fit. Individual parts can be customized, but you can also repaint the entire ship with one click.
Here is a small selection of ships that have already been shown:
- Furniture and interior
Your ship can be set up by you. How deep the system goes cannot be assessed so far. The developers once mentioned a comparison with the construction system of Doom 2016. This would open up many possibilities. Check out the English video from the channel “Starfield Signal” if you want to know more about it (via youtube.com).
Ships and shipbuilding could make up a large part of your Starfield experience. Or not: If you don’t feel like using the ship designer, merchants offer finished ships that you just need to upgrade.
If you have any questions on the topic, feel free to drop them in the comments.
You can find our big overview with all information about Starfield here: Starfield: All information about the release of Bethesda’s SciFi epic – gameplay, editions & content
