Starfield ship customization guide – ship building explained

Starfield ship customization is among the space-exploration RPG’s core elements, with your spaceship having the ability to traverse 100+ star systems and 1000+ planets. You’ll be able to perform tasks like trading, exploration, and combat across the alien worlds.

With a scale that outclasses Bethesda games like Skyrim, Fallout, and Morrowind, Starfield doesn’t lack in ambition. Using your own spaceship to explore the cosmos for Constellation or interacting with the Starfield Crimson Fleet faction is a key selling point for many.

Starfield ship customization

Starfield offers players robust ship customization with the possibility to modify existing ships or build one from scratch at a Ship Service Technician in all major cities and settlements. This can be anywhere from major cities like New Atlantis or Neon to smaller locations like the Red Mile, Paradiso, and New Homestead. Ship customisation in Starfield doesn’t just affect the look of a ship, but also how it flies and performs when airborne, along with how well it fares in combat and how much cargo it can carry.

Here are all the Starfield ship customization options:

• Colour
• LAS/BAL/MSL
• Hull and Shield
• Cargo and Crew
• Jump Range
• Mobility and Top Speed
• Mass
• Cannons and Lasers
• Cockpits and Cowls
• Engines and Fuel Tanks
• Habitat Modules and Landers
• Reactors

Every Starfield ship part explained

Here’s an exhaustive explanation of all the categories of ship parts you can tinker around with in Starfield. Parts of different classes by different manufacturers can affect ship stats differently. There are three classes – Class A, Class B, and Class C, with C being the best quality. 

You can build modules that are of a higher class than your current reactor. For example, if you have an A class reactor, you won’t be able to install a C-class shield generator. Additionally, certain ship modules require higher ranks in skills such as Piloting and Starship Design, so be sure to put any skill points into these skills if necessary.

Lastly, certain parts are a requirement, and you will be unable to confirm your ship design without them. Things like engines, cockpits, a docker etc. are necessary modules which you have to factor into all of your designs.

Colour

Players can alter the colour of their ship by hue, saturation, and brightness. It remains to be seen if players can customize the colour of individual components, too. Ship skins and mods could grant players even more flexibility in terms of appearance. Colours don’t seem to have any stat modifiers like stealth or style.

LAS/BAL/MSL

LAS/BAL/MSL stand for Lasers, Ballistics, and Missiles in Starfield. These are your core weapon options in Starfield and can be upgraded by a ship technician. Earn more Starfield credits to unlock powerful offensive options in the game.

Hull and Shield

The hull and shield form the core health bars of your ship in Starfield. This protects your ship’s cargo, machinery, and Starfield crew members. Considering that your spaceship will encounter harsh conditions of all kinds, ensure that you get the right upgrades to brave the unknown.

Cargo and Crew

The cargo and crew stats in Starfield determine how much cargo and how many members can fit in your rig. The crew system lets you bring companions with you along for the adventure. They have unique traits and perks that can aid you in combat. Cargo could involve loot from trade or other narrative-related baggage.

Jump Range

Jump range in Starfield is the distance your ship can travel between star systems. It is measured in light years.

Mobility and Top Speed

Mobility in Starfield lets you understand how well you can manoeuvre your ship. Boosting this will help you survive combat encounters more easily. And your top speed in Starfield determines how fast your spaceship can travel. This is important while trading, exploring, or facing hostile ships.

Mass

Mass in Starfield ship terms is a representation of how heavy your spaceship is. Heavier ships might have better defences and could carry more cargo and crew. But a lighter ship might be more nimble in combat and could travel great distances quickly. It’s a balance left for the players to solve. Stats like W0, W1, and W2 might refer to the weapons at your disposal. Losing engine power (ENG) might reduce speed while shields are gauged by the (SHD) bar. Keep an eye on your grav drive (GRV) bar if you need to switch solar systems quickly.

Cannons and Lasers

Cannons and ship Lasers in Starfield augment the ship’s offensive capabilities. Your Cannons and Lasers have four key stats, which are Class, Reactor power req, Health, and Mass.

Cockpits and Cowls

In Starfield, players sit in a cockpit as they traverse the stars in their spaceship. It determines how much cargo and crew members you can carry. The cockpit’s core stats are Cargo, Health, Crew Slots, and Mass. Cowls in Starfield add Health and Mass to your ships.

Engines and Fuel Tanks

Engines in Starfield determine your ship’s speed and acceleration. Remember that mass plays a role in how much work your engine has to do. The engine has six core stats, which are Class, Engine Thrust, Manoeuvring Thrust, Engine Health, Health, and Mass. Separate health stats for the engine might mean that your ship’s engine can fail before the rest of your ship. Fuel tanks, on the other hand, improve your ship’s fuel capacity and jump capabilities. It has three core stats, which are Grav Jump Fuel, Health, and Mass.

Habitat Modules and Landers

Habitat Modules might let Starfield ships access unique planets with harsh conditions. They might also facilitate the formation of Starfield outposts. Landers are auto-deploying landing gear for ships in Starfield. Both Habitat Modules and Landers have two core stats, which are Health and Mass.

Reactors

Reactors in Starfield power your ship’s main systems. The Ship reactors core stats are Class, Power Generated, Repair Rate, Reactor Health, Health, Crew Rating, and Mass. The Power Generated stat implies that you’ll have to pick parts that can be safely powered by the Reactor. And the Repair rate might indicate how quickly you can repair parts of your ship without a space technician at a spaceport. Check out our best Starfield reactor guide for all the details.

How do you customize your ship in Starfield?

To customize your ship in Starfield, you must talk to a Ship Services Technician at a spaceport, or shipyard. These technicians are found near the landing bay of any major spaceport, and the shipyards on certain space stations. Simply talk to one, and select the dialogue option to modify your ship. From here, you can modify your modules, move them around, or purchase new ones.

There are several restrictions to keep in mind when building a ship in Starfield. Certain ship parts are a requirement, such as a dock, cockpit, engines, and grav drive. The ship also needs to have enough engine and grav drive power to fly, meaning if the ship is too heavy, it will not work. Depending on how many crew members you want on board, you should also make sure you have enough hab modules available, too.

One of the most important aspects of ship customization is making sure you have the right weapons to take on any enemies in space combat. Our Starfield starship weapons guide has a list of all of the available weapons in each category, as well as the best weapons in each category that you should be using.

Starfield ship part manufacturers

Depending on where you are in the game, you’ll be able to buy parts from various different companies. Here is a list of all of the available ship part manufacturers in Starfield:

• Amun Dunn
• Ballistic Solutions Inc.
• Deep Core
• Deimos
• Dogstar Avionics
• HopeTech
• Horizon Defense
• Light Scythe
• Nautilus
• Nova Galactic
• Panoptes
• Protectorate Systems
• Reladyne
• Sextant Shield Systems
• Shinigami
• Slayton Aerospace
• Stroud Eklund
• Taiyo Astroneering
• Xiang

As well as having all these ship manufacturers to choose from, a select few have their own headquarters that can be visited in-game, where you can buy exclusive parts not available at regular spaceports. Check out our Starfield ship manufacturers locations guide for more on that. There are also some unique shipyards that sell shielded cargo holds, which are a key module if you’re planning on smuggling contraband in Starfield.

For some help starting your journey across the stars, read out Starfield tips and tricks beginner’s guide, learn how to get an excellent early game ship with the Lair of the Mantis puzzle solution, check out where to get Digipicks, and Starfield Delivering Devils quest guide if you plan on romancing Andreja.

Will Starfield have ship customization?

Yes, Starfield has ship customization with plenty of parts.

Is there ship combat in Starfield?

Starfield includes space combat that lets players destroy or even board enemy ships.