Not sure on what to put your skill points into? There are a huge range of skills available to choose from in Starfield, so knowing where to spend your skills points early on is key. Here are some of the best early upgrades in Starfield that you should focus on to get the most out of your character.
In Starfield, there are over 80 different skill perks across five different skill trees, allowing for all sorts of creative builds. The skills included in this guide are ones could be considered as 'must-haves', regardless of what build you're going for.
For more on the game, see our guides on how healing works in Starfield, as well as how to skip cutscenes.
What are the best early upgrades in Starfield?
In Starfield, there are a plethora of skills available to choose from. We've picked out some of the best skills to invest in early on, as well as some other tips to help you get the most out of these skills.
Persuasion
Persuasion is a vital social skill to prioritise if you're looking to minimise your combat encounters. The persuasion skill enables you to talk your way out of tense encounters and potential fights.
Once the persuasion skill is unlocked, you will be prompted whilst in dialogue with an NPC to 'Persuade' them. If a persuasion attempt is initiated, you have to pick the correct dialogue option that fills your persuasion meter. Options that increase the meter more have a lower chance of success, so choose wisely.
If you don't have the persuasion skill, either through your background or by investing a skill point into the perk itself, then you will not be able to persuade in Starfield. This makes it a crucial perk to invest in. Talking your way out of tricky situations will save you a lot of time and energy.
Boost Pack
If you're looking to build a more combat-focused build, the Boost Pack should be a top priority for you to upgrade. Using your Boost Pack to its full potential will help you navigate the battlefield more effectively. Eventually, these upgrades can turn the Boost Pack into a weapon in its own right.
There are two different ways for you to upgrade your Boost Pack. The first is by putting points into the Boost Pack perks in the Tech skill tree. This is the cheapest and earliest way to improve your Boost Pack proficiency.
Of the two Boost Pack skills, you will unlock the Boost Pack Training skill first. Levelling up this skill will increase the duration you can use your Boost Pack for.
Meanwhile, the Boost Assault Training skill will unlock numerous abilities for you to use while using your Boost Pack, such as the ability to set enemies on fire or slow down time.
The other method to upgrade your Boost Pack is by spending credits on a better tier of Boost Pack. These can be swapped in at the Spacesuit Workbench.
Stealth
The Stealth skill is part of the Physical perk tree and is great for all builds, but is particularly important for assassin or thief builds. By investing in the stealth kill, players can sneak around enemies with greater ease, as well as dealing bonus damage when attacking with a silenced weapon from stealth.
The Stealth skill can also be levelled up to increase the player's ability to remain undetected. At level 4 Stealth, players unlock the ability to open doors silently, which is incredibly useful when breaking and entering.
You can enter stealth mode without the Stealth skill, however investing skill points into the Stealth skill, and subsequently levelling the skill up, will vastly improve your ability to sneak past enemies.
For a detailed dive into how the Stealth works and how to level it up, check out this guide on the Stealth skill.
That's all of our best early upgrades in Starfield. For more Starfield walkthroughs, why not visit our guides on how to swap weapons, how to change your helmet, and how to change the time of day in Starfield.