Like space itself, Starfield is vast, expansive, and a little overwhelming. With so much to explore, knowing what to do first can be difficult. This article contains five of the best things to do during your first hours in Starfield based on my playthrough and the experience of other PC Invasion writers. From a museum that explains humanity’s triumphant colonization of space to extremely handy keybinds, here’s how to maximise the beginning of your spacefaring journey.
Join the Vanguard and pay a visit to the Orientation Hall.
Screenshot via PC Invasion
During the main campaign, shortly after arriving at New Atlantis, players are tasked with visiting the UC Vanguard to speak to a contact. Here, you can join the Vanguard, unlocking new questlines, loot, bounties, ship parts, and, most importantly, the Orientation Hall.
The Orientation Hall is a museum that guides the player through the rich history of the Starfield universe. Rather than overwhelming you with novel-length walls of text, essential events and factions are explained in engaging, bite-sized chunks.
Screenshot via PC Invasion
I can’t recommend visiting the Orientation Hall enough, even if the Vanguard isn’t your style. Learning the basics of Starfield’s lore vastly improved my immersion and gave far more meaning to decisions later down the line.
Bind weapons to your Quick Menu
Screenshot via PC Invasion
Binding weapons and useful items to your Quick Menu is essential for an optimized Starfield experience. You can bind up to 12 items to this menu, allowing you to quickly access any item with the ‘Q’ Key, or the D-Pad if you’re playing on a controller. Out of ammo? Speedily switch to a new weapon. Running low on health? Patch yourself up and get right back into the action.
To bind something to your Quick Menu, open your Inventory, navigate to your desired item, and select ‘Favorite.’ I bound all of my guns and melee weapons, as well as my healing items.
Sell your loot
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By the moment you land on New Atlantis for the first time, your Inventory should be full of random junk, at least if you pick up everything in sight like I do. Now is a fantastic time to unload any items you don’t need at Trade Authority Kiosks or stores and earn some credits. You can find a kiosk directly outside your ship on New Atlantis.
The more you collect, the higher your Mass meter becomes. Accumulate too much stuff in your Inventory, and you’ll become encumbered, halting your fast travel and slowing you down. Be sure to regularly sell items you don’t need and store non-essentials in your ship.
Related: How to increase player carry capacity in Starfield
Upgrade, Purchase, or Steal a Ship
Image via Bethesda
To put things bluntly, the ship you start with in Starfield is a hunk of junk — and not the Millenium Falcon kind, either. Space battles are notoriously difficult at the beginning of the game, so upgrade your ship or acquire a new one as soon as possible.
Ships are, however, very expensive. Fortunately, you can steal ships and save yourself a small fortune. Don’t worry about the morality side of it; it’s for a good cause!
Familiarize yourself with the Research Laboratory
Screenshot via PC Invasion
Speaking of your ship, did you know you have a laboratory onboard? I only discovered this around four hours into Starfield, and I wish I had known about it sooner. The Research Laboratory lets you research a range of gear with resources acquired during your travels, including pharmaceuticals, food, equipment, and weapon mods.
Familiarising yourself with items at the Research Laboratory will help you understand which resources to look out for when exploring new planets. It also highlights which Skills you need to research certain items, so you know exactly what to spend your next Skill Points on.
For more help in your first adventures exploring the stars, check out 7 pro tips I wish I knew before starting Starfield.
Starfield is available on Steam and Game Pass.
