Starfield lets you fly among the stars and land on remote planets to search for secrets. Along the way, you’ll probably battle pirates and mercenaries, so it pays to have a ship with good resources. A lot of those ships cost a pile of credits, but some of them you can get for the bargain price of absolutely nothing. Here is our guide telling you how to get a free Kepler ship in Starfield.
Starfield – how to get a free Kepler ship
Most of the ships you find in the game seem to be Class A vessels, but you’ll encounter some Class C monstrosities, as well. You can even obtain one for free. To get a free Kepler ship, complete the Overdesigned mission, wherein your choices determine which free ship you receive.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
To initiate the Overdesigned mission, talk to Walter Stroud at The Lodge. He will not have anything relevant to say unless you have completed the All That Money Can Buy mission, as well as the brief Starborn mission that immediately follows it. Once you tend to those missions, you receive the Activity – Speak with Walter task. Talk to Walter and agree to help him sort out design issues his team is experiencing. Doing so activates the Overdesigned mission.
Start by heading to the Narion system. It is not far from the Alpha Centauri system, where you talked to Walter. Just look to the upper right on the Starmap. Once you arrive in the Narion system, chart a course for Dalvik. It is a moon to the larger planet, Deepala. In its orbit, you’ll find the Stroud-Eklund Staryard, which is your destination.
Related: Best side quests to do in Starfield
Screenshot: PC Invasion
At the Stroud-Eklund Staryard, head for the board room. When you arrive, speak to Jules. Walter will have sent ahead word that you are in charge. I suggest saving your progress before you initiate this process. That way, you can reload if things don’t go well. You may also wish to use an alcoholic item such as Bourbon to temporarily improve your Persuasion skills. Wear an outfit such as the Fitted Business Suit, if you have it, to achieve the same end. I forgot what I was doing and accidentally wore a Swimsuit, but things still worked out for me.
Related: How to get a swimsuit in Starfield
Your first job is to set the budget. You want to go with the ‘kitchen sink’ approach to secure the best ship, the Kepler R. This is why your persuasion skills are needed.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Once the large budget is approved, you have some new tasks. The mission board is just outside the board room. Before you check it, however, you should talk to the board members. Express approval for each of their ambitious designs. When you have talked to everyone, including Jules, that mission objective is marked complete.
After talking with the designers, accept and complete any two missions from the nearby board. Go with the simplest ones to speed along the process. The game encourages you to complete a passenger mission and a bounty mission. However, I just took care of the two passenger missions because I was in a hurry. The game will only let you accept one passenger mission at a time, but you can fast travel and tend to each one swiftly.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
After talking to the designers and completing your missions, meet with Jules again. This is a pivotal moment in the mission that can determine which ship you ultimately receive. You will receive your reward when you return to The Lodge to talk to Walter. You get 12,500 credits, 200 XP, and one of two possible ships. When I went through the entire teambuilding exercise, I received the Kepler R (a Class C ship). When I asked everyone on the team to compromise instead, I received the Kepler S (a Class B ship), which is still pretty nice but just not the same.
