In Starfield, as in life, most of us have felt that what we really need is to blast a few starships out of the sky. There aren’t always any suitable targets at hand, however. Then we have to go looking for them, which can be a tedious process of trial-and-error when we don’t know what we’re doing. To spare you that experience, here is our guide telling you where to find ships to fight in Starfield.
Starfield – Top 3 places to find ships to fight
Space combat can be difficult at first in Starfield. Eventually, though, you’ll likely get the hang of it and find you enjoy it. At that point, there never quite seem to be enough ships to blast. That’s especially true if you’re trying to level up a relevant skill. To find ships to fight, look in one of the following 3 places:
1. The Space Combat Simulator in New Atlantis
2. Planets near the outer edge of explored systems
3. Specific planets where you are sent on missions
The primary reason you might seek out ship battles is to rank up the Ship Command skill. To do so, you must take out or board 80 ships in total. This takes a long while if you find only a few ships at a time, so keep the above locations firmly in mind.
Screenshot by PC Invasion
1. The Space Combat Simulator in New Atlantis
The fastest way to battle a lot of ships is to visit the space combat simulator in New Atlantis. You will encounter it early on as you learn how to join UC Vanguard. The simulator is located on a lower level in the MAST Building. You earn experience for each ship you defeat, even in the early waves. Those kills count toward your tally, if you are trying to master a skill.
Related: Best ship build to stop, board, and steal ships in Starfield
Screenshot: PC Invasion
2. Planets near the outer edge of explored systems
You may also enjoy testing out your new ship in random battles. While the ship simulator is handy and reliable, you don’t get to use your improved vessel. Out among the stars, you get to use your home ship. Also, you can earn more XP for each kill if you take down powerful adversaries.
To find ships, look along the edges of less populated systems. Near a major city, local patrols keep the skies pretty safe (though you can attack them if you want to try a suicide mission). When I visit more remote systems, I often encounter Spacer and Ecliptic fleets. They may be picking on settlers or merchants, or even battling Freestar Collective Rangers. Pitching in lets me get a lot of XP and sometimes score credits from the people I save. I also can often salvage ship parts and resources.
Related: All mission and bounty board locations in Starfield
3. Specific planets where you are sent on missions
A final option is to take on missions at mission boards. Some of those relate to space battles, and you can fast-travel to a fight, plus earn extra credits when you win. In my case, I ran into a bit of a roadblock because I had joined the Crimson Fleet. A lot of the missions ask you to take out pirates, but they’re not actually your enemies. If you join the Crimson Fleet, it’s best to explore one of the previous two options when you wish to engage in space battles.
