How to level up quickly in Starfield

How to level up quickly in Starfield
Images via Bethesda

Written by 

Coleman Hamstead

Published 

5th Sep 2023 09:38

Contents

If you want to level up fast in Starfield, you need to know how to farm XP quickly.

As you level up in Starfield, you will unlock new Skills and become more powerful. There are plenty to choose from, but you'll want to choose wisely with the lack of a respec feature.

This primer will review some of the best ways in the game to farm XP quickly and level up fast in Starfield.

Some of the best ways to get fast XP in Starfield

Sleep

Before you set out to do anything in Starfield, you should go to sleep. Sleeping, even if it's only for an hour, will grant you the Well-Rested Perk, which provides your character with a limited-time 10% XP buff. Better yet, marrying a Companion will net you the Emotional Security Perk, increasing your XP gains by an additional 5% after you take a nap.

Your room in the Constellation Lodge in Starfield
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The cot on your ship will do just fine as your bed. However, if you're out and about, you can sleep in your room at the Constellation Lodge, or if you have the Kid Stuff Trait, your bed at your parent's house in New Atlantis.

While not nearly as effective for farming XP as maintaining the Well-Rested Perk is, crafting and drinking Alien Tea is another way to temporarily boost how much XP you get in Starfield.

Explore

For most players, exploring isn't as fun as grinding out missions and slaying enemies, but it is an excellent way to get XP quickly and level up fast in Starfield. Starfield features over 1,000 different planets, and you receive XP for every landmark, settlement, or point of interest you visit.

Concept art for Starfield
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With the Astrophysics Skill, you don't even need to be near a moon or a planet to earn XP! This Skill allows you to scan planets and moons from up to 30 Light Years away. The Astrophysics Skill also gives you a chance to discover a Trait when you scan, further bolstering your XP yield.

If you opt to land on a planet's surface, you can gain additional XP by scanning local wildlife, plants, and resources.

Complete missions

As you'd expect, completing missions in Starfield is one of the best ways to farm XP and level up fast. The Main Missions offer the chunkiest bundles of XP in Starfield, but there are only so many and not everyone wants to rush through the story. If you prefer to take things slower and relish the journey, you can still get plenty of XP from Side Missions, Faction Missions, Companion Missions, and Radiant Missions.

NPCs in Starfield celebrating
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Eliminate enemies

If you like combat in Starfield, you'll be pleased to hear that battling and killing enemies is a surefire way to rack up XP fast. Eliminating adversaries is a great source of loot, too! You will run into foes naturally while out exploring and tackling missions, so you don't necessarily need to go out of your way to find enemies to defeat. 

An armed character in Starfield
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The Eye in the Alpha Centauri System, the Kryx System, and abandoned areas are some of the prime spots for hunting packs of enemies and accumulating masses of XP.

To reach Level 100 and unlock the Reach for the Stars Achievement, you will need several hundreds of thousands of XP. Having said that, you'll want to implement the methods in this guide to earn XP quickly and level up fast in Starfield.

You can find ammo by eliminating enemies in Starfield

Coleman Hamstead
About the author
Coleman Hamstead
Coleman is a freelance journalist at GGRecon. While gaming has always been his passion, it wasn’t until he worked as a Sports Journalist at the Community College of Baltimore County that he found his enthusiasm for writing. In the time since Coleman has had his work featured in publications such as The Washington Post/Launcher and ESTNN. Coleman is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Sport Management and Business Administration.
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