The Starfield best skills are those that unlock features and are fantastic for any build that you choose to make. You’ll earn only one skill point every time you level up, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to respec them, so choosing where to place your skill points matters right from the beginning of the game. We’ve placed all 90 skills in the game, which are separated in the five categories Physical, Social, Combat, Science, and Tech, in a tier list below. We’ve put the most important skills in the S and A tiers and the least important in the C and D tiers. Here’s our tier list rankings for the best skills in Starfield.
Tier list for Starfield best skills
The following is a tier list of what we believe are the best skills in the game. Our assessment is based on general usefulness for all builds, so you’ll find that many core skills for specific builds (unarmed, stealth, sniper, melee, etc.) might be placed in B-tier, but that doesn’t mean they are not important.
- S Tier
- Stealth (Rank 1), Armor Penetration, Crippling, Spacesuit Design, Weapon Engineering, Boost Pack Training (Rank 1), Piloting, Security
- A Tier
- Wellness, Rejuvenation, Commerce, Theft (Rank 1), Instigation, Manipulation, Ship Command, Ballistics, Laser Weapons, Shotgun Certification, Rifle Certification, Heavy Weapons Certification, Marksmanship, Sharpshooting, Medicine, Aneutronic Fusion, Targeting Control Systems, Shield Systems, Robotics, Starship Design
- B Tier
- Boxing, Fitness, Stealth (Ranks 2-4), Weight Lifting, Energy Dissipation, Pain Tolerance, Martial Artist, Concealment, Neurostrikes, Gastronomy, Theft, Deception, Negotiation, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Leadership, Xenosociology, Dueling, Pistol Certification, Demolitions, Incapacitation, Particle Beams, Rapid Reloading, Sniper Certification, Research Methods. Scanning, Chemistry, Outpost Engineering, Planetary Habitation, Special Projects, Ballistic Weapon Systems, Boost Pack Training (Ranks 2-4), Energy Weapon Systems, Engine Systems, Payloads, Missile Weapon Systems, Particle Beam Weapon Systems, Starship Engineering, Automated Weapon Systems, Boost Assault Training, EM Weapon Systems
- C Tier
- Environmental Condition, Persuasion, Scavenging, Isolation, Outpost Management, Targeting, Astrodynamics, Geology
- D Tier
- Gymnastics, Nutrition, Cellular Regeneration, Decontamination, Surveying, Botany, Zoology, Astrophysics
Starfield best skills, explained
As for our picks for S-tier skills, getting just the first rank for a few of them are very important. Putting one skill point into Stealth will unlock the hidden/detected meter that fans of Fallout will be familiar with. Even if you don’t plan on doing stealth, there are many missions that have a path where it may be better to steal something. Likewise, putting one rank into Boost Pack Training will unlock the ability to use the boost pack, allowing you to reach higher ledges, hop over gaps in broken walkways, and maneuver around the battlefield easier.
On a similar note, Spacesuit Design and Weapon Engineering are the only ways to unlock modding for armor and weapons. This will increase your resistances and allow you to deal more damage in general, with materials that you can find through looting and in shops. The same can be said about Starship Design when it comes to upgrading your ship, though it has been placed in A tier since most of the parts offered in the default selection will do a good job.
Armor Penetration and Crippling are two capstone skills in the Combat skill tree that are great for every build. As it sounds, Armor Penetration lets you bypass a portion of your enemy’s armor, which is just another way to deal more damage. Meanwhile, Crippling has a chance of knocking an enemy prone, giving you free follow-up hits; the only downside here is that this can make it hard to hit some targets that are far away, especially if they’re behind cover.
We recommend putting a skill point into Piloting as soon as you can. This skill unlocks ship thrusters, makes you able to turn your ship faster, and unlocks the B-class and C-class ships. Upgrading this skill requires you to destroy enemy ships, so getting a start on it as soon as possible is worth an early investment.
Last but not least is Security, which gives you access to Advanced, Expert, and Master locks. Since there is only one mini-game for lockpicking and computer hacking (compared to two in Fallout), this is important in getting past doors, opening up alternate paths. and getting a lot of extra loot throughout your adventure.
Starfield Best Skills FAQ
A: S-tier skills, like Stealth (Rank 1), Armor Penetration, Crippling, Spacesuit Design, Weapon Engineering, Boost Pack Training (Rank 1), Piloting, and Security, are highly recommended due to their broad applicability and significant impact on gameplay.
A: Spacesuit Design and Weapon Engineering unlock the ability to modify armor and weapons, respectively, enhancing your resistances and damage output using materials found through looting and in shops.
A: The Security skill enables you to access Advanced, Expert, and Master locks. This is crucial for bypassing doors, exploring alternate paths, and obtaining additional loot throughout your journey.
