How Suit Protection Works in Starfield (Thermal, Corrosive, & More)

Starfield’s tutorialization isn’t exactly great, and there are tons of little stats and status effects that will start flying in your face, and it’s not always obvious what they mean. That’s where we come in. Here’s everything you need to know about how suit protection works in Starfield.

Starfield Suit Protection Explained

The suit serves as your main form of armor and protection in Starfield, and it comes with a few different stats to be aware of, as listed below:

• PHYS, ENGY, EM
• Thermal
• Airborne
• Corrosive
• Radiation

PHYS, ENGY, and EM are weapon damage types in the game, but what you really want to focus on are the four other environmental status/damage types that can get inflicted on you.

Thermal, Corrosive, and Radiation should all be pretty self-explanatory; essentially, whenever you come into contact with various vents or gases while exploring in Starfield, you may take some Thermal damage, or Corrosive or Radiation, depending on what types of vents you’re nearby.

When you take damage from these afflictions, the bottom left of your HUD will flash, indicating that you’re taking damage from one of these.

Airborne damage is less deadly than the rest, and simply represents your vulnerability while you’re in the air. You take Airborne damage whenever you’re jetpacking and boosting around in combat for example, or when you’re jumping away.

If your suit protection resistance ratings are high, you’ll be able to let yourself be exposed to danger for a longer period of time before you start taking damage. As you can see in the above screenshot, my suit has Thermal and Corrosive protection, which means I’m a little more resistant to those damage types and can afford to be exposed to them for a bit before I have to worry.

What Happens When Suit Protection Runs Out

While environmental damage usually takes quite a bit of time to take effect in Starfield, it can be quite deadly if you allow yourself to be exposed to them and let your suit protection wear down. When this happens, your maximum health will decrease, and you’ll see a portion of your health bar turn yellow.

You will not be able to restore your health past the yellow portion, and you’ll need to head somewhere safe where you can breathe to recharge your suit protection and regain your maximum health.

How to Upgrade Suit Protection in Starfield

While it’s possible to mod your spacesuits at a workbench, it’s not possible to increase your suit protection against environmental damage types. The available mods only allow you to increase your resistance against weapon damage.

That being said, you’ll have a chance of looting Rare or Legendary gear from enemies and chests, which may already come pre-installed with perks that improve your suit protection.

That’s all you need to know about how suit protection works in Starfield. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game.