You’ve reached Unity in Starfield. You’ve been reborn as a Starborn. And you’re feeling all-powerful. Godlike, even. You’ve put plenty of hours into the main story alone, but that’s only a sliver of what the game offers. Whether you’re in the end game or post game, your journey isn’t over just yet. Here are the 10 things to do after beating Starfield so you can focus on the best content available.
Marry Your Companion
Personally, I don’t engage with romance options until my second playthrough. I like seeing how my choices change based on the input or, in some cases, the pushback of my companions. If you’re like me, then the end game or post game is the perfect time to find a love interest.
Starfield has over a dozen companions, but only four are integral to the main story and can be romanced. You can start relationships with and marry Sarah, Sam, Barret, or Andreja. Each provides a different outlook on life, and their distinct personalities add completely new layers to the game. Get out there and make a (love) connection!
Immerse Yourself in Side Quests
Speaking of side content, there’s no shortage of side quests in Starfield. You’ll pick up a few just jogging through New Atlantis and overhearing NPC chatter. During the main quest, you’ll see your fair share of planets, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s a real joy to stumble across a side quest hidden deep in a spacer’s hideout or realizing the cache of goodies you read about on a terminal actually exists. You’re just as likely to grav jump into an interesting side quest, like enjoying a delicious meal with Grandma. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can always check out our best side quests to do first!
Build the Best Ship Ever
Bethesda knocked it out of the park with Starfield’s ship building system. It’s a bit intimidating at first, but it’s impossible to truly make mistakes when manufacturing the next great spacefaring vessel. Not only does the game actively check for problems — too much mass, missing components, and so on — but it has an undo button and the option to can the entire modification if you want to start over.
Once you’re familiar with it, you can easily lose hours with this intricate ship building system. There are dozens and dozens of parts to pick from, ones that serve a purpose (grav drive, shield generator) and others that are aesthetic. Players are already making iconic starships like Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon.
Build a Thriving Empire
A lot of the junk you pick up has a purpose. You can spend it at a research station for more recipes, craft weapon and armor mods, or build an outpost on a heavenly body with useful resources. You don’t stop at just one outpost, though. Instead, you build one, then another, and another until you’ve got a thriving empire.
No one planet or moon is going to have every resource you need. It’s important to set up multiple outposts, and it’s even more important to have them connected via cargo links. That way you don’t need to visit each and every system to collect the materials you need. It takes some serious planning, but it’s definitely worth the effort, given the modifications and modules you can unlock.
Go Achievement Hunting
Given how Starfield’s new game plus mechanic works, it’s surprisingly easy to hunt achievements in Bethesda’s massive galaxy. Because you can keep using one character over and over means you never have to start completely from scratch.
In other words: there’s really no reason not to knock out a few achievements every time you walk through Unity. Try something different each new playthrough, and you’ll have no problem earning every achievement in Starfield.
Unlock Every Skill and Starborn Power
Speaking of New Game+, another run through Unity means more experience and levels. That means unlocking and ranking up more skills you thought you’d try out on a different playthrough. Given the ending of Starfield, it looks like you don’t have to. You can just build on your original character!
Let’s not forget the two dozen Starborn powers you can find, too. Each one can be improved, provided you find the same power again and again. Unlock every skill and power, and you’ll truly become the most powerful Starborn alive!
Join a Faction
Starfield’s main quest will net you a couple of dozen hours alone. If you’re someone who tends to rush the main story, you probably ignored the factions (I know I did at first). Joining one isn’t integral to the narrative, but each faction leaves its mark on the campaign, like uncovering facets of Unity from Mir’za, a follower of the Great Serpent.
Aside from Constellation, there’s the UC Vanguard, the Crimson Fleet, the Freestar Rangers, and the more obscure Ryujin Industries. The interesting part is you can join all the factions at once. For the most part, each faction has its own contained story. However, being a part of the UC Vanguard and the Crimson Fleet at the same time will get awkward as you near the end of each faction’s questline.
Try Out Mods
What better way to spice up a new playthrough than with a few Starfield mods? No one’s saying you have to go wild and drastically change the game — unless that’s your thing. For a more vanilla approach, consider nabbing a reshader like the Quantum Reshade, or grab a couple of quality of life (QoL) mods.
You’ll find plenty that alter the UI, maybe shrink a menu or add to them, or simply remove limits to existing gameplay mechanics. Out of the hundreds of mods that already exist, you’ll definitely come across something you want.
Beat the Game… Again and Again
Part of the fun of Starfield — or any Bethesda RPG for that matter — is playing through the game again but trying something new. Maybe you side with a different faction or choose a different companion to accompany you throughout the game. I’ve been having a blast with the Adoring Fan and his obsessive dialogue!
It comes with some perks, like improved Starborn armor every time you pass through Unity. However, what’s arguably the best part of beating the game and starting NG+ is seeing the different variants. We won’t spoil anything, but there’s a chance your latest NG+ will start off drastically different.
Explore the Rest of the Galaxy
Need we say more? With over 100 different star systems to explore and planets to scan, Starfield has no shortage of places to visit. Push the boundaries of your ship’s capabilities and check out the star systems on the fringes of known space. You might come across a secret no one’s seen before!
If you want a goal, why not search for all the magazines? You won’t find many if you aren’t scouring abandoned mines, raiding space pirates, or getting to know the locals. You might come across a new companion to recruit during your scavenger hunt, too. Given how many outposts you can have running at once, there’s always work to be done.
Or maybe you’ll be lucky enough to encounter the Mysterious Captain! They have quite the selection of gear that you’ll have a very hard time finding anywhere else, if at all.
Well, folks, that’s the list of the things you can do in Starfield after beating the game. It gets rather overwhelming, considering all the different mechanics, but that’s part of the fun. Maybe in your second playthrough, you spend more time with outposts, then your next time through, you focus on side quests. Let us know how you’re mixing it up in Starfield’s end game in the comments!
Published: Sep 19, 2023 09:00 am