There are 16 Physical skills in Starfield, each of which has four distinct ranks. For the most part, these tend to be geared around keeping the player alive for as long as possible, but some are designed to improve map traversal and others to boost the amount of damage that players are able to dish out with their fists or the butt of a gun.
The best Physical skills in Starfield synergize well with one another, allowing players to break free from the tired cover shooter-style mechanics found in so many other modern action games. One or two may not appeal to everybody's preferred playstyle, but most will prove invaluable for all but a handful of players.
Those looking for a list of every Physical skill in Starfield can find one here.
1 Fitness
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Rank 1 |
You have 10% more oxygen available. |
|---|---|
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Rank 2 |
You have 20% more oxygen available. |
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Rank 3 |
You have 30% more oxygen available. |
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Rank 4 |
Sprinting and power attacks now use significantly less oxygen. |
Although a lot of the locations that players will be visiting have breathable atmospheres, most will likely keep their helmets on for the entire duration of their playthrough, particularly if they're playing Starfield through a first-person perspective. As such, managing oxygen consumption will be very important, as running out can have serious consequences.
Oxygen is used whenever players run or perform a power attack and will go down much more quickly when players are Encumbered (which will happen a lot to most players). The Fitness skill can therefore make a huge difference, more so after it has been upgraded to the maximum rank. To achieve this, players will need to use up all available oxygen a certain number of times.
2 Weight Lifting
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Rank 1 |
Increase total carrying capacity by 10 kilograms. |
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Rank 2 |
Increase total carrying capacity by 25 kilograms. |
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Rank 3 |
Increase total carrying capacity by 50 kilograms. |
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Rank 4 |
Increase total carrying capacity by 100 kilograms. Gain 50% resistance to stagger. |
Anybody who plays a lot of Western RPGs will probably already be familiar with just how frustrating the Encumbered status can be. It's even more frustrating in Starfield due to how much lootable content there is and the need to transport and purchase resources for crafting, research, and outpost development.
Thankfully, inventory management becomes easier as the game goes on, but during the game's opening stages, increasing the playable character's carrying capacity is something of a must. Players can upgrade the Weight Lifting skill by sprinting a certain distance while at 75% or more of their maximum load capacity, which will probably happen organically for the majority of players.
3 Stealth
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Rank 1 |
Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 5% sneak attack damage. |
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Rank 2 |
Upgrades the Stealth Meter. You are 50% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 10% sneak attack damage. |
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Rank 3 |
You are 75% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 15% sneak attack damage. |
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Rank 4 |
You are 100% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 20% sneak attack damage. Doors you interact with while in stealth no longer alert enemies. |
Stealth mechanics in Bethesda games have always been a little hit-and-miss, and that's once again the case in Starfield. They're not exactly bad, but they are a far cry from the ones found in series like Metal Gear, Hitman, and Deus Ex; all of which offer a much more comprehensive and rewarding stealth experience for their players.
All that said though, Stealth is still one of the best Physical skills in Starfield due not to the quality of the mechanic, but instead the buffs and bonuses that unlocking the skill provides. Players can upgrade the Stealth skill by performing sneak attacks, but to really get the best out of it they'll want to pair it with one of the other Physical skills in Starfield.
4 Concealment
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Rank 1 |
You no longer set off enemy mines. Ranged sneak attacks do 2.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 4x normal damage. |
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Rank 2 |
Running while sneaking doesn't affect stealth. Ranged sneak attacks do 3x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 5x normal damage. |
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Rank 3 |
You gain a Chameleon-like ability when completely still and sneaking. Ranged sneak attacks do 3.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 8x normal damage. |
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Rank 4 |
Engaging stealth causes distant enemies to lose you. Ranged sneak attacks do 4x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 10x normal damage. |
On its own, the Stealth skill is a little underwhelming. However, when paired with the Concealment skill, it starts to become incredibly effective, more so as players begin to boost the rank of each skill. It's almost like these two skills were made for one another, with the buffs and perks provided by the two going hand in hand together.
In order to increase the rank of the Concealment skill, players simply need to perform unarmed or melee sneak attacks. This again ties in well with the Stealth skill, as players can work toward upgrading both skills at the same time providing they're comfortable going down the melee combat route rather than peppering their foes with bullets.
5 Rejuvenation
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Rank 1 |
Slowly regenerate health outside of combat. |
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Rank 2 |
Regenerate health more quickly outside of combat. |
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Rank 3 |
Regenerate health much faster outside of combat. You can now slowly regenerate health while in combat. |
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Rank 4 |
Regenerate health even faster outside of combat. You can now slowly regenerate health quickly while in combat. |
There are quite a few skills dedicated to improving the effectiveness of food or meds, not to mention those that mitigate certain types of damage or boost the player's overall health. All of these can be very useful and help to decrease the chances of dying, but Rejuvenation is easily the pick of the bunch.
The amount of time and resources that this skill saves makes it one of the best Physical skills in Starfield by a country mile. To upgrade the Rejuvenation skill, players will simply need to fall below 25% health a certain number of times and then fully heal. This can either be done in combat or by intentionally running out of oxygen and waiting for 75% of the health bar to drain away.
Starfield is available now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.