Mastering Starfield - Unlock the Secrets to Expanding Ship Crew Sizes

Increasing Ship Crew Size in Starfield: A Guide to Maximizing Your Companions

Table of Contents [hide]

1. Boosting Ship Crew Size in Starfield

2. Understanding the Ship Command Skill

Combined cockpit and hab modules

Combined reactor, weapon, engine, and shield modules

More detailed computations

How to increase ship crew size in Starfield

There are three factors that affect the Starfield ship crew size:

Ship Command skill

Combined and complementary crew capacity in a ship's cockpit and habs

The combined capacity of crew members in a ship's reactor, weapon, engine, and shield modules should be considered. It is important to keep in mind that the limit is determined by the lowest value among these three factors. Therefore, if you intend to have five crew members on your ship, it is crucial to ensure that your vessel is equipped with modules that can enhance the limit. Additionally, the level of the Ship Command skill should also be taken into account.

The Ship Command skill

Ship Command is a fantastic tier 4 Social skill, considered one of the game's best. With each rank, you can increase your ship's maximum crew members by +4/5/6/8. Elevate your proficiency even further by completing the Ship Command tally, which involves either destroying or boarding enemy vessels when you have a specific number of crew members on board your own ship.

Ensure that you have sufficient skill points allocated to the Ship Command skill.

Combined cockpit and hab modules

For a comprehensive understanding of this mechanic, consult our ship upgrades and modules guide. It delves into all the intricacies involved. Additionally, it's important to note that you can't simply install any type of parts right from the start. Higher-tier options may necessitate a greater level of expertise in Piloting or Starship Design skills.

Here are our recommended modules for ship habitation:

Cockpit: Kon-Tiki B-500 Bridge (available at the Stroud-Ecklund shop in Neon) - provides space for a crew of 6.

The ideal hab option is the Stroud Battle Station 2x2, which can be found at the Stroud-Ecklund shop in Neon.

Combined reactor, weapon, engine, and shield modules

In terms of crew size, an important factor to consider is the use of multiple modules. Here's what you need to know about them:

Reactors - Only one reactor per ship is permitted. You can choose from three options: SF, Pinch, or Fusor variants, each increasing crew capacity by +3.

Weapons - Each weapon provides a crew capacity boost of 0.5. You are limited to three different model types, but you can have multiple variations of each model. For instance, you can have multiple Dangan Pb Cannons, KE-20 Cannons, and Mauler 104L Cannons. However, adding a fourth model, like the Spark 750 Suppressor, is not allowed.

Engines - You can equip multiple engines, as each module increases the crew capacity by +0.25. However, it is important not to exceed the power limit indicated by pips in the upper-left corner of your screen. In case the power limit is reached, you will need to reduce the number of engines or upgrade your reactor.

Shields - It is possible for a ship to have only one shield module, and this component increases the crew capacity by +0.5.

Requiring higher Piloting and Ship Design ranks, top-of-the-line reactors also come with increased crew capacity.

More detailed computations

In order to provide a more detailed understanding of the Starfield ship crew size mechanics, we decided to start from scratch. We systematically removed all ship components, only including those that contribute to the crew capacity. It is worth noting that our Ship Command skill was at rank 4, enabling us to accommodate up to eight crewmates.

Reactor group: Our inventory includes one reactor with a rating of +3, six weapons with a rating of +3 each, one shield with a rating of +0.5, and two engines with a rating of +0.5 each, resulting in a combined value of +7.

Cockpit/hab group: As part of our upgrades, we have installed a Kon-Tiki Bridge with a rating of +6. However, we have not yet included a hab.

Total = Six crew members. This is because the cockpit group had the lowest capacity (+6).

Here's the second example:

We continued with the above setup, and we added the Stroud Battle Stations 2x2. On its own, it grants +6.

Reactor group: +7

Cockpit/hab group: +12

Total = Seven crew members. Even if the cockpit/hab group combined for +12, it's the reactor group that lagged behind at +7.

Here's the third and final example:

With the above setup, we added two more of each weapon model. These have a +3 total.

Reactor group: +10

Cockpit/hab group: +12

There are a total of 10 crew members. Despite the Ship Command skill allowing for a maximum of eight active crew members, we exceeded this limit for some reason.

Does the above arrangement function properly? It is worth noting that additional modules, including landing gears, fuel, and grav drives, still need to be installed, in addition to any unforeseen errors. Hence, the above was primarily conducted to verify the accuracy of the calculations.

That's everything you need to know about increasing ship crew size in Starfield. Keep in mind that specific modules or parts may only work with Class-B or Class-C reactors. Additionally, consider the engine's throughput and the overall mass of the vehicle. It's similar to upgrading a PC, where you can't simply install a high-end graphics card without considering the motherboard or CPU. Starfield offers a vast game world with countless planets to discover. For more tips and tactics, visit our guides hub.