Starfield | How To Build Your Ship - Ship Parts Upgrade

The Ship Building Guide for Starfield. Includes how to use Ship Builder, add Weapons, Cargo, and changes of Ship Modules Class.

Table of Contents

What Can You Customize Your Ship?
HowTo Upgrade Your Ship
How To Build A Ship
How To Fix Errors
Where To Get Ship Parts
How To Start Customization

Two Types of Ship Building

1. "Upgrade Ship" For Boosting Stats

This mode enhances the performance of installed ship parts, allowing you to Upgrade and Change the individual parts without worrying about position adjustments or other details.

2. "Ship Builder" For Full Customization

Unlike "Upgrade Ship," this mode allows you to add or delete parts. Customizing your ship is highly flexible, but there are also restrictions on modification.

Modify Ship Parts With "Upgrade Ship"

How To Use Upgrade Ship

	Procedure
1	Select the ship you want to modify.
2	Press E button to enter Upgrade Ship mode.
3	Select the part you want to modify.
4	Select the option from the list.
5	Cost credits to install it.

Starship Design Skill Is Required

To install certain advanced modules on your ship, you must unlock and rank up the Starship Design skill.

Priority To Upgrade Ship Parts

High-Priority:

Reactor	Increases the power available to other ship components. Note that to pilot a ship with an upgraded reactor, you must also have a high Piloting skill rank.
Weapons	Enhances the combat performance of your ship.
Cargo	Increases storage capacity.
Engines	Boosts the speed of your ship.

Medium-Priority:

Shield	Reduces incoming damage from enemies.
Grav Drive	Increases your jump range to other star systems.
Fuel Tank	Allows you to travel further without stopping.

Full Customization With "Ship Builder"

How To Use Ship Builder

Action	Input	Description
Rotate	Hold Right mouse button	Rotate the camera.
Pan	Hold Mouse Wheel	Move the view as you want.
Pan Up	W or Up	Move the view upwards.
Pan Down	S or Down	Move the view downwards.
Pan Left	A or Left	Move the view towards the left.
Pan Right	D or Right	Move the view towards the right.
Zoom In	Mouse Wheel Up	Magnify the view.
Zoom Out	Mouse Wheel Down	See a wider view.
Floor Up	R	New module will appear on the upper level.
Floor Down	F	New module will appear on the lower level.
Options	L Ctrl	Shows Undo, Redo, and Duplicate.
Flight Check	C	View the Error messages.
Add	G	Add a module
When Adding a Module
Flip	Z	Flip the selected module.
Accept	E	Apply the changes you have made.
Cancel	Tab	Exit without changes.
When Selecting A Module
Color	J	Shows the Color Adjustment menu.
Delete	Delete	Remove the selected module.
Edit	Space	Shows the Variants.

Start With Parts That Are Limited To One

Mudule	How To Choose
Reactor	Higher power allows all components to be supplied.
Grav Drive	Higher Grav Jump Thrust allows you to Fast Travel further.
Shield	Higher Health offer more protection.
Cockpit	Higher Hull provides higher durability for your ship.
Docker	For docking with other ships. No functional stats. Choose what you like.
Landing Bay	For landing on planets. No functional stats. Choose what you like.

Starting with a set of non-negotiable components, each limited to one per ship, is essential when building a ship. This makes it easier to allocate the remaining components.

Use a Reactor of the Highest Possible Class

Since you cannot attach Modules of a higher class than the Reactor, you should start with the Reactor of the highest class available.

Modules (Other than Reactors) with a Class

Grav Drive	Higher class increases the Jump Range but requires more Skills.
Shields	Higher class reduces more incoming damage.
Engines	Limited to four. Higher class doesn't result in higher Speed but more Health or less Required Power.
Weapons	Limited to three. Higher-classed EM and PAR weapons offer better performance.

Add Functional Modules

Mudule	How To Choose
Fuel Tanks	Higher Fuel allows you to jump further.
Cargo	Higher Capacity provides more inventory space. Shielded Cargo can be used to hide Contraband.
Habs	Related to Crew Slots and Interior Types. Choose what you need.
Landing Gears	At least two per ship. Higher Lander Thrust supports more ship mass.

*There is no upper limit to the modules above.

Choose Modules With Higher Stats But Lower Mass

Mass refers to the weight of your ship, including all components. If Mass exceeds Thrust, Mobility will decrease, limiting speed and maneuverability. So, build a strong ship while keeping Mass in check.

See The Flight Check For Errors

It is crucial to learn the rules of shipbuilding. Any errors will be flagged in Flight Check with an explanation—press C to see how to fix the errors.

How To Fix Errors While Ship Building

Common Errors While Shipbuilding

Unattached Modules	Ship has unattached modules. → Attach the modules properly on your ship.
Ship Cost	Ship cost exceeds available credits. → Go for less expensive part.
Ship Size	Ship exceeds max length, width, or height. → Redesign your ship within the 40m limit.
Low Mobility	Reduce mass or add engines to improve mobility. → Decrease the mass or enhance the engine.
Missing Cockpit	Ship is missing a cockpit. → Install a cockpit.
Multiple Cockpits	Only one cockpit is allowed. → Remove the extra cockpits.
Missing Landing Bay	Ship is missing a landing bay. → Install a landing bay.
Multiple Landing Bays	Only one landing bay is allowed. → Remove the extra landing bays.
Minimum Landing Gear Count	Ship has too few landing gears. → One Lander Thrust unit can support 200 ship mass. Add enough Thrust units based on mass.
Landing Gear Misaligned	Landing gear touch down points must be aligned with landing bay. →Reposition the gears to the right height.
Missing Docker	Ship is missing a docker. → Install a docker.
Invalid Docker Module Position	Docker modules need to be on an outside edge of the ship. →Move the docker to the top of your ship.
Missing Grav Drive	Ship is missing a grav drive. → Install a grav drive.
Need More Grav Jump Thrust	Ship is too heavy to grav jump. Reduce mass or increase grav jump thrust. → Upgrade grav drive or decrease the ship mass.
Minimum Fuel Tank Count	Ship does not have at least one fuel tank. → Install a fuel tank.
Missing Reactor	Ship is missing a reactor. → Install a reactor.
Multiple Reactors	Only one reactor is allowed. → Remove the extra reactors.
Missing Shield	Ship is missing a shield. → Install a shield.
Multiple Shields	Only one shield module is allowed. → Remove the extra shield.
Minimum Engine Count	Ship has too few engines. → Install an engine.
Excess Engine Power Usage	Ship is using too much power for engines. Reduce engine count. → Change engines or upgrade the reactor.
Missing Weapon Assignment	Ship is missing a weapon assignment. → Open Flight Check and assign a weapon to the spare slot.
Unassigned Weapon	Ship has weapons that must be assigned to a group. → Open Flight Check and assign the weapon to one slot.
Excess Weapon Power Usage	Ship is using too much power for weapons. Reduce weapon count. → Change to weapons with lower required power.
Cannot Reach Cockpit From Landing Bay	Landing bay needs to be connected to the cockpit. → Link the Landing Bay and the Cockpit via the Hab.
Cannot Reach Cockpit From Docker	Docker modules need to have an interior connection to the cockpit. → Link the Docker and the Cockpit via the Hab.

Where To Get Ship Parts

Brand's Show Rooms

The ship manufacturers, such as Taiyo or Deimos, sell their original Dockers, Cockpits, Habs, etc., and have their own stores in various cities where you can buy all the lineups, regardless of your level.

Brand	Location
Hopetech	Polvo, Valo System
Nova Galactic	Titan, Sol System *Talk to the Ship Technician to access the lineups.
Deimos	Deimos (Moon of Mars), Sol System *You need to dock at the Staryard.
Stroud Eklund	Deepala, Narion System *You need to dock at the Staryard.
Taiyo	Volii Alpha, Volii System

Ship Technicians and Vendors

Some towns have Ship Vendors and Technicians selling spaceship parts and new ships. Reactors, Weapons, and Engine lineups are available based on your level. You need to reach a certain level to be able to see advanced parts in the store.

Click the button below to see the detailed locations.

Ship Vendors - Locations & How to Go