Starfield | Best Ship Build - For Combat, Cargo, and Contraband

The guide on Best Ships Building in Starfield. Includes how to build a ship for battle, storage, and smuggler, requirements, skills, and best ship parts for hijacking and boarding.

Table of Contents

Best Ship Build With Unlocked Skills
Best Ship Build For Early Game
Best Ship Parts For Smuggling
Best Ship Parts For Hijacking

Ships Related Articles

Ship Building Guide

Best Ship Weapons

List of All Ships

Best Ship Build With Unlocked Skills

Well-Balanced For Combat and Cargo

Reactor
Pinch 8Z Reactor (Class C)
Power	Repair		Health		Hull
40	6.44		129		1350
Grav Drive
Apollo GV100 Grav Drive (Class C)
Power	Thrust		Health		Mass
11	34		199		99
Engine
Poseidon DT230 Engine (Class C) x2
Power	Thrust		M.Thrust		Health
4	34,520		11,600		140
White Dwarf 3020 Engine (Class A) x2
Power	Thrust		M.Thrust		Health
3	19,920		3,060		88
Fuel Tank
M40 Ulysses He3 Tank x2
Fuel		Hull		Mass
150		5		25
Weapon 0
PBO-175 Auto Helion Beam (Class B) x4
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
3	19		6.00		3,000
Weapon 1
Vanguard Obliterator Autoprojector (Class A) x6
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
2	11		6.65		3,000
Cargo
Galleon S203 Cargo Hold x2
Cargo		Hull		Mass
1,200		5		252
Shield
Odin 3040-C Shield Generator (Class C)
Power	Health		Regen		Mass
9	995		5%		103

Required Skills

Piloting Rank 4
Starship Design Rank 4

Suggested Skills

Engine System Rank 4

With a maximum Power Generation of 40, this ship can power the most high-end ship parts. The Grav Jump Thrust of 34 is sufficient for most journeys. Additionally, the ship is equipped with Two Particle Weapons and 2,400 Cargo Holds, which provide ample storage and protection in case of space battles.

Best Ship Build For Combat

With High-Damage PAR Weapons

Reactor
SF40 Sheared Flow Reactor (Class C)
Power	Repair		Health		Hull
40	5.80		116		1,315
Grav Drive
J-52 Gamma Grav Drive (Class C)
Power	Thrust		Health		Mass
11	50		308		154
Engine
SA-4330 Engine (Class C) x4
Power	Thrust		M.Thrust		Health
2	15,240		3,220		88
Fuel Tank
900T He3 Tank x1
Fuel		Hull		Mass
650		5		60
Weapon 0
PBO-175 Auto Helion Beam (Class B) x4
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
3	19		6.00		3,000
Weapon 1
Vanguard Obliterator Autoprojector (Class A) x6
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
2	11		6.65		3,000
Weapon 2
Exterminator 95MeV Auto Helion Beam (Class B) x3
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
4	26		5.00		3,250
Cargo
StorMax 50 Cargo Hold x2
Cargo		Hull		Mass
320		5		68
Shield
Assurance SG-1800 Shield Generator (Class C)
Power	Health		Regen		Mass
12	1,600		5%		160

Required Skills

Piloting Rank 4
Starship Design Rank 4

Suggested Skills

Targeting Control Systems

Combining three Particle Weapons with a full-powered Shield allows for high damage output and defense while maintaining high Mobility by equipping relatively lightweight ship components and lowering cargo holds.

Best Ship Build For Cargo

Reactor
Any Reactor with more than 30 Power
Power	Repair		Health		Hull
30↑	-		-		-
Grav Drive
Any Grav Drive with more than 26 LY
Power	Thrust		Health		Hull
-	26↑		-		-
Engine
SAL-6830 Engine (Class C) x6
Power	Thrust		M.Thrust		Health
2	18,000		8,800		180
Cargo
Galleon S203 Cargo Hold x6
Cargo		Hull		Mass
1,200		5		252
Landing Gear
Any Landing Gear x22

Required Skills

Starship Design Rank 2

Suggested Skills

Payloads Rank 4

Galleon S203 Cargo Hold offers the highest storage capacity per mass among Cargo Holds with over 1000 Cargo. To maximize storage space while maintaining high Mobility, we recommend pairing them with engines that provide maximum thrust per unit power.

SAL-6830 Engine provides 8,800 Maneuvering Thrusts while only requiring two Power. This means you can attach up to six engines to your ship, resulting in 52,800 Maneuvering Thrusts. You can unlock it by completing the mission All That Money Can Buy.

However, you will need at least 22 Landing Gear to support your ship as one Lander can only hold about 200 Mass.

Best Ship Build For Early Game

Upgraded Frontier (All Class A, No Skills Required)

Reactor
360T Stellarator Reactor (Class A)
Power	Repair		Health		Hull
20	1.6		32		440
Grav Drive
Helios 300 Grav Drive (Class A)
Power	Thrust		Health		Mass
9	26		68		34
Engine
+ White Dwarf 2010 Engine (Class A) x2
Power	Thrust		M.Thrust		Health
3	11,340		2,130		67
Fuel Tank
M40 Ulysses He3 Tank x2
Fuel		Hull		Mass
150		5		21
Weapon 0
PB-30 Electron Beam (Class A) x4
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
3	13		3.49		3,300
Cargo
Caravel V102 Cargo Hold x2
Cargo		Hull		Mass
300		5		64

Note!	360T Stellarator Reactor and Helios 300 Grav Drive are only available once you reach level 14.

Upgraded Grav Drive and Fuel Tanks improve long-distance travel. Increased storage space reduces your burden. All the parts above can be found in New Atlantis, and the cost is only around 50,000 Credits.

Upgraded Star Eagle (Class A, Skills Required)

Grav Drive
Helios 300 Grav Drive (Class A)
Power	Thrust		Health		Mass
9	26		68		34
Engine
+ White Dwarf 3020 Engine (Class A) x2
Power	Thrust		M.Thrust		Health
3	19,920		3,060		88
Fuel Tank
M40 Ulysses He3 Tank x2
Fuel		Hull		Mass
150		5		25
Weapon 1
PB-30 Electron Beam (Class A) x4
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
3	13		3.49		3,300
Weapon 2
Vanguard Obliterator Autoprojector (Class A) x6
Power	H/S DMG		Fire Rate		Range
2	11		6.65		3,000
Cargo
Galleon S201 Cargo Hold x2
Cargo		Hull		Mass
720		5		152
Shield
40S Protector Shield Generator (Class A)
Power	Health		Regen		Mass
6	520		10%		30

Required Skills

Starship Design Rank 2

Suggested Skills

Targeting Control Systems

Upgrading the Star Eagle with two Particle Weapons and an improved Shield significantly enhances the damage output and defense. Adding two Engines is not crucial but improves overall maneuverability.

Best Ship Parts For Smuggling

Use The Largest Shielded Cargo Possible

10ST Hauler Shielded Cargo Hold

Cargo
10ST Hauler Shielded Cargo Hold
Cargo	Hull	Mass
320	5	124

Required Skills

Starship Design Rank 2

Suggested Skills

Payloads Rank 4

To successfully smuggle Contraband in Starfield, it is essential to have a Shielded Cargo Hold with a capacity exceeding the weight of the contraband to reduce the risk of detection. Ensure your contraband is in the shielded cargo, not your inventory.

Scan Jammer Increases The Chance Of Avoiding Detection

Module
Scan Jammer - Multi-Frequency
Effect					Mass
Scan evasion bonus 50%.					7

Required Skills

Starship Design Rank 2

The Scan Jammer makes it easier to evade detection. By raising your Level to 16 and Starship Desing to Rank 2, you can unlock the Scan Jammer - Multi-Frequency to increase the chance to 50%.

Buying The Razorleaf Is Another Option

If you don't transport much contraband, you can opt to buy Razorleaf, a ship with 160 Shielded Cargo for 120,000 credits instead of building a new one.

Razorleaf Ship - How To Get & Stats

Best Ship Parts For Hijacking

Weapon with High EM DMG & Low Hull DMG Is Crusial

Weapon 0
Fulminator 8000 Suppressor (Class A)
Power	EM DMG	Fire Rate		Range
3	58	0.80		800
Weapon 1
Vanguard Starseeker Pulse Laser (Class A)
Power	H/S DMG	Fire Rate		Range
4	8/21	6.00		1,000
Module
ComSpike (Class A)
Effect			Mass
Reduces time to lock onto enemies by 25% and weapon cost by 20% in Targeting Mode.			5		1

Suggested Skill

Targeting Control System

The most effective and essential weapon for hijacking an enemy ship is the EM Suppressor, which can disable the enemy's ship system without destroying the whole ship. With Comspike, you can lock onto and deactivate the target more quickly.