Starfield – Weight Distribution 101

Trouble running out of storage space? Don’t worry, I got you!

Gaming the Star System!

Note: Credit goes to Toxophilite [East]

It’s still a Bethesda Game after all…

Contrary to what you’ve probably heard, storage, carry weight, and storing items in Starfield isn’t limited. The first and obvious thing to know – is that your companion(s) can carry stuff too, they’ll sometimes even suggest that you give them stuff if you’re holding on to too many items. In addition, if you weren’t already aware of it, the Crewmates for hire, that will help with improving your Spaceship’s performance, can also carry some of your loot.

You can even get creative and use each Crewmate as a specific ‘storage container’ [Weapons, Materials, Outfits, etc.] hire as many Crewmates as you can afford and your Spaceship can fit, it’s much cheaper if your Persuasion Skill is high.

Note: I’m lead to believe that this is an intended and encouraged mechanic from Bethesda, seeing as how there’s a special button designated for dumping all of your current resources into a container at once.

Also, as a side note… keeping your O2 levels high will mitigate many of the negative effects of carrying too many items, you’ll lose the ability to fast travel though, so be careful when doing this! There are some useful Outfits and Food Items that can assist with Carry Weight a tad bit, but if possible, invest in some kind of Helmet/ Spacesuit that improves/ reduces O2 consumption, as you’ll see more significant, substantial results from these items.

Bonus: Don’t forget about the ‘Captain’s Storage Bin’ on your Spaceship [usually near the Captain’s chair, on the right-hand side], it doesn’t hold much, but it’s-its own special storage container, separate from the rest of the Ship’s Cargo.

Weight, There’s More…

Three free Storage Containers? Who could say no to that?!

I hate having to state the obvious, but this is a guide, and I have to assume that some ways to “Game the Star System” might be missed; that being the case, let’s make the absolute most out of some very obvious information.

If your goal is to have an obnoxious amount of Storage Space, as early as possible, then I’d recommend following the Constellation Faction Questline, all the way up until “Back to Vectera” (the mission to rescue Barrett). Engaging with this quest will net you three [3] total possible followers, in addition to any others you might’ve collected [Sarah Morgan, Supervisor Lin and Heller].

Note: Completing quests for the Constellation Faction will give you access to VASCO again [the robot NPC], this nicely plays into some other interesting aspects of storage that I’ll discuss a little later, but keep this in mind.

Work it Out!

Being fit, helps it fit in your pocket!

Though it’s not mandatory, I do recommend getting at least the first level of Weight Lifting early-game, only second to – or after upgrading your major skill(s). Unless there’s something I’ve missed, your Major Skills will always contribute more Credits in your pocket, then being able to haul around a lot of random ‘stuff’.

For now, just focus on whatever it is your character is good at, and treat retrieving a big haul as a secondary, or even tertiary benefactor. Just keep in mind that the more you can carry, the higher your chances are of retrieving a Unique, Legendary, or Secret item by accident.

Unless you have Skill Points to burn, the first level of Weight Lifting is where you should probably stop investing points in Physical [that specific skill], as many other game mechanics explained in this guide will help you circumvent the supposed “limited storage options” in Starfield.

Free Storage??

Bonus points if you pull this off!

In Akila City [Cheyenne System], the Mayor may have a quest for you to investigate “Sahar’s Farm”, just north of this location may be an outpost/ military facility with Spacers, Pirates, Smugglers or Ecliptic, depending on how you’ve been playing. Either way, there’s a decent chance [not 100%] that the group will have a Cargo Vessel of varying sizes, parked on the landing area.

I recommend killing at least several of the members of the group/ squad, only if they see you and attack you, but afterward, make a dash for the Cargo Vessel, ignoring the rest of the group, and focus on killing everyone inside! Once you do, you’ll be given the option to “Take over the Ship”, obviously select “Yes” and now you have more potential storage space!

There’s more, because you’ll still have to register the Vessel before getting the full benefits, when returning about the quest at “Sahar’s Farm”, unless you’re trying to do something specific, give the Deed to “Frank Langston” instead, he’ll reward you with 10,000 credits, which can go toward registering your new Cargo Vessel!

Note: Larger Ships/ Cargo Vessels allow you to assign more followers to positions on your Spacecraft, this will come into play in some very interesting ways, giving you many kinds of options when it comes to ‘loading’ and ‘dropping off’ larger hauls.

Contraband Not Country Band!

Milquetoast, Trust me Bros., need not apply!

I’m sure you’ve all heard the myths and rumors surrounding Contraband [it’s not worth it, etc.], right along with claims about Storage, well… of course you have, which is why you’re here; to get information that’s actually useful, right? Right!

Here’s some things you should know, and also keep in mind if you wanna engage in the Black Market. The “going price” for an item, and what a person is willing to pay you for it, are two different things. Even at the first/ second level of Commerce [Social Skills], you only make about 14.3% of the ‘going price’ for most Black Market items/ materials [especially if you sell to the Trade Authority]. However, in most hauls [if you know where to look], you’ll stumble on a collection of about 10-15 items. So let’s say on average, you’d be paid ꞓ2000 Credits per item/ material/ case, that’s potentially ꞓ20,000 – ꞓ30,000 Credits per haul!

Let’s put that into perspective, in case someone missed it. For one successful Contraband haul, you could potentially afford to buy a Rapid Shot [shotgun] at level [5] five! This is huge, because unlike other Bethesda games, a respectable portion of Starfield’s progression is locked behind credits, which means, there’s some serious ‘pay-to-win’ going on with the economy! Don’t let these “milquetoast chumps” sway you into downloading their ‘snake-oil’ Mods, to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.

Again, here stating the obvious but, dealing in the Black Market is still buying and selling [commerce], so if you want the most out of selling your Contraband, you can just ‘store it away’ somewhere safe [discussed later in this guide], or until you can get the absolute most out of your sell, or of course until you find a buyer [outside of the Trade Authority].

For everyone else, sorry to disappoint you my picket-fenced, middle-class, suburban friends but, a life of crime is a job just like every other job, if you’re expecting to be a Kingpin after only two Contraband hauls, then sorry, you’re in the wrong business.

Notice: Most of the Contraband items/ materials that you’ll find while exploring, have a mass of 3.5 and up to about 4.0 units [with some rare exceptions]. The mass to selling value alone for these items/ materials, debunks any myths and rumors about the supposed, questionable value of Contraband in Starfield’s economy.

Moving Weight

Honest Thief, Honest Criminal!

Since we’re already here, talking about managing storage, how about some information about safely moving Contraband around? Any good criminal organization [or whatever you consider yourself to be] needs a discreet place to operate, store goods and move them around, and I know just the place!

This one’s a bit complex, so it’ll take some doing to get things off the ground. While engaging in quests for the Constellation Faction with Sarah Morgan as your companion, you’ll end up taking a trip to “The Old Neighborhood” [named Mission], on the planet Mars [Cydonia].

Once there, you’ll be asked to meet one of Sarah’s contacts on the surface, but that’s not the focus of today’s guide, who you’re looking for-for the purposes of “Moving Weight” is a guy named “Phil Hill”, he’s a representative from a real-estate organization called L.I.S.T, just tell him you’re willing to help, it gives you insight to a mission you’ll really wanna focus on called “Failure to Communicate” in the Maheo System [Maheo III].

This mission is a bit extensive and can get a lil’ “difficult” if you don’t have a good spaceship. If you do plan on following this mission, and I recommend that you do, you’re gonna want to upgrade your Vessel and Crew a bit, to get the most you can out of your ship’s capabilities. I don’t wanna spoil the mission for you, because it’s a really good one, but just know that completing it successfully gives you access to a TON of credits!

The main reason you should consider completing this mission, is that it’ll give you access to a safe place to store your Contraband in the Cheyenne System, without the worry of it being picked up by the Planetary Sensors. Simply store your stuff here [Lopez’s Farm] once he’s your ally, until you find a buyer, and move your illegal items around accordingly!