Companions have been a staple of Bethesda RPGs for a while now, and Starfield is no different. This time around, however, their functionality has been expanded. In prior titles, companions aid you in combat, wander the world with you, and even offer a funny quip occasionally. This time companions come with companion skills in Starfield.
These skills manifest in different ways and can aid you not only in combat, but they can also improve other facets of your gameplay. This guide will review how you can utilize companion skills in Starfield.
Starfield Companion skills explained
Every companion in Starfield is proficient in one skill or another. They may be adept at skills related to ships, or they may be better at combat, or they may even be good at botany or geology. When you interact with a companion, their skills are displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. It usually appears in form of stars. That will give you a very good idea of how and where your companions should be stationed.
A companion with ship skills in Starfield can work to increase your ship’s mileage. While one good at combat can follow you around to give you a better shot at defeating enemies more quickly. Furthermore, if your companion is adept at geology, you can have them follow you, and they will collect valuable pieces of materials for you.
How do Companions Skills work in Starfield?
When you assign a companion to a specific station, their skills come into use automatically. It is important to note that these skills are passive and do not benefit you directly. This means if a companion is good at using the ship’s weaponry, this doesn’t make you proficient at ship battles until you assign them the role. To assign a companion to a certain position, initiate a conversation with them. You will have an option to assign them here. Additionally, you can also use the crew menu to do this.
To have a proper working ship, make sure you assign your companions in a way that plays to the strengths of their skills in Starfield. Having them assigned to the area they are good at allows you to have a much better experience. You will reap the maximum benefits of your crew, making you a more effective player overall.
Can you improve companion skills?
Sadly, the answer to this question is a resounding NO. All companions in Starfield have fixed skills that you can utilize for your benefit, but you can’t upgrade these skills like you can for player skills.
Similarly, companion skills don’t stack in Starfield. So you can’t add 3 companions with piloting skills to your ship and hope to have a combined skill effect. The game will only take into account the highest skill level that one of your companions has and apply it to the ship.
Starfield Companion skills list
Starfield offers 20 unique companions and crew members that you can recruit. Each companion has different skills to offer that you can utilize for your own benefit. 4 out of 20 companions are more important as they offer unique questlines, and you can romance them. We will cover their skills in detail below.
Sarah Morgan
Sarah Morgan is one of the earliest recruits in the game. As a companion, Sarah offers following skills in Starfield.
- Astrodynamics: 4 stars
- Lasers: 3 stars
- Leadership: 2 stars
- Botany: 1 star
This makes Sarah perfectly suited to ships as her skills can improve ship’s grav drive.
Sam Coe
An ex Freestar Collective Ranger, Sam Coe offers following skills as a companion in Starfield.
- Piloting: 4 stars
- Rifle: 3 stars
- Payloads: 2 stars
- Geology: 1 star
Sam is absolutely perfect to drive ships and join you in gunfight sequences.
Barrett
A grieving widower but a fun person by nature, Barrett offers the following companion skills in Starfield.
- Starship Engineering: 4 stars
- Particle Weapon Beam System: 3 stars
- Robotics: 2 stars
- Gastronomy: 1 star
Barrett’s perfect place is the ship. He can fix your ship mid-battle and improve your battle stations with his expertise.
Andreja
A fierce young lady with a vendetta, Andreja offers the following companion skills in Starfield.
- Stealth: 4 stars
- Particle Beams: 3 stars
- Energy Weapon Systems: 2 stars
- Theft: 1 star
Andreja is your perfect partner in crime for stealth-based missions.
Companion skills of remaining recruits in Starfield
- Adoring Fan: Weightlifting (2 stars), Concealment (1 star), Scavenging (1 star)
- Gideon Aker: Ballistic Weapon Systems (2 stars), Missile Weapon Systems (2 stars)
- Heller: Outpost Engineering (3 star)
- Lin: Outpost Management (3 stars), Demolition (1 star)
- Marika Boros: Ballistics (2 stars), Shotgun Certification (1 star), Particle Beam Weapon System (1 star)
- Mickey Caviar: Wellness (2 stars), Gastronomy (1 star), Incapacitation (1 star)
- Omari Hassan: Shield Systems (3 stars), Starship Engineering (1 star)
- Rosie Tannehill: Wellness (3 stars), Medicine (1 star)
- Simeon Bankowski: Sniper Certification (2 stars), Marksmanship (1 star), Sharpshooting (1 star)
