In Starfield, you will find various Research Laboratories that can be used to unlock multiple Research Projects. These can be used as a prerequisite to craft items inside various Workbenches. The Research Projects you can find inside the Research Lab include “Pharmacology, Food And Drink, Outpost Development, Equipment, and Weaponry.”
How does the Research Lab work in Starfield?
Starfield offers various Workbenches that you can use to craft multiple items. But these workbenches require you to unlock the Research Project as a prerequisite. This is where the Research Lab comes into play, where you can unlock Research Projects for the categories listed below:
Pharmacology
The Research Projects involving Pharmacology will allow you to unlock items that will boost your character’s “Health” and “Stamina.” You can use the “Performance Enhancement” Research Projects to find medicines for certain diseases, such as Lung Damage and Infection in Starfield.
These drugs can also be used as recreational drugs, which will help you progress in the storyline of Starfield. Talking of Recreational Drugs, you will be able to find a mass-produced psychotic drug named “Aurora” produced by “Xenofresh Corporation” in Starfield.
The drugs produced using the Pharmacology Research Project will only enhance your character’s physical performance. These can affect your Load Carrying Capacity, Health, Speed, and Strength.
Food And Drink
By unlocking Food and Drink Research Projects in Starfield, you will be able to find access to a variety of recipes. These recipes are not only limited to food items such as steaks and bread but also cover beverages such as Fruit Juices.
As you progress in these Research Projects, you will unlock food recipes that will bring back even more of your health. If you choose “Chef” as your character background during the character creation, you can unlock new recipes and ingredients using the “Gastronomy” skill.
The same could be said for the Research Projects involving Specialty Ingredients.
Outpost Development
In Starfield, you can unlock Research Projects involving Outpost Developments to speed up your outpost production operation. By doing so, you can build the new structure modules of the outpost using fewer resources.
Rather than providing shelter, these outposts will be vital in producing various items from Workbenches. You can also use these outposts to store equipment to lighten up your inventory load.
Equipment
If you want to improve your armor pieces, such as “Helmets and Spacesuits,” you will think about unlocking Equipment Research Projects. Opening these is the best way to improve your defenses.
Depending on the planet you travel to, you can unlock Spacesuits that fit its climate. The same could be said for Spacesuits with varying damage resistance and thermal protection.
Equipment Research Projects can also unlock Booster packs with power, flight time, and height restrictions. In short, you will open spacesuits, allowing you to fly longer.
Weaponry
The damage-dealing ability and efficiency of the weapon can be enhanced using the Weaponry Research Projects in Starfield. Starfield offers a variety of weapon mods, which are explained in detail below:
- Receiver: “It changes the firing mechanism of your weapon, affecting its accuracy, range, and damage.”
- Internal: “It changes the internal components of your weapon, affecting its fire rate, recoil, and weight.”
- Optic: “It changes the scope or sight of your weapon, improving your accuracy and range.”
- Magazine and Battery: “It changes the magazine or battery of your weapon, increasing its ammo capacity or firing rate.”
- Muzzle: “It changes the muzzle of your weapon, adding a suppressor, compensator, or other attachment.”
- Stock: “This will help you with recoil.”
Starfield Research Labs locations
In Starfield, each player will get access to the Research Laboratory from the early phase of the game. That said, the first one that you will find is located on the Lodge.
Once there, you need to get inside the headquarters of the Constellation and go through the first door on the right. Doing so, you will find yourself in a basement full of various Research labs.
As you progress in the game, you will get access to another Research Lab, which will be located inside the “Frontier.” This is the name of your first ship, and it houses a fully equipped research laboratory inside the crew residence in Starfield.
Once you have done a couple of missions, you will get access to different planets in the United Colonies. Research Labs are inside various settlements, such as “Civilian Outposts, Abandoned Factories, and Enemy Outposts.”
During missions, you will not get access to Research Labs as when conversing with an NPC. The same thing goes for when you are fighting enemies.
How to use the Research Lab
To use the Research Lab in Starfield, you first need to gather the materials required for a specific Research Project you are interested in. Upon doing so, you need to interact with the Research Lab and initiate the project.
It will be marked as complete if you have all the required materials for the Research Project in your inventory. For example, if you want to add Long Barrel mods to your weapon, you must complete the “Barrel mod 1” project. This will require the following items:
- Iron
- Nickel
- Sealant
After doing so, you can head to the Weapon Workbench to craft a Long Barrel Mod and various other mods. As you progress in the game, Research Projects will get advanced and require Credits on top of materials to complete.
Research Progress Overflow Explained
In Starfield, a unique phenomenon is inside the Research Lab called “Research Project Overflow.” This will happen when you add materials required for your project and need you to complete the project with even fewer items.
What happens is that once you have added one material to the project, it flows into the other materials slots, thus filling it. You will then get the message on the screen saying “Sudden Development,” and your research project will be completed.
For example, if you need to add “Cobalt, Lubricant, and Supercooled Magnet” to your project completion. If you get lucky, you will get the progress overflow once you have said Cobalt to the Research Project. When this happens, you will not need to add other two materials to the project for completion.
How to Improve Starfield Research Lab Efficiency
You can use several skills to improve the efficiency of the Research Lab. One of these skills is “Novice Science Skill,” which will reduce the total amount of materials needed to complete the project. The same could be said for the Credits required for the project.
This skill is part of the “Research Method” skill tree, which you can rank up to 4 levels to gain more advantages in Research Lab. For that, you need to complete its prerequisites and the Credits.
Unique Research Projects
In Starfield, there are several locked Research Projects that you need to unlock by using a variety of skills. For example, you will unlock “Special Project Skill” if you progress under the “Master Science” skill tree. Doing so will allow you to unlock Research Projects for “Rare, Exotic, and Unique” items.
If you want to unlock a Research Project for unique recipes, you can unlock “Gastronomy Skill.” Progressing in the “Novice Social” skill tree would be best.
