While it may not be a space-sim like Star Citizen, the RPG aspects of Starfield allow you to play the game however you want. If you wish to be an evil space pirate, you have that option. Being a criminal in a sci-fi world, it makes sense that you would have the ability to steal spaceships in Starfield. But, how do you actually go about doing that? Let us enlighten you on different ways you can steal a ship in Starfield.
How to steal Ships in Starfield
There are basically two ways to hijack another ship in Starfield and add it to your collection of ships. If you are someone who doesn’t want to spend money to unlock new ships, stealing spaceships in Starfield is the perfect route for you to take.
Steal parked ships on planets
This is relatively simple. As you wander planets, aimlessly or not, you’re bound to eventually find a lonely ship parked and ripe for stealing. Simply walk over to the entrance hatch. If it is locked, you’ll need to make sure you have a Digipick on hand and carry on with lockpicking.
Digipicks are relatively abundant in the game so you shouldn’t be short on them usually. Assuming the lock is too advanced though, take the time to prioritize ranking up the ‘Security’ skill which allows you to take a shot at cracking higher-level locks.
Once you get through the entry hatch, in case the crew is present, kill them all. Once the ship is empty, head on over to the Pilot Seat. Fly it out to space and register at a nearby spaceport to claim the ship as your own.
Steal enemy ships after dogfights
The initial step to steal an enemy’s ship in Starfield will differ a bit, but the core remains the same. Not to mention, there is a strange sense of satisfaction that comes from besting your opponents and claiming the well-deserved spoils of battle.
During the space battle, you’ll want to target the engines of the enemy ship. Don’t destroy these though, just whittle away the health until they’re 1-2 hits away from blowing up. Once you do this, you’ll notice when locked onto the ship on your scope, that there is now a ‘Dock’ prompt. Close the distance and when in range, press the shown key to dock with the ship.
A small cutscene plays out and you will have successfully boarded the ship. Kill off the crew and much like before, find your way to the pilot seat to commandeer the ship.
How to register and sell stolen Ships in Starfield
Once you’ve stolen a ship, if you want to sell it, you’ll have to undertake a few extra steps before being able to do so.
As is the case for any stolen ship now under your possession, you will need to ‘Register’ them first before you can undertake any financial action. To do this, find a Ship Services Technician in any settlements/spaceports such as the one in New Atlantis in the Alpha Centauri system.
When speaking to the ship technician, pick the dialogue option prompting a sale. Once in the menu to buy and sell ships, switch over to the ‘Sell’ tab, and scroll through till you arrive on the ship you just stole. You will be given an option to ‘Register’ the ship and upon selecting this option a confirmation window will pop up showing the fee you will need to pay to register the ship. Pay up and now you’re free to sell your stolen haul.
