Starfield is rooted in space exploration, that much is obvious. If there’s one thing that you’ll need to explore space, it’s a starship – and fortunately, they’re everywhere. Sure, you can always buy one, but that’s not as exhilarating as stealing one – and that’s where docking comes into play. With this guide, you’ll learn how to dock in Starfield, and whether you’re boarding in peace or with the intention to eliminate that ship’s occupants and fly off towards the next system, we’ve got you covered.
It’s a relatively easy thing to do once you understand how, and it’ll enable you to build up a fleet of ships in no time at all. What’s more important is that you can do this from the start of the game – there’s almost nothing stopping you from learning how to dock with other ships and stations right from the outset.
So, are you excited to start pilfering ships? Let’s learn how to dock in Starfield.
Image Credit: Bethesda Game Studios
How to Dock in Starfield (Peacefully)
Let’s say you’ve spotted a ship cruising around your current system and you want to dock with it. There are a few ways you can accomplish this, but let’s start with the most peaceful ways – we’ll at least give them a chance, right?
If you get close enough to the ship you’re targeting, you will be presented with the option to ‘Hail’ the ship. That means you’re going to send out a call over your radio to talk to the occupants. Sometimes, this presents an option to later dock with them peacefully, often to start a side quest, a fetch quest, or to trade with them – or something similar. Once that option has been made available, you can hold ‘X’ or ‘R’ on a keyboard setup to dock with the ship.
There are plenty of ships and stations that are available to dock with without any interactions – it’ll be obvious when you float near the ship and see the ‘Dock’ option immediately presented.
Once you’re on these ships or stations, provided you watch your manners, you will be able to leave again without any bother.
Related: How Long is Starfield?
How to Dock in Starfield (Aggressively)
Now, let’s assume you’re going down a darker path and want to take these ships by force. Alternatively, you may just be a strong combatant and want to steal some enemy ships as reparations for their wrongdoings across the galaxy. It doesn’t matter why you want the ships, all that matters is that you learn how to dock in Starfield in as aggressive a manner as possible.
Fortunately, it’s about as easy as docking peacefully.
In your character’s skill screen, you’ll see a Tier 1 on the Tech path, you can unlock Target Control Systems – you’ll need that. This perk allows you to target specific parts of a ship in – or out of – combat. Think of it as ‘VATS’ from the Fallout franchise.
Now, when you get into a fight, you’ll notice that you ‘lock’ onto the enemy ship – at that point, press ‘R’ on PC or ‘X’ on Xbox, and you’ll zoom in and get a much better sight picture. At this point, you can scroll through the various parts of the ship, targeting them individually. This is where you’ll target the engines, knocking them out of commission and leaving the ship dead in the water.
That’s when you quickly swoop in, dock as normal, and then board the ship, killing its occupants, assuming control of the vessel, repairing what’s needed with Ship Parts, and flying off to the nearest space port, being sure to register the ship in your name.
So, that’s how to dock in Starfield – we hope that helped!
Related: Is Starfield on PlayStation?
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