Getting into space fights in Starfield is a core part of the experience, especially with how often they show up. Every few times that you grav jump, there’s a high chance you’ll run into a squad of hostile ships that you’ll need to deal with to go about your business. Sometimes, those enemies become too much to handle. Here’s how to escape space combat in Starfield.
How to Flee a Space Fight in Starfield
If you find yourself biting off more than you can chew, then there’s only one way to get the hell out of dodge: grav Jumping. If you’re in danger of dying and being forced back to the last checkpoint, or simply realized last save that the fight was too much, you’ll want to head to your star system map and select any other star system. Ideally, it’s a friendly system like Alpha Centauri or Cheyenne, but it’s up to you.
Once you’ve started the Grav Jump process and are back in the fight, quickly use either Alt + your arrow keys or the DPad on your controller to assign as many points away from other systems and to GRV as soon as possible. The more points you assign to the system, the faster you can Grav Jump. Just try not to take points away from your Shield since that might be the only thing stopping you from being killed first.
When you’ve assigned the points, run evasive maneuvers to buy as much time as you can, and you’ll eventually Grav Jump away. Going by Starfield’s usual logic, you should be safe and sound afterward.
Tips for Escaping Space Combat
Space combat can be rough to deal with in Starfield. Here are a few tips we recommend following to escape in Starfield.
- Make sure your grav drive is not damaged and can function. This can have a huge impact on whether you can escape or not. You can repair this at any Ship Services Technician. You can also use ship parts to repair your grav drive while in space.
- Your grav drive will only take you to other systems. And you’ll only be able to grav drive to systems you’ve been to before.
- Make sure to max both shields and grav drives for a higher chance at successful escape.
- You can also set max power to grav drives alone to further increase your escape chances.
How Do You Improve Your Chances in Dogfights in Starfield?
If you aren’t too interested in escaping every fight you find in Starfield, there are a few areas of your ship you should focus on for upgrades. Your main weapons (excluding missiles) should be your first choice since the fewer enemies you have to deal with, the better.
After that, shields should get a boost so you can take more hits before your precious ship parts start getting banged up. Finally, you should upgrade your engines, so you can maneuver around just a little faster.
If you don’t want to spend Credits or have the best stuff possible, then levels in the Piloting, Starship Design, and ship-weapon-related skills should help you dish more damage and ensure you’re running the best ship possible.
Skills and Stats That Affect the Grav Drive in Starfield
You can increase the jump range capabilities of your grav drive by upgrading it in the Ship Builder. You can also use skills, like Astrodynamics to reduce fuel costs for grav jumps. If you don’t have it yourself, you can always find a crew mate that has it. Sarah Morgan has the Astrodynamics skill, so consider utilizing her on your ship if you can.
Here’s a breakdown of what each grav drive stat means:
- Class – The tier of a ship part.
- Max Power – The maximum power that can be allocated to a specific part’s function.
- Grav Jump Thrust – The maximum distance your ship is capable of grav jumping.
- Grav Drive Health – How much damage your grav drive can take.
- Hull – Your ship’s HP.
If you’re just getting started with ship improvements, check out our guide on how to upgrade your ship in Starfield.
