You are going to need a pretty great spaceship if you expect to get around the massive open world of Starfield. This means you will probably need to save up a good amount of Credits in order to get the perfect one.
You can find countless ships throughout the game (usually in big cities) that are available for purchase. Some ships you are able to get for free. If you’re wondering which ships are the best, here’s a list of them. This list is based on price, cargo space, weapon damage, fuel, mobility, and space.
Updated by Erin Rice on October 19, 2023: This update includes five additional ships that players can obtain in the game. It also added relevant links to help them find other ships that they may want.
25 Orca III
The Orca III is a Class C ship that requires players to have a maxed-out Piloting Skill to use. It can be purchased in Neon, New Atlantis, and Paradiso. The cost of this ship is around 400,000 Credits, making it extremely expensive.
What makes it a good option is that it offers 1,365 in Hull Protection and 1,215 in Shields. In addition to that, it has nearly 2,000 in cargo space. This means it is an absolute beast. The only problem with it is that it is so expensive.
24 Zumwalt III
The Zumwalt III is a Class B ship that is located at several different Ship Services areas around Starfield. This ship can be purchased in Akila City, Cydonia, New Homestead, and Paradiso. The ship costs around 280,000 Credits.
This ship is such a great ship due to its Hull Protection. The ship has 1,014 in this stat, making it a pretty safe ship to take into a fight. It also has 890 Shield, making it a pretty great bet to win in a space battle.
23 Venture II
The Venture II is a Class B ship that players are able to obtain in Starfield. It can be found in a multitude of places. These places include Akila City, New Homestead, Gagarin Landing, Hopetown, Stroud-Eklund Staryard, and the Eleos Retreat. The ship costs around 250,000 Credits.
This ship is amazing due to its cargo capacity. You can hold up to around 4,700 cargo in it. While this is amazing, the ship is lacking in a lot of other areas. This is why the ship isn’t higher than it is on this list.
22 Naginata
The Naginata is another Class B ship that can be purchased in the game. It is located in Akila City, Hopetown, and Neon. The price of the ship is around 225,000 Credits, making it another pricey ship to obtain.
What makes the Naginata so great is that it has a decent amount of Shielding and Hull Protection for a Class B ship. This means that it is a pretty safe bet to fly around if you are wanting to carry some cargo with you.
21 Murasame
The Murasame is a Class B ship that can be purchased in the game. The ship is valued at around 250,000 Credits, making it a pricey ship. However, it is a pretty amazing one. You can purchase it at Gagarin Landing.
What makes this ship so great is that it has some pretty amazing stats. It has at least 580 fuel (which means you can get a decent way away), and it also has 470 cargo space, which can be added to. Additionally, it is a Class B ship, so it is made to be bulky and quick.
20 Dragonfire II
The Dragonfire II is a Class C ship that is purchased at the Eleos Retreat. This can be found on Ixyll II within the Ixyll Solar System. The ship is found at the Ship Services area for around 360,000 Credits, depending on your Commerce Skill.
This ship is so great because it has plenty of room for your crew to join you on your adventures. The more crew you have on your ship, the more their Skills will be able to increase the usefulness and effectiveness of your own ship.
19 Stronghold
The Stronghold ship is another Class C ship. This ship can be purchased in several different areas, however, the most prominent is Paradiso. This is a city located in the Porrima II planet within the Porrima Solar System. You can buy it for 380,000 Credits.
What makes this a great ship is that it has an extremely impressive lineup. The cargo space is over 2,000, the fuel range is 2,200, and the Shield is 1,600. This means you can go anywhere you need to go while carrying a good amount of resources.
18 Silent Runner
The Silent Runner is a ship that is also classified as a Class C ship. It can be purchased at both HopeTown on the planet of Polvo, and at the Deimos Staryard, located within the Sol Solar System. This ship is around 370,000 Credits.
What makes this a good ship is that it has an extremely impressive amount of cargo. It is the most cargo space any ship has in the game (at least without modifying it). The cargo space is 6,060. However, the fuel is only 300, meaning it won’t go nearly as far as other ships.
17 Abyss Trekker
The Abyss Trekker is another impressive ship. It is a Class C ship that can be purchased at Paradiso as well. It can cost you up to 360,000 Credits; however, this can be taken down if you have a high enough Commerce Skill.
The ship is great because of the weapons that it comes equipped with. Each of the weapons on this ship are extremely impressive, making it one of the best offensive ships that money can buy within the game.
16 Narwhal
The Narwhal is a fun ship that is named for the narwhal animal due to its horn-like front. The Narwhal is a Class C ship that can be purchased within the city of Neon. If you want to buy this, you will need to head to Taiyo Astroneering within Ryujin Industries. The ship will cost you about 450,000 Credits.
The Narwhal is a fan-favorite due to its design. However, it is also a great ship to invest in. It offers a hull of 2,118, one of the strongest hulls in the game. Its shield is also a nice 995 and has room for 7 crew members. This is a great defensive ship for players.
15 Hoplite III
The Hopelite III is a Class B ship (A is built for mobility, C is built for doing more damage, and B is built to be somewhere in the middle). This ship can be purchased from the Deimos Shipyard for close to 200,000 Credits (this price depends on how good your Commerce Skill is).
What makes this ship worthwhile is that it has an impressive fuel range of 800 and has a great amount of Hull and Shield protection. The only downside to this ship is that it doesn’t have much room for cargo. Thankfully, you can fix this issue with some Credits.
14 Crimson Fleet Reaper III
The Crimson Fleet Reaper III is another Class B ship. It can be purchased from the Crimson Fleet headquarters on The Key after you join the faction. The ship costs roughly 235,000 Credits and can be bought as soon as you join up with the faction.
This ship is great because it was made with cargo in mind. It can hold an extremely impressive 1160 cargo and has a very impressive amount of Hull and Shield protection. This ship falls short on the fuel side with only 140. While this can get you around the main areas of the universe, you will need more to head elsewhere.
13 Watchdog IV
The Watchdog IV is another Crimson Fleet invention that can thankfully be purchased at different sellers throughout the Settled Systems if you really want it. It is a Class A ship, meaning it is meant for mobility. It costs around 200,000 Credits, once again, depending on your skills.
What makes this a great ship is that it does offer a decent amount of cargo space along with some good Hull and Shield protection. It also allows you to have a decent amount of crew members. Its downside also lies in the fact it doesn’t have a great fuel range.
12 Shieldbreaker
The Shieldbreaker is another Class B ship that can be purchased at the Crimson Fleet’s headquarters. Considering they are space pirates, it makes sense that they have such great ships. If you want this ship, it will probably set you back around 250,000 Credits.
This is a great ship due to the sheer amount of cargo it can hold. This is one of the best ships available if you want to carry cargo around the universe. It also has a great amount of fuel, Hull and Shield protection, and a good space for crew members. Overall, this is a good option.
11 Space Ox III
The Space OX III is another Class B ship, making it a good middle ground for some of the ships on this list. It can be purchased at Neon’s Ship Services building for close to 250,000 Credits, making it pretty expensive.
This ship is great due to the fact that it has an amazing amount of cargo space and Shielding. The amount of those two truly makes this spaceship stand out. However, there are other ships that do offer a little more in both, making this lower on the list.
10 Big Rig
The Big Rig is a Class B ship that can be found within the game. To purchase this ship, you will need to head to either Gagarin Landing or to Hopetown. There, you can get the ship for close to 185,000 Credits.
What makes this a great ship is that it has an amazing amount of cargo. With close to 2,000 cargo space, you could really use this to cart your resources around space. It is also a decent price for that amount of space.
9 Vista III
The Vista III is yet another ship that can be purchased at the Ship Services building on Neon. This ship is close to the 300,000 Credit price tag. As a Class C ship, it is meant to be bulkier than most ships, and it certainly is.
This ship offers one of the best Shielding amounts available on a spaceship at 2,160. This makes this ship an extremely safe option to take into any battle that you may have (especially if you are doing the Crimson Fleet quests).
8 Trade Wagon Train
The Trade Wagon Train is another ship that is a great option for players. This ship is a Class B ship that can be purchased from the Red Mile, Akila City, or Cydonia. The ship costs around 285,000 Credits.
What makes this great is that it is another ship that offers a ton of cargo space for players. Considering that space is needed to build Outposts, you want a lot of it. However, there are other ships for cheaper that have more space, lowering the rank of this one.
7 Autobahn
The Autobahn is a ship that can be found in the game. It is a Class C ship that is purchased at the Gagarin Landing or at the Red Mile. The ship is around 300,000 Credits, making it an expensive ship overall.
This ship is great due to the fact that it has over 4,000 cargo space. However, it only has room for 4 crew members and has a lower fuel range. While these can be fixed, it lowers the ranking of this ship.
6 Starborn Guardian
The Starborn Guardian is a special ship. In order to obtain this ship, you will have to start a New Game Plus playthrough. The ship will then be given to you at the start of this. The ship is a Class A ship and is pretty great.
One reason this ship is so high on the list is that it is completely free. The ship also comes with 1,500 fuel, which is extremely impressive for any ship. You can be guaranteed that this ship will be able to take you wherever you need to go.