Starfield is jam-packed with all kinds of activities, from running faction missions to exploring unknown worlds. But they don’t all give equal amounts of experience. And different types of activities can give better rates of XP for characters in different level ranges.
The locations of these activities are particularly important. For example, hunting aliens on certain planets can bring in far more XP at faster rates than other planets. Today, we’ll look at all the best ways to farm XP in Starfield and where to farm it.
Where To Farm XP Early-Game
Exploring cities and completing missions can be one of the best ways to get started in Starfield. Story and faction missions give a ton of XP and credits. These can also take quite a long time to complete. The two absolute best ways to farm XP in the early-game are scanning planets and hunting aliens.
Scanning & Surveying
Traveling to new planets and moons, then scanning them from orbit, can provide some very quick XP boosts. Landing on a world will then allow you to scan its resources and lifeforms. Completely surveying all of these will give additional XP, as well as a valuable survey note in your inventory.
Completed survey notes sell for a hefty load of credits. In order to rack these up even faster, gas and ice giants can be completely scanned from orbit automatically. This is because they cannot be landed on and do not have accessible resources.
Hunting
While scanning alone is a decent way to farm XP, hunting dangerous aliens is far more efficient. In addition to the XP gained from combat, each creature defeated is automatically scanned. The real goal is to be able to hunt large numbers of very powerful alien monsters.
The best kinds of planets to hunt on have Abundant Fauna, usually 8+ different varieties. Herds are more numerous on those planets, and there will also be a higher chance that more species give great XP.
One of the best places to hunt aliens in the early-game is undoubtedly Polvo. Found in the Valo system, this planet has various different species of herding and flocking geophages, which give decent XP in large numbers. The bonemanes are more solitary, but they give even better XP.
Where To Farm XP Mid-Game
Repeatable Faction Missions
By the time a character is in the mid-game, they’ll likely have joined a faction or two. Completing the repeatable missions available for these can be a decent way to farm XP. They definitely don’t take nearly as long as story missions. They also usually have a good variety of activities that allow for characters of all specializations to complete them with ease.
The most lucrative repeatable missions are probably the ones available after joining the Crimson Fleet. These can give quite a lot of credits compared to other faction missions. But if piracy is a no-go, then Ryujin Industries could be a good alternative. Those missions can often be completed extremely quickly, making them ideal for XP farming.
Mid-Game Hunting
The best place to farm XP in Starfield’s mid-game is arguably Tau Ceti VIII-b. The deciduous forests of this moon host several large herbivores, but even better are the giant predatory crickets. While admittedly terrifying in strength, speed, and size, defeating them is also a fantastic source of XP.
It also doesn’t hurt that the gas giant Tau Ceti VIII and its rings dominate this moon’s sky, even during the daytime. Building an outpost here is highly recommended for the abundant life and incredible views.
Where To Farm XP Late-Game
Investing skill points and credits into your ship’s capabilities can unlock yet another way to farm XP in Starfield. High-level hostile ships are extraordinarily dangerous, but destroying them also gives a high amount of XP. While encountering them is usually random, there are a couple foolproof methods. Just be sure to equip a powerful shield and other systems onto your ship before trying these.
Space Battles
As long as you haven’t joined or sided with the Crimson Fleet pirates, their home space station is a great source of enemy ships. Jumping to the Key, in the Kryx system, initiates a massive fight with tons of pirate ships. Using auto turrets for one or two of your ship’s weapon systems can help manage the sheer number of hostiles here.
An even better way to farm XP in space is by fighting Va’ruun zealots in the Serpentis system. For some reason, every time you enter orbit above any planet in the Serpentis system, two or three Va’ruun ships will attack out of nowhere. So, you can keep traveling to different planets there and repeat the cycle for an endless XP farm.
Late-Game Hunting
Due to Starfield’s level scaling, hunting to farm XP in the endgame can be done pretty much anywhere that has abundant fauna. Planets and moons in high-level systems still have a higher chance to spawn high-level enemies. There are many options available at this point in the game, but one of the best places is Bardeen III.
The deciduous forests on Bardeen III have a wide range of different species that are good to hunt. The herding hornface herbivores are particularly noteworthy. They are the galaxy’s only natural source of Gastronomic Delight. This is a unique resource used mainly for crafting food, and it’s extremely valuable. Earning some extra credits while farming XP never hurts.