Experience points can make all the difference in an RPG like Starfield. But what’s the best way to level up quickly? We have a few suggestions as fans gear up for Starfield’s big release on Game Pass later this week.
IGN’s intrepid guides team have identified several quick tasks that will gain you a nice XP boost. Here’s a list for your reference.
- Sleep for at least 1 hour in any bed (+10% XP Gain for 24 minutes)
- Drink Tranquilitea (+2% XP Gain for 15 minutes)
- Craft and drink Alien Tea (+2% XP Gain for 15 minutes)
- Buy and eat Shepherd’s Pie at Kay’s Place in New Atlantis‘ The Well (+2% XP Gain for 60 minutes)
- Buy and eat “The Strip” at the Whetstone restaurant in New Atlantis (+2% XP Gain for 30 minutes)
Starfield also rewards a strong XP bonus for having sex with your partner on a regular basis. Yep, you read that right. Starfield has an Emotional Security buff that will get you a sizable 15 percent XP gain over the course of 24 minutes.
In order to unlock the Emotional Security buff, you’ll need to get married to one of your companions and go to bed. In essence, you’re getting a big boost to the typical “Well Rested” buff, which normally affords a 10 percent XP gain, but that doesn’t make it any less useful.
As for the food buffs, you can stack the various gains, but keep in mind that they have to be from different categories. For example, you can’t stack two Tranquiliteas, but you can stack a beer and a tea buff. The sleep boost also stacks with the food boost, affording even more experience points.
The Gastronomy Skill is espectially useful if you’re looking to abuse food buffs. Among other things, it allows you to learn the recipe to make your own Shepherd’s Pie by finding a Skill Magazine in Kay’s Place Make sure to check out our full Starfield Walkthrough for more info.
Starfield launched via early access to fans late last week. In our big Starfield review, we praised its depth, but noted that disjointed space travel, nonexistent maps, and other issues dragged it down. Ultimately though, we found its gravitational pull difficult to resist.
For more, check out our list of best Starfield starting traits, our Starfield cheats guide, and how to lockpick troublesome doors. Starfield will be available worldwide via Game Pass starting September 6.
Additional reporting by Brendan Graeber and Miranda Sanchez.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.