How to earn XP fast in Starfield: Best tips for quick levels

Brad Norton
Starfield cinematic

If you want to level up in Starfield you’ll first need to obtain plenty of XP and there are some efficient ways to get experience in the RPG, so here’s how you can level up fast in Bethesda’s latest game.

Starfield players have a massive universe to explore with plenty of planets to visit and it’s vital to level up throughout your journey especially as you progress to the later stages of the game.

Nearly everything you do in Starfield will net you some XP and once you’ve leveled up you can learn new abilities and skills. With a large array of skills on offer, there’s plenty to pick from and you can tailor your playstyle in any way you like but you’ll need a decent amount of XP handy before you can start unlocking abilities and improving your skills.

With that in mind, here are our recommended methods for earning XP fast in Starfield.

Starfield fast travel
With over a thousand planets to visit, leveling up is vital to keeping yourself ahead of any pesky foes you bump into on your travels.

How to earn XP fast in Starfield

The first, and perhaps most obvious piece of advice is to simply play through the main campaign missions. By completing these story chapters for Constellation, you’ll be earning huge XP bonuses upon the conclusion of each mission.

Not only that, but secondary missions are also extremely valuable. Whether it’s an odd job from an NPC or a dedicated questline with an alternate faction, look to prioritize missions in order to gain XP fast.

Another smaller quirk comes from the game’s skill tree. You’ll want to acquire the Well-Rested buff early on to really make the most of it. After sleeping on your ship with this perk enabled, you’ll be met with a 10% XP bonus for a full day in-game. Thus, sleeping before every big mission only further boosts your XP gains with this method.

Below is a full list of suggestions we recommend to help boost your XP gains in Starfield:

  • Explore as much as possible (Each new POI found rewards XP)
  • Complete missions
  • Board enemy ships and defeat them
  • Get the Well-Rested buff and sleep often

If you’re doing all of the above as often as possible, you’ll be piling up XP in no time. But it’s worth mentioning that if you’re hoping to hit the very highest level in Starfield, you might be grinding for at least a few years. Check out our level cap guide to see why.

And now that you’re an XP expert, be sure to brush up on some of our other Starfield guides below:

Starfield all main story missions | All skills | All factions | All console commands | All difficulty levels explained | All achievements | All skill books | Level cap | How to remove bounty | How to fast travel | Easy XP | Easy credits | Best traits | How to get a house | How to mod weapons and equipment | How to assign your crew | How to add DLSS | How to pick locks | How to customize ship | How to dock ship | Where to sell items | Best movies like Starfield

About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com