To level up fast in Starfield, here are the most effective methods based on current player strategies and guides:
Exploration and Combat
- Explore new planets, moons, buildings, and landmarks to gain XP for each new discovery. High-level planets with dangerous creatures yield more XP per kill, especially if you hunt herds of fauna
- Visit planets 20-30 levels above your current level with moderate to high fauna density, then farm the local wildlife. Non-aggressive animals give good XP and are easy to kill, while predators can be avoided
- Always sleep before farming to get the Well-Rested bonus, which grants 10% extra XP. If married or engaged, this bonus increases to 15%
Crafting and Outposts
- Build an outpost on a resource-rich moon or planet, such as Linnaeus IV-b or Andraphon in the Sumati system, that has aluminum and iron deposits
- Set up industrial extractors to gather aluminum and iron automatically.
- Use these resources to mass-produce items like Adaptive Frames, which grant XP when crafted. This method provides a steady, almost effortless XP gain by crafting large quantities
- Animal husbandry pens can also be built in a circular fashion to spawn and kill animals repeatedly for XP, especially with the Zoology perk unlocked
Additional Tips
- Invest in the Zoology perk in the Science skill tree to enable animal husbandry pens for farming fauna XP
- Drink alien tea and complete missions to boost XP gain further
- Use cheats on PC if you want instant leveling, but this skips the gameplay experience
By combining exploration, high-level fauna farming, outpost crafting, and XP bonuses from sleeping and relationships, you can level up very quickly in Starfield. For example, farming animals with husbandry pens while having the Well-Rested and relationship XP bonuses active can yield around 140 XP per kill, allowing you to gain multiple levels in minutes
