Starfield Guides
What weapons exist in Starfield: damage types and modifiers
To understand weapon power in Starfield, start with what weapons are made of. The base type and damage category stay constant, while random modifiers, prefixes, and a hidden tier can change how each gun performs in the field.
Weapon types and damage, weapon parameters
Even with many worlds to explore, the weapon pool remains manageable. Players can encounter 92 distinct weapons across several categories:
- guns — 35 units
- guns — 26 units
- heavy weapons — 13 units
- hunting rifles — 9 units
- hand weapons — 9 units
Each weapon carries a damage type, with three categories in total:
- Physical damage. The most common type, appearing across many weapons
- Energy damage. These weapons are rarer; lasers are often less visible and excel in stealth scenarios
- Electromagnetic EM damage. This type can apply special effects such as paralysis or armor interaction
Modifiers can shift a weapon’s damage type partially or entirely. Armor resistance indicators show how well a weapon penetrates defenses, influencing effective damage in practice.
Most dropped weapons are procedurally generated. Prefixes vary by rarity from common to legendary, and players can also add their own modifiers at a crafting bench to expand customization.
Unique weapons exist as well; they are special variants with specific names obtained in particular locations, through quests, or from certain shops.
Every weapon has its own traits, including:
- Injury
- Ammunition type used
- Magazine capacity
- Rate of fire
- Effective range
- Weight
- Value
- Number of installed modifications
From there, players can explore how modifiers and prefixes dramatically change a weapon’s performance.
Modifiers
Modifiers adjust core statistics and can grant new properties. For example, installing the Hornet Nest mod raises shot damage and creates an impact explosion at contact.
- The number and type of modifiers depend on the weapon model. Some tools accept only sights or cartridge swaps, while others can be transformed so drastically that a revolver resembles a sniper rifle. Modifiers affect both performance and appearance.
Prefixes
Prefixes are permanent attributes baked into weapons at generation or earned during play. They don’t change and often appear on items with higher rarity than grey. Prefix content varies widely, adding unique bonuses or traits.
- For example, a prefix such as Disassembler boosts damage against robots by 20 percent, while Enlarged Store increases warehouse capacity. Legendary items typically feature more prefixes than common gear.
Effect of character skills on damage
Typically, weapons are not upgraded in Starfield in a traditional sense. A large portion of combat power comes from the character’s skills. Beyond straightforward perks that raise laser weapon damage by a notable margin, some talents improve reload speed, boost non-automatic weapons damage, enhance stealth damage, reduce scatter, and help ignore a portion of enemy armor.
Lethality arises from a mix of four factors:
- Skill points invested in relevant abilities
- Weapon model quality and availability, often tied to late-game locations
- Weapon prefixes
- Installed modifiers
Hidden weapon level in Starfield
Some players report a revolver with an Advanced prefix that doubles base damage, feeling markedly stronger than typical options. A hidden weapon leveling system seems to emerge as players explore higher-tier areas and face tougher foes. Upgraded weapons with distinctive attachments can appear over time. Weapons are said to have five tiers:
- Level 0 — no prefix
- Level 1 — Calibrated
- Level 2 — Refined
- Level 3 — Advanced
- Level 4 — Superior
Experiences vary. A level 15 foe might drop an Advanced revolver, while a level 58 foe could yield a standard Grendel with modest damage, illustrating inconsistency across scenarios.
How to improve and customize weapons?
Unlike some titles, weapons in Starfield cannot be sharpened or upgraded directly. The power path lies in modifiers and prefixes that alter both appearance and function. High-tier mods can unlock new capabilities, such as Penetrating Ammunition, which allows bullets to pierce multiple targets in a single volley.
Details about locating the weapon workbench are covered below. When players approach the bench and press E, the interface splits into three areas. Left side shows the selected weapon’s description and stats, including how a given mod will affect performance.
- Center shows available modifications. Click a category to access options. Below the weapon thumbnail, a description of the upgrade and the affected attributes is displayed.
Right side lists required items and resources, and in some cases the skills needed to install the change. Press R to display missing resources.
- Typically seven modifications can be installed, which is enough for most builds. Sometimes a trade-off must be made between options.
Note that reapplying modifications does not refund resources spent on the previous change.
Where can players find the weapon workbench and other crafting stations?
To apply modifiers, players need a weapon workbench and points in the Weapons Technology skill. A research station exists on the launch ship, but the bench is not immediately available there. Useful locations for weapon crafting benches include:
- Basement of the Constellation building during the main mission
- Gun shops that carry the required workbench
- Your own outpost, once resources are gathered, by opening the scanner and creating a weapons workbench
- Your ship, provided a Workshop Module is installed and new parts allow the crafting stations to appear
Other guides
Source: VG Times