Starfield: Top Pistol Build

Starfield: Top Pistol Build

Starfield: Become a Legendary Gunslinger

Build Overview | Background And Traits | Skills | Recommended Gear

Creating a build in Starfield is a breeze. Don’t worry about min-maxing or getting overwhelmed by countless options. The game’s difficulty is manageable, and having a build in mind can make combat and social encounters a piece of cake.

If you’ve always dreamed of being an old-school gunslinger exploring the Milky Way with your loyal crew, then a pistol build is the way to go. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a traditional gunslinger in Starfield — from recommended traits to skills — as well as provide some powerful weapon recommendations for beginners.

Build Overview

Embark on an adventure through the Settled Systems and unknown regions with this gunslinger build. By prioritizing weapon and critical skills, you’ll unleash serious damage with style. Spend your other skill points in the Social tree to become a smooth talker who can defuse any situation. While you may need powerful gear for Very Hard difficulty, this build can handle Starfield’s toughest combat encounters with ease. And don’t worry, if you later decide pistols aren’t your thing, you can easily switch to a different build without much loss.

Background And Traits

Background

Your chosen background in Starfield determines your starting skills and provides unique dialogue options based on your upbringing. But fear not! You can learn any skill, so your background won’t limit your choices. Feel free to select whichever background interests you; our recommendations focus on strong starting skills but are not mandatory.

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Bounty Hunter is a perfect fit for a pistol build, both thematically and mechanically. You’ll start with free points in Piloting, Targeting Control Systems, and Boost Pack Training. Piloting and Boost Pack Training are essential for every build, unlocking key features with spaceships and booster packs. Targeting Control Systems even introduces a VATS-like system for space combat, allowing you to target specific ship parts.

Space Scoundrel boosts your proficiency with pistols, spaceship piloting, and persuasion checks. While dialogue options for this background are rare, the starting skill points work wonders for a gunslinger-themed build.

Soldier is suitable for any weapon build, including pistols. The Ballistics perk increases your damage with all ballistic weapons, while Fitness boosts your oxygen capacity and Boost Pack Training lets you use booster packs. If you prefer versatility and an easy transition into different builds, Soldier is the way to go.

Trait Recommendations

Before finalizing your character, you can select up to three traits to add more depth to your gunslinger. Keep in mind that traits come with positive benefits and penalties. Taking at least one trait is recommended since you can’t acquire them after character creation in Starfield, even in NG+ playthroughs. Fortunately, you can always remove traits, so why not take three?

Alien DNA is a solid option for almost any build. It grants you +50 HP and oxygen but reduces the effectiveness of healing and food items by 20%. The downside is negligible early on, but it may become noticeable as you reach higher levels. You can counter this by investing in the Rejuvenation skill or stockpiling medical supplies.

Empath is arguably the best trait in Starfield. Whenever your companions approve of your actions, you receive a combat buff that increases your persuasion chance and critical chance for two hours. The debuff from actions they dislike can be easily avoided by quicksaving and quickloading before making significant dialogue choices. It’s relatively easy to impress your companions, so this buff is almost always active. Be aware that Starfield lacks morally ambiguous companions, so take this trait if you’re aiming for a righteous playthrough.

Consider dropping Kid Stuff for Hero Worshipped if you want to RP as a wanderer or renegade. Having an obsessed fan might sound like a downside, but it’s actually an upside since the Adoring Fan will never dislike your character’s actions. You can engage in shady activities without damaging your relationship with the Adoring Fan. Evil-aligned companions are scarce in Starfield, making this trait perfect for anyone interested in a more mischievous playstyle.

Skills

As a gunslinger, your trusty sidearm will be your best friend during combat and social interactions. In Starfield, you can easily create this archetype through the Social and Combat skill trees.

Some key skills for this build include:

• Social: Persuasion, Diplomacy, Negotiation, Leadership, Ship Command
• Combat: Pistols, Ballistics, Marksman, Sharpshooting

Social skills have a broader impact than their descriptions imply. Aside from combat bonuses, they provide unique dialogue options that make persuasion checks easier. The Persuasion skill alone boosts your chance of persuading someone by 50%, a massive advantage for all social checks. While the second row is less exciting, Diplomacy and Negotiation often come into play during dialogue. Consider leveling Negotiation if you plan to bribe others frequently. Additionally, Leadership and Ship Command enhance the effectiveness and maximum capacity of your ship’s crew. With both skills maxed out, you can recruit eight crew members, each with double their usual combat bonuses. This allows you to focus less on combat-related ship skills in the Tech tree.

Combat skills allow you to specialize in pistols. Ballistics and Pistol greatly increase your damage with these weapons. Since most pistols in Starfield use ballistic ammunition, both skills stack. In terms of scaling pistol damage, critical hits are vital. Therefore, investing in Marksman and Sharpshooting improves your critical chance and damage, respectively. You can also opt for stealth perks in the Physical tree, but we’ll be avoiding them in this particular build to maintain focus. Lastly, the Targeting perk is handy for controller players, as it improves aim assist when firing pistols without aiming. However, it causes targets to glow bright orange, so skip this perk if it bothers you.

Recommended Gear

Even with the right skills, a pistol build can only excel with a powerful sidearm. Luckily, Starfield offers a variety of impressive pistols, most of which can be obtained early on:

• Sir Livington’s Pistol: Obtainable by those with the Kid Stuff trait after completing the “One Small Step” quest. Others should look out for an Old Earth Pistol while exploring.
• Deadeye: Acquired during the Freestar Rangers questline, this variant of the Razorback revolver is a great choice.
• Keelhauler: Earned during the Crimson Fleet questline, this full-auto Mauler comes with excellent Legendary affixes.
• Elegance: A modified Regulator pistol available for purchase in Akila City.

For endgame dominance, look for any Legendary pistol with the One-Inch Punch affix, turning your weapon into a pocket shotgun with a massive damage multiplier. Pistols with the Instigating affix are also excellent, dealing double damage against enemies with full HP. As for armor, go for anything that reduces O2 consumption. Equipping multiple pieces with this effect allows you to sprint without incurring any oxygen cost, even while overencumbered.

If you want to fully embrace the old-school gunslinger aesthetic, keep an eye out for the First Officer Outfit during the Freestar Ranger questline. Additionally, most merchants in Akila City sell wide-brimmed hats to complete your space cowboy look.

Get ready to blaze a trail through the stars as a legendary gunslinger in Starfield!

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