how long to follow the main story?

[Evaloxon]

the main thing for most of the bethesda games is the exploration of the world and not so much the main story line (or at least that's it for me). nevertheless, in fallout or skyrim there were certain points in the main story that you should reach in order to have all the important skills/items/whatever to fully explore the world (and do everything beside the main story (: )

i wonder if that's the case in starfield too. i played a few hours and explored some planets but hardly touched the main story so far.
my question: should i do some main quests until a certain point for better exploration (and maybe some imporant clues about the story)?

[nfinite.recursion]

Play up until you acquire your first Dragon Shout.

[LeftIsBest-James]

https://howlongtobeat.com/game/57445
How long is Starfield?
When focusing on the main objectives, Starfield is about 21½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 151 Hours to obtain 100% completion.


any normal person would finish the main game, do a few faction quests and play NG+ a little.
I have a special level of OCD, NG+13 - and this will be my last run.

[Evaloxon]

thank you for the quick answer! some dragon magic like in skyrim sounds kind of strange in a space game :D
but at least I won't miss this point while playing (i guess)

[Six of Saturn]

Originally posted by Evaloxon:

thank you for the quick answer! some dragon magic like in skyrim sounds kind of strange in a space game :D
but at least I won't miss this point while playing (i guess)

The quest is called Into the Unknown. Just for a FYI.

[nfinite.recursion]

Originally posted by Evaloxon:

thank you for the quick answer! some dragon magic like in skyrim sounds kind of strange in a space game :D
but at least I won't miss this point while playing (i guess)

Well, I'm being facetious because folks compare Starfield's "powers" to Skyrim's Dragon Shouts. But I am completely serious in my recommendation to play to main quest up to at least that point because you unlock quite a bit more content in doing so and make things considerably more interesting.

[MrFizzlepop]

I have started several times.

I have handed in the first artifact and then walked into the Jemison wilderness and surveyed and fought and explored. On the third trip in to the wilds I came across a pirate ship and crept on the ship and claimed it. Doing just about everything except the main mission is possible.

Having said that, I find the best "Walk off and do other things for now" without getting too far along, is after getting the Sarah artifact, freeing Barrett, visiting Akila City with Sam and checking in on Andreja. (In that order. Heck, if you ask Sarah, she even says to check on Barrett first even though the mission log wants you to do the Empty nest mission with Sam for some reason.).

Once you have gathered the members back to the lodge, allowing them to be used for members of your ship crew, is when I then go off to explore.

As crew members give buffs to the ship they are assigned to, and Constellation members have the most skills, they are quite useful early on till you skill up for space travel and combat.

If you want clues about the story, then yeah, you'll need to progress the main quest.

Level locked things are the standard here and I have heard that level 60 is about where the limits on things stop.

[indigo]

Until you can leave Sarah at the Lodge.

That's where I stopped questing, as I could do whatever I wanted, go wherever I wanted, and I don't have to have her tagging along, getting in the way, and I don't care if she likes that or not.

[chris23162]

Originally posted by Evaloxon:

the main thing for most of the bethesda games is the exploration of the world and not so much the main story line (or at least that's it for me). nevertheless, in fallout or skyrim there were certain points in the main story that you should reach in order to have all the important skills/items/whatever to fully explore the world (and do everything beside the main story (: )

i wonder if that's the case in starfield too. i played a few hours and explored some planets but hardly touched the main story so far.
my question: should i do some main quests until a certain point for better exploration (and maybe some imporant clues about the story)?

Rush through to new game plus 10 or whenever you have all the powers maxed as doing anything before then is just a waste of time that leaves you with either a ton of lost progress or a character that will never be able to max out their potential.

[Cythal]

Play as you want but recommend what @MrFizzlepop said about crew if you want to use them on your ship.

I give the chunk of metal at the Lodge and say goodbye. I like my independence and hate hand holding. In all my plays and restarts i have only got Barret then Andreja, after that I get bored of the premise of the main quest and off to exploring and build outposts and roleplay an explorer. Not that it is written badly, just the way i play.

In Skyrim, I completed main quest to Alduin once and then Snow Elves once in different saves. Even till today I have never played up to and beaten Miraak, never done companions, thief and Dark Brotherhood. Yes, done the mages guild countless times as I find mage play fun and rewarding, and then build my tower, explore the towns and fight in dungeons and gather knowledge and power.

[Evaloxon]

thanks for sharing your experience! :)
so i guess i'll first gather the people from the lodge and get this ...space dragon shout thing. and then ignore the story for at least 100 hours and be some evil space pirate! nice!

[Six of Saturn]

Originally posted by Evaloxon:

thanks for sharing your experience! :)
so i guess i'll first gather the people from the lodge and get this ...space dragon shout thing. and then ignore the story for at least 100 hours and be some evil space pirate! nice!

Very easy to do, just get arrested. May I suggest stealing the beer from the table of the LIST guy at the bar on Mars quickly drink it and when he runs up to confront you punch him in the face, he gives a nice shocked look. Plus he reminds me of shady Todd Howard.

[sarcastic_godot]

Originally posted by LeftIsBest-James:

https://howlongtobeat.com/game/57445
How long is Starfield?
When focusing on the main objectives, Starfield is about 21½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 151 Hours to obtain 100% completion.

21.5h for rushing, anfd iyou're content with the prefab ships.
151h _might_ be sufficient for all quests and visiting each system at least once. If you want full exploration (survey of all the planets, those 151h will never do...

Yeah, nitpickery...

[kdodds]

Originally posted by suicidal_godot:

Originally posted by LeftIsBest-James:

https://howlongtobeat.com/game/57445
How long is Starfield?
When focusing on the main objectives, Starfield is about 21½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 151 Hours to obtain 100% completion.

21.5h for rushing, anfd iyou're content with the prefab ships.
151h _might_ be sufficient for all quests and visiting each system at least once. If you want full exploration (survey of all the planets, those 151h will never do...

Yeah, nitpickery...

Have to agree here. There's no way you can do the MQ in ~20h without bullrushing through it. Maybe if you ignore all dialogue and FF through everything, and ignore absolutely everything else. Same for "doing everything". I'm 200+ hours in and haven't touched any faction questlines besides Vanguard, have not completed the MQ, have not even completed any companion quests I don't think. I do it spoiler free, so I don't know if meeting that guy was the end of Andreja's questline. At that rate of speed, you're not even playing the game, you're just doing tasks.

[Goof]

Originally posted by indigo:

Until you can leave Sarah at the Lodge.

That's where I stopped questing, as I could do whatever I wanted, go wherever I wanted, and I don't have to have her tagging along, getting in the way, and I don't care if she likes that or not.

thats what i do. first chance i get in a bethesda game to ignore the story, i take it

[MrFizzlepop]

Originally posted by Goof:

Originally posted by indigo:

Until you can leave Sarah at the Lodge.

That's where I stopped questing, as I could do whatever I wanted, go wherever I wanted, and I don't have to have her tagging along, getting in the way, and I don't care if she likes that or not.

thats what i do. first chance i get in a bethesda game to ignore the story, i take it

TBF, in all those other Bethesda games there was that pressure to step up, or worse, save a family member that is likely in danger. There is no hint the world will end if we don't follow up with these explorers on their magnetic table, artifact light show and the mystery that might entail. It's not like they actually ever offer to really do any tests on your character, though Barrett mentions it as the reason you should go.

I chose the Parents trait in Starfield just to give Bethesda the raspberry for ruining my family in the fallout games.

I also tested just dropping the artifact off with Sarah, and it only took 3 trips into the wilds of Jemison before I had liberated a Pirate space ship. The cheapest ship at the spaceport meant me alternately needing about Seventy thousand credits to buy and mod a starter space ship.

Being File Not Found and having the pilot skill already, I was able to get a ship and be off planet starting another life after dropping off that Artifact only days before.

Whatever you do, I suggest a stop at Nesoi, in the Olympus system, and then the Den, in the Wolf system.