Ships are at the core of space exploration in Starfield, and by progressing through quests and earning credits, players can quickly assemble a fleet of the game’s best ships. However, ships in Starfield aren’t all equal. Some ships excel in certain roles, while others are less specialized; whether you’re looking for a quick and quiet scout ship, a bulky cargo hauler, or even a spacefaring battle fortress, there are many great options.

When unlocking a new ship to ferry your crew and inventory across the Settled Systems, you’ll want to keep your character’s Piloting Skill in mind. You will need to max out your piloting skills to control advanced Class B and Class C ships, making it one of the most powerful perks in Starfield. Not all of the best ships in the game are Class B or C, but many are.

Rambler II

Early-Game Scout Ship

• How to Get: Purchase from Ship Services Technician on New Atlantis for 92,716 Credits

An excellent first-step upgrade over Starfield’s Frontier starting ship, the Rambler II’s main selling point is its impressive 30LY jump range. This is a step above many other ships at the same level. An increased jump range means you and your crew must make fewer stops when visiting far-flung solar systems. This, in turn, reduces your chances of running into hostile pirates and other threats.

The Rambler II also comes with a basic Electron Beam and Missile Launcher: a decent loadout for shooting the occasional pirate ship out of the sky. However, it won’t quite match up to tougher enemy ships. It’s the ideal choice for captains who want to get places fast with minimal trouble, with just a couple of companions tagging along.

Dragonfire

All-Rounder Cargo Vessel

• How to Get: Purchase from Ship Services Technician at the Eleos Retreat (Ixyll II in the Ixyll System) for 287,111 Credits

A solid, all-rounder vessel for cargo haulers, the Dragonfire’s impressive cargo capacity of 2790 and crew capacity of seven ensures you can carry around whomever and whatever you like. It’s also challenging and well-armed for a cargo ship, with Neutron Turrets, a couple of Railguns, and a hefty shield capacity to make any marauders think twice.

Other dedicated cargo vessels, such as the Wagontrain and Wanderlust, don’t have the firepower to match the Dragonfire’s formidable arsenal. Having the Dragonfire in your fleet allows you to ferry cargo across the Settled Systems with minimal risk from pirate attacks. The increased crew capacity also allows you to carry all of your colleagues from Constellation, plus a few extra crew members to improve overall ship performance.

Razorleaf

Best All-Round Ship For The Early Game

Another excellent ship for the early game to replace the Frontier, the Razorleaf, can be obtained for free by completing The Mantis side quest. You can start this quest by finding a data slate named Secret Outpost! which leads you and your crew to a mysterious underground base on Denobola 1-B. Here, you’ll uncover the secret lair of the Mantis, the Settled Systems’ most notorious vigilante. At the end of the quest, you can claim the mantle for yourself, along with their suit, backpack, and ship.

The Razorleaf is fast, maneuverable, and equipped with an arsenal of weapons capable of shredding enemy vessels in combat. Its stats are also extremely well-balanced, allowing you to be flexible in your combat and exploration approach. Shielded Cargo Holds are a nice added bonus, allowing you to smuggle contraband across the Settled Systems. It’s the best ship for all players in the early game.

Shieldbreaker

Best Early To Mid-Game Ship For Combat

• How to Get: Purchase from Ship Services Technician on New Atlantis for 260,122 Credits.

The Shieldbreaker is an excellent combat-focused vessel with a substantial armament perfect for tackling early to mid-game combat encounters. It’s a Class B vessel, so only characters who’ve leveled up their Piloting skill to Level 3 can captain it.

However, a crew capacity of 5 is perfect for those early stages of the game, allowing you to strengthen your ship’s mid-level systems with companion crew member skills. Its cargo capacity is also surprisingly spacious, with plenty of room to store resources and items.

However, it is relatively costly for early game, and you’d ideally only buy this ship once you’ve made some progress with main, faction, and side quests. The Shieldbreaker is a solid mainstay for the early to mid-game, and for first or second-time ship buyers, it’s an excellent choice for changing ships in Starfield.

Star Eagle

Best All-Round Ship For The Mid-Game

• How to Get: Complete the Freestar Rangers faction questline, including The Hammer Falls.

Although the Star Eagle is technically available for free, you’ll need to complete the entire Freestar Rangers faction questline to obtain it. This is no small task, as the questline features several substantial missions that unravel a sinister conspiracy.

However, the Rangers will hold up their deal and give you one of the game’s best ships for no extra cost. The Star Eagle’s cargo capacity is surprisingly high for a ship not necessarily built for carrying inventory, and there’s enough room aboard for a full crew of five.

Low cost and well-balanced stats aside, the Star Eagle also comes prepped for combat with special suppressor EM weapons – ideal for targeting and disabling enemy ship systems. This makes it easier to disable enemy ships before docking and boarding them. In fact, the Star Eagle also comes with a special brig module with jail cells. For anyone looking to live out their space cowboy fantasies, getting Star Eagle in Starfield is an essential step.

Stronghold

Best Mid-Game Cargo Carrier

• How to Get: Purchase from the Akila City Ship Services Technician for 392,117 Credits

The Stronghold is a defense-focused cargo hauler in Starfield with high hull strength and tough shields that most enemies will have trouble breaking through. Players at this ship’s helm can absorb an incredible amount of damage while charging up their jump drives to make a quick exit.

It also has a lot of cargo capacity, perfect for carrying and storing valuable resources and items from your planetary expeditions. Extra fuel tanks also mean the Stronghold can make long-range jumps without issues.

Unfortunately, although its offensive capabilities are fairly potent, the sheer mass of the Stronghold means it’s not the most agile of ships. The lack of maneuverability isn’t entirely surprising, as it is an extremely well-armored cargo ship. However, it’s something to remember when your crew is flying into battle.

Silent Runner

Best Late-Game Cargo Carrier

• How to Get: Purchase from Inaya Rehman at the Hopetech Building on Polvo (Valo System) for 382,347 Credits.

The Silent Runner is unmatched when carrying cargo, thanks to its incredibly high cargo capacity in Starfield. With this ship, players should have no trouble collecting and storing resources and items from across the Settled Systems.

The Silent Runner is ideal for anyone going on resource mining runs to grind out the resources for Starfield’s best weapon mods, settlement building, and more. While space combat and exploration are a huge part of Starfield, you can also spend plenty of time just trucking between the stars making deliveries, and this ship is built just for that.

Despite its focus on interstellar shipping, the Silent Runner is also surprisingly durable in battle. You also shouldn’t sleep on its weapons, which can take down a squadron of pirate ships intent on stealing cargo. Combined with a high fuel capacity and 29-light-year jump range, you can make cargo runs in record time.

Orca III

One Of The Best Combat Ships To Obtain

• How To Get – Upgrade from normal Orca, which can be bought in New Atlantis, Volii, or the Taiyo Astroengineeirng department of the Ryujin Building in Neon for 249,925 credits.

You might not think a “glass cannon” type of ship would be good in Starfield, but the best pilots can make this archetype of vessel work. While its above-average hull strength and shields don’t oversell its combat ability initially, the Orca’s fully upgraded model has ridiculous offensive capabilities. For example, this cruiser has 162 Ballistics and 136 Missile stats, giving it all the tools it needs to eliminate enemies quickly.

For dogfights, there isn’t a better ship out there than the Orca III, making it adaptable for missions, patrols, and short-distance jumps to hostile systems. Its Fuel costs aren’t too expensive either, even if modifying it to its highest level still costs a good number of credits. Overall, if you’re looking for a solid ship for fighting out in space, this one might just make your day.

Narwhal

Best All-Round Mid To Late-Game Ship

• How to Get: Purchase from Veronica Young at the Taiyo Astroengineering office in Neon’s Ryujin Tower for 446,287 Credits.

Perhaps the best thing about the Narwhal is that it lives up to its eye-watering high selling price. In return for your hard-earned credits, you receive a sleek, well-armed ship with excellent stats across the board, from hull strength and shields to jump range and cargo capacity.

The Narwhal is essentially the perfect platform for exploration, with impressive armament, incredible firepower, and a jump range to match the Rambler II’s. The only real downside is the price: you’ll have to grind and work hard to earn the funds needed to buy this ship. However, once you do, you’ll find the Narwhal is an excellent flagship for your growing fleet.

Abyss Trekker

Best Ship For Space Combat

• How to Get: Purchase from the Ship Services Technician on Paradiso (Porrima II in the Porrima system) for 365,525 Credits

The Abyss Trekker is a mobile weapons platform that excels at ship-to-ship combat in Starfield, with a side wing dedicated solely to ship weapons. The ship’s missile launcher, railgun turret, and auto alpha beam are among the best ship weapons in the game. As such, it’s practically guaranteed that you and your crew will come out on top of any combat encounter you enter.

Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of cargo capacity. The Abyss Trekker doesn’t have much room to store cargo, so you will want to increase the ship’s storage capacity. This will allow you to collect resources and items from ship debris.