How To Get Free Ships In Starfield

There are several free ships in Starfield. As such, you won't even need to spend a credit just to acquire a brand-new spacecraft. You can just make use of various methods to capture and pilot different vessels at your leisure. Our guide discusses the many Starfield free ships we've found so far and how you can get them in your game, too.

How to get free ships in Starfield

Frontier

The Frontier is essentially the first free ship in Starfield, and it becomes the ship at the heart of your journey unless or until you decide to replace it later in the game. A character named Barrett asks you to pilot it at the start of the campaign. You'll leave the mining facility of Vectera, then continue the rest of your adventure.

Captured vessels in space

As you explore the great unknown, you're bound to encounter different vessels. It's possible to board and capture them while in space, which gives you the opportunity to keep the vessel or sell it for cash. Here are a couple of tidbits:

• Hostile factions, such as the Crimson Fleet, Spacers, Va'ruun, The First, and Ecliptic, will attack on sight. Boarding and taking over their vessels is a viable option.
• You may also come across neutral factions and civilian vessels. You'll need to hold the A button to hail the spacecraft, then choose the "Piracy" dialogue response to demand their surrender. If they fight back, you can board and capture if need be.

Captured vessels on planets

You can also get free ships when you're roaming around on a planet. When you hear the roar of an engine high above, that means a ship is streaking by. It will then land in a random location, usually a few hundred meters from where you are. Find it and take note of your potential foes (i.e. they're usually mercenaries anyway). Get inside the ship and eliminate the hostiles so you can pilot the craft.

Mantis mission: Mantis ship

One of the best free ships in Starfield is the Mantis, a legendary-tier ship that can be discovered easily--but it's just as simply overlooked if you're not careful. As you progress further in the campaign, you might pick up a missive that tells you of a hidden base on another planet. Follow the trail and enter the facility. Deep within its bowels, you'll find your prize waiting, along with some nasty robots and deadly traps. You can learn more in our Mantis legendary ship guide.

Overdesign mission: Class-C behemoth

A bit later in the campaign, Walter Stroud, the financial backer of Constellation, tells you about his company's plans to build an experimental vessel. Talk to the company's employees and make certain decisions. At the end of this task, you might become the proud owner of a high-end, Class-C spacecraft. You can learn more in our Overdesign mission guide.

New Game Plus

We don't want to spoil some important details here, but you do obtain a free ship once you finish the campaign and start a New Game Plus run. It's quite amazing, too. You can learn more in our spoiler-heavy New Game Plus guide, which we'll publish soon--but not quite yet, to spare readers some major spoilers.

And that's all you need to know about how to get free ships in Starfield. And remember, you're not necessarily stuck with any spacecraft that you acquire, since you can always install a few upgrades and modules.