Starfield stealth builds
Looking to sneak? By choosing the right background, skills, and equipment, you’ll be able to craft the best Starfield stealth build.
Looking for the best Starfield Stealth builds? Whether you’re looking to surprise and execute, slide in unseen for a silent heist, or mix things up with true tactical ambushes, we’ve rounded up the best skills, powers, backgrounds, weapons, armor mods, and just about everything you’ll need to stand the best chance of remaining in the shadows.
Before we jump into all things stealthy, pour over our extensive Starfield resource database to get a good idea of where to find the materials you’ll use to better your favorite melee Starfield weapons. You might also find what you need to make some power-boosting Starfield consumables to help sustain your Starfield builds.
Best backgrounds for Starfield stealth builds
The best Starfield backgrounds for a Starfield stealth build all begin with either the Stealth or Theft skill already unlocked. Unless you’re going for a more aggressive run n’ gun style, that is:
| Background | Build | Starting skills |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber Runner | Stealth pacifist | |
| Ronin | Stealth melee | |
| Space Scoundrel | Run ‘n gun reconnaissance |
Best traits for Starfield stealth builds
Picking the best Starfield traits for your Starfield stealth builds can make a huge difference when you least expect it. They’ll require commitment to properly utilize and act more like gameplay modifiers. Avoid these if you don’t want more to worry about:
- Terra Firma – Benefit from more health and oxygen when on planets.
- Wanted – More reasons to fight and a damage boost if you can maintain low HP.
- Introvert – Going alone makes you stronger and eliminates the risk of companions blowing your cover.
Best skills for Starfield stealth builds
The following skills have been chosen to aid the Starfield Stealth build. They’re similar in selection to those used by a melee build, but include a few gun-specific options and fewer defensive choices given that the build is focused on avoiding detection and, by extension, damage.
| Level | Ronin (melee stealth) | Cyber Runner (pacifist) | Space Scoundrel (run n’ gun) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stealth | Security | Pistol Certification |
| 2 | Dueling | Stealth | Piloting |
| 3 | Scavenging | Theft | Persuasion |
| 4 | Theft | Boost Pack Training | Boost Pack Training |
| 5 | Boost Pack Training | Stealth | Stealth |
| 6 | Stealth | Stealth | Scavenging |
| 7 | Stealth | Theft | Stealth |
| 8 | Gymnastics | Security | Security |
| 9 | Gymnastics | Security | Security |
| 10 | Gymnastics | Fitness | Stealth |
Best armor for Starfield stealth builds
When speccing out the best Starfield stealth build, you might think the best armor doesn’t exist. After all, the aim is to avoid taking damage, and the extra weight of a space suit makes moving around difficult.
Armor mods make that a moot point. The best armor for a Starfield stealth build is anything that’s light and can help you slide through the shadows.
Here are the best armor mods to look out for when choosing armor for the best Starfield stealth builds:
- Chameleon – An easy way to get cloaking early on.
- Optimized Servos – Reduces oxygen expenditure.
- Exo Servos – Increases melee damage.
- Gravitic Composites – Reduces enemy detection chance.
- Mechanized – Extra carrying capacity means more loot to smuggle home.
Best weapons for Starfield stealth builds
When scouting for the best weapons for a Starfield stealth build, you need anything that can execute a target swiftly, with precision, and all without making any major sound.
Melee weapons work a treat when sneaking behind targets, but suppressed weapons can work if you nail the aim. Pistols and sniper rifles are great for short and long-range operations respectively, but shotguns at close range can deal immense damage to heavier targets, too.
- Instigating Rescue Axe – Double damage to targets with full health = easy assassinations.
- Suppressed snipers, pistols, or shotguns – Being able to shoot without being heard allows you to retain a tactical advantage, and get a second shot in that benefits from the Stealth skill.
- Berserker – This legendary mod appears randomly on weapons and does more damage while you wear less armor.
Beyond using naturally silent melee weapons to take enemies down with powerful sneak attacks, you can also rely on EM weapons to reliably take on machines and pacify humans. You’ll just need the Incapacitation skill maxed out to make it work. If you want to go the classic spy route, a silenced pistol will usually do the trick.
Best powers for Starfield stealth builds
Using powers can completely change a situation, and the best powers for a Starfield Stealth build are few and far between. Here’s what to aim for:
- Alien Reanimation – Bring an alient back to life to fight for you.
- Sense Star Stuff – See the positions of nearby enemies.
How to play the best Starfield Stealth builds
Starfield Stealth builds can be slotted into a few specific categories: melee, reconnaissance, and pacifist. That’s essentially no guns, guns, and no weapons respectively.
If you’re going melee-only, you’ll lack range. Pick and choose your battles carefully and only take on the enemies you need to reach your destination. For reconnaissance, you’ll want to bring silenced pistols, snipers, and melee weapons to keep a low profile and pick off key targets, with shotguns for larger enemies. With pacifist stealth builds, the point is to avoid conflict entirely. Your lighter load facilitates more profitable runs, quieter footsteps, and swifter movements.
Not feeling the stealth life all of a sudden? No worries. We’ve rounded up the best Starfield melee builds for some CQC fun, and the best Starfield social builds as well – that’s a good option if you want to avoid combat entirely.