If you don’t know how to board enemy ships in Starfield by capturing or claiming them, you might miss out on Bethesda’s craziest gameplay mechanic. You can not only blast but also take over these enemy ships for more loot and XP. While you may face some Religious or Fact-based enemies inside them, that’s the whole point of space-pirating in Starfield. Isn’t it? Once you capture or hijack the targeted enemy ship, you can loot their resources, consumables, and the entire spacecraft. But there are some prerequisites before you do so. So, check out our guide to find out how to take over and claim a ship.
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How to Board Ships in Starfield
You can board ships in Starfield once you have destroyed their internal engine. For that, you must Target Lock the enemy ship by getting close and attacking them. But before that, ensure you have unlocked the level 1 Targeting Control systems skill. If you choose the Bounty Hunter background, you unlock the Targeting Control systems as a starting skill.
So, here’s to board or dock ships:
- Press the X (Xbox) or Space (PC) buttons to lock on to an enemy ship.
- Select the ENG option (engine) by cycling through options after entering Target lock mode.
- Keep shooting lasers, missiles, and ballistics to disable the engine of the spacecraft. But ensure that you don’t deplete the Hull fully as it will destroy it.
- You will get an option to dock the target once you have depleted all the Engine shields.
- Then, press the X button to dock and board the enemy ship.
How to Steal and Capture Ships
There are two requirements to take over and claim a ship in Starfield once you dock it. They are as follows:
Kill all the Enemies
Once you board the enemy ship, kill all the enemies to take over it. The number of enemies and their levels depends on the Ship’s level and size. The bigger the size and the class, the more enemies you can encounter inside it.
Piloting Skill
Lastly, interact with the pilot’s seat after killing the enemies to claim the ship in Starfield. For some, you need to unlock the Piloting skill. This skill is unlocked as a starting skill if you choose Bounty Hunter, Long Hauler, Space Scoundrel, or File Not Found backgrounds. But note that for higher classes, you must upgrade your Piloting skills by increasing the rank and putting skill points.
You can choose to own the captured spaceship or sell it. If you decide to sell it, head to a docking area in New Atlantis and sell the captured spacecraft.
That’s all about how to board ships in Starfield. If you found this guide helpful, check out our guides to find out which religion should you join, the best skills to unlock first, and explore more Starfield Guides right here on Gamer Tweak.