Whether it be the main companions like Sarah Morgan and Sam Coe, or other companions that you hire on your journey, you’re bound to find a small army to help you conquer the stars. Here’s how to assign that Crew to your outposts and ships in Starfield.
Starfield: How to Assign Crew Members to Outposts and Ships
To assign new Crew members to your ships and outposts, you’ll want to go to the Data Menu (where you see your character, inventory, etc.) and click on your ship menu in the bottom left. Then, press the Crew button listed in the bottom right to view and assign Crew members. This menu displays a list of all possible Crew members and their skills. Click on a member, and you’ll be able to assign them to either your ship or outpost.
If you’re not seeing the ability to assign a Crew member to an outpost, then you’ll need to build a Crew Station. This can be done by opening the build menu using your Outpost Beacon, navigating to the Miscellaneous tab, and selecting Crew Station. To build one, you’ll need the following materials:
- 3x Nickel.
- 5x Aluminum.
- 2x Iron.
Once one is built in your outpost, the option should show up in the Crew menu mentioned earlier. Assign whoever you want, and you’ll be good to go!
Where to Get Nickel, Aluminum, and Iron in Starfield
If you find yourself lacking in Nickel, Aluminum, and Iron for some Crew Stations, there are a few ways you can secure them. Nickel is most easily mined on the planet Bondar in the Alpha Centauri system. If you’re looking for Aluminum, then Andraphon, the moon of Sumati in the Narion system, has plenty. Funny enough, that’s also where our Outpost is in these screenshots. As for Iron, it can most easily be farmed by destroying asteroids and collecting their remains.
If none of those activities interests you, you can also buy each of these resources from a vendor. The easiest vendor to access is found in the Mining League, found adjacent to the entrance elevator of Neon. Saburo Okadigbo, the shop owner, sells all three resources for anywhere between six and ten Credits a piece. If you need enough resources for all three Crew Stations, you’ll be looking to pay around 211 Credits. Not too shabby if you ask us.
You can wait 24 hours at any chair or bed to reset the inventory of any vendor.
How Do You Get More Crew Member Slots?
The base Crew member slots are fairly low by default, so you might want to increase them. How you do so changes depending on whether you’re increasing your ship’s Crew size or your outpost’s Crew size. For your ship, you’ll need to acquire some new parts. Class B and Class C reactors will increase your Crew members, while certain other parts also play a role. As for your outpost, you simply need to build more Crew Stations.
Does My Crew Choice Matter?
Who you pick for your Crew does matter. If you’re in the Crew menu, you’ll see that all Crew members have certain stats that are active depending on where they are. If you have Sam Coe in your ship Crew, for example, he’ll provide bonuses to the Piloting and Payloads skill. Lin, on the other hand, will improve your Outpost Management skill if she’s assigned to an outpost.
In other words, certain Crew members will be more valuable depending on if their skills match with your current play style.
Which Crew Members to Place at Outposts in Starfield
Naturally, some Crew members are going to be better styled for an Outpost over something like your ship. While there are around 20 companions to recruit, here are four that provide excellent skills for your Outpost:
- Supervisor Lin – Level 3 Outpost Management.
- Andromeda Kepler – Level 2 Outpost Engineering.
- Heller – Level 3 Outpost Engineering.
- Rafael Aguerro – Level 1 Outpost Engineering and Level 1 Outpost Management.
Which Crew Members to Place at Ships in Starfield
Starfield crew members will do certain skills better than others. So you’ll want individual crewmates to be placed at your ships instead. Here are some of the best crewmates to have on your ship.
- Vasco – Level 1 EM Weapon Systems, Level 2 Shield Systems, Level 1 Aneutronic Fusion.
- Barrett – Level 3 Particle Beam Weapon Systems, Level 4 Spaceship Engineering.
- Omari Hassan – Level 3 Shield Systems, Level 1 Starship Engineering.
- Sam Coe – Level 2 Payloads, Level 4 Piloting.
- Gideon Aker – Level 2 Ballistic Weapon Systems, Star level 2 Missile Weapon Systems.
If you’re looking into more about your Crew, check out our guide on how to change Crew members in Starfield.