Starfield missions and how they work

In Starfield missions are bound to be the cornerstone of gameplay. This is to be expected of course – it is a Bethesda Game Studios game after all. But as the developer’s largest project to date, some players are doubtlessly going to have questions.

We’ll cover all the Starfield missions we know about so far, and how missions are going to work in the space exploration RPG. As we near the Starfield release date, we’ll likely learn about a lot more of the quests in-game, so be sure to check back in with us.

All Starfield main missions

These are the main Starfield story missions we know about so far.

Mission Name	Mission Description	Mission Rewards
One Small Step	Opening mission. The player visits Kreet, and discovers a mysterious artefact.	Unknown

We don’t know much about the main campaign yet of course, so much of this is speculation. We can assume though that the player will receive generous amounts of XP, as well as different Starfield weapons and Starfield armor throughout the main questline.

All Starfield side missions

These are all of the side missions for Starfield we know about so far:

Mission Name	Mission Description	Mission Rewards
Failure to Communicate		Unknown
Friends Like These		Unknown
Further Into the Unknown		Unknown
The Best There Is		Unknown
The Old Neighborhood		Unknown

Unfortunately we so far know even less about the side missions than we do the campaign. You can expect that some of these are going to be missions from Starfield companions, and that plenty of the in-game side quests will come from particular Starfield factions. We know that you’ll be able to pick them up from all over the place, too. Major planets like Jemison and Mars will likely have scores of side missions to pick up.

How will quests work in Starfield?

Quests will work the same way that they have done in previous Bethesda titles. You’ll need to speak to an NPC to begin a quest, then complete an objective. Sometimes that’ll be all there is to it, other times you’ll need to then complete further steps and objectives, especially for major questlines.

Rewards from quests will likely be varied. Experience will be the most common, which when gained will allow you to level up your character. Most quests will probably also reward Starfield credits, making them one of several good ways to get money.

There are three types of mission we know about. Main missions are campaign quests that progress the main story. Side missions add to the worldbuilding and exploration, while also providing great rewards.

Lastly, there are ambient missions. With over 1000 Starfield planets, much of the game’s development needs procedural generation to be viable. To this end, landing on procedurally generated planets will offer up different ambient quests, repeatable quests, and missions that may have some variety, but will largely follow the same formula. This is to help flesh out otherwise fairly backwater worlds. Think something along the lines of repeatable Dark Brotherhood assassination quests in Skyrim.

That covers everything we know about Starfield missions. Before you dive into the action, make sure you’re familiar with the Starfield character creator and how long Starfield is, so that you’re prepared accordingly.

How many missions will Starfield have?

We don’t yet know how many missions Starfield will have, but given estimates about the game’s length, there are likely to be hundreds of different quests in total.

What’s the first mission in Starfield?

The first mission in Starfield is called “One Small Step”. It’s the first mission of the main campaign.