Starfield has several gameplay mechanics that are not initially available to players, but the Boost Pack is undoubtedly one of the most valuable. Since you do not start the game with your pack immediately available, you might be unsure of how to use it.
You can only use your pack after unlocking the Boost Pack Training skill, and even after that, you can continue to unlock upgrades to increase your item’s efficiency. You should also note that your Boost Pack will work differently depending on your current planet’s gravity. While in low gravity you will be able to glide across the sky, high gravity planets will only allow a small boost for your jumps.
If you are not sure of how to use your Boost Pack in Starfield, this is everything that you will need to know.
Starfield Boost Pack, explained
To use the Boost Pack in Starfield, all you need to do is hold down the jump button. For keyboard and mouse users, this should simply mean holding down the space bar for an extended amount of time. On controller, hit Y.
Once you use the boost pack, you will see a small bar in the bottom right of your screen appear. This bar represents the current fuel status for your Boost Pack. The bar will slowly regenerate, but once it is depleted, your Boost Pack will no longer work. This means if you run out of fuel mid-boost, you might take fall damage depending on how high up you are.
You should also make sure that you have a boost pack actively equipped in order to use the skill. Even if you have Boost Pack Training unlocked, you won’t be able to use the pack if one is not equipped. You can hide your spacesuit, helmet, and boost pack while in Settlements, such as New Atlantis or Akila City, though you still will be able to use your Boost Pack and enjoy all of its armor benefits.
How to use the Jet Pack in Starfield
It’s possible that you’ve seen gameplay online in which somebody uses a Boost Pack and it looks significantly more Boosty than anything you’ve encountered. This exact thing has lead people to questioning if there is a Jet Pack in Starfield that allows for better vertical movement and longer flight time. The answer is—yes and no.
There isn’t a Jet Pack item in Starfield, Boost Packs are the only thing you can equip on your back. However, not all Boost Packs are created equal, and some are capable of reaching much higher altitudes than others.
The different types of Boost Packs are:
- Balanced: The Jack of All Trades. Decent height, decent duration, decent fuel regen.
- Basic: The Jack of No Trades. Only use Basic when a different type isn’t an option.
- Power: Exactly as the name states. This pack will get you significantly more height, but burns through fuel.
- Skip Capacity: This one is for dashing. It does not grant a lot of height, but boosts very quickly and recharges very quickly.
You can find any of these Boost Pack types while you’re out looting, but you can also change the type of a Boost Pack at any Spacesuit workbench, provided you have unlocked the Spacesuit Design skill (Science tree) and completed the necessary research (Pack Mods) at any Research Station.
The Boost Pack that is often confused for a separate Jet Pack item is the Power Pack. This pack is able to send your character significantly higher than any of its counterparts, which makes it look much more similar to something you would see in Star Wars than the other Boost Packs.
The idea behind the Power Pack is to accommodate for higher gravity levels on certain planets by adding power so that you can achieve a normal boost level that you would on other planets. Of course, this consequently means that Power Packs on normal gravity planets will send you much higher, and when used on low gravity planets you can basically fly.
How to make your Boost Pack feel like a Jet Pack in Starfield
Using a Power Pack isn’t the only thing you can do to turn your character into Boba Fett. Maybe you’ve already equipped a Power Pack, and you still aren’t achieving the height/duration that you’ve seen others achieve. There are two more things you can do to bring out your inner Galactic Bounty Hunter and soar above your foes.
Put more points into the Boost Pack Training skill
Rank one of Boost Pack Training allows you to utilize your pack as a Jet Pack, but there is no reason to stop at rank one. Rank two makes boosting consume less fuel, so you can boost further and higher by holding down the command for more time. Rank three causes your Boost Pack to regenerate its fuel much quicker, and rank four doubles both bonuses from rank two and three.
Unlock Boost Assault Training
This skill is all the way down in the Master tier of the Tech tree, so it takes a while to access it. That said, rank one of Boost Assault Training sets nearby enemies on fire whenever you activate your Boost Pack. At rank two, it also sometimes knocks them down. The fun doesn’t stop there either, not even close.
At rank three of Boost Assault Training, aiming while Boosting lets you to hover in place for as long as your pack’s fuel can allow. At rank four, time is slowed by 70 percent while you’re hovering. Boba Fett would be so proud.
This skill is not only one of the coolest in Starfield, it also is one of the best Combat skills, and it isn’t even found in the Combat tree. I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a sci-fi game has some awesome rewards for going the Tech route.
It takes a minute, but once you’ve invested in these two skills, you’ll be able to dominate the skies and hover over a battlefield while you pick off enemies one by one. Technically speaking, you’ll still be using the same Boost Pack equipment, but functionally it will look and feel worlds apart.
