What to do with Quantum Essence in Starfield

Use this to help enhance your powers.

A Starfield character holding a weapon.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

After you meet the Starborn in Starfield, you will notice that you will gain a mysterious item, quantum essence, after slaying the starfaring travelers. Unlike many other resources in Starfield, it is not exactly clear what you can do with this material. Be warned, this guide will come with slight spoilers for the game.

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Quantum essence is connected to the powers that you will unlock by visiting the temples found by Vladimir Sall. Instead of a crafting item, quantum essence is used to help empower your superhuman gravitational powers.

What does Quantum Essence do in Starfield?

Quantum essence in Starfield is used to increase your power regeneration. Whenever you use a Starborn power, you will see a small blue bar appear directly below your health. This acts like a mana bar of sorts, displaying how much energy you have to use on Starborn powers.

Image of the Starborn power menu, showing various glyphs that represent unique powers.
Quantum Essence will speed up your Starborn power regeneration for all abilities | Screenshot by Dot Esports

Powers such as Gravity Dash use only a slight amount of Starborn power, while Anti-Gravity Field will completely drain your bar after only one use. By using quantum essence, your Starborn power bar will regenerate much faster than normal, giving you more opportunities to use your unique powers.

How to use Quantum Essence in Starfield

To use quantum essence in Starfield, you will need to open up your main menu and navigate to the ‘Powers’ section. You can find the amount of quantum essence you have stockpiled so far in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

Image of the Starfield character with sparks flying from his body, looking off into the sunset.
Quantum Essence will give you a visual display while it is active | Screenshot by Dot Esports

From here, you can press the corresponding button to activate your quantum essence. Keep in mind that you will only be able to consume one quantum essence at a time, as this buff does not stack. Quantum essence also disappears after only one use, so be sure not to use too much at once.

Once you run out of quantum essence, the only way to gain more is by slaying Starborn. While Starborn will randomly attack your ship and outpost, especially if you have your Armillary in either location, you can guarantee an encounter by visiting temples.

Author
Image of Blaine Polhamus
Blaine Polhamus
Staff Writer for Dot Esports. Avid gamer for two decades and gaming writer for three years. I'm a lover of anything Souls-like since 2011. I cover everything from single-player RPGs to MMOs.