Starfield is filled with a variety of ships you can steal, purchase, or unlock. The Star Eagle is one of the best vessels that you can acquire in terms of shielding, weapon systems, and crew capacity.
The best part is that the Star Eagle is entirely free, though you will need to complete The Hammer Falls quest for the Freestar Collective.
Each faction contains its own line of spaceships. While in The Key, you can purchase a variety of Crimson Fleet ships, and you can similarly pick up United Colony-type vessels in New Atlantis. The Freestar Rangers, however, boast some of the best ships in Starfield, so you will need to get in the good graces of this faction if you want to unlock the Star Eagle.
How to unlock the Star Eagle in Starfield
The only way to unlock the Star Eagle in Starfield is by completing the Freestar Ranger’s main faction questline. This is an eight-mission-long questline that begins the moment you step foot in Akila City. The quest chain will end with The Hammer Falls mission after you decide the fate of an important character.
Even if you do not particularly like the Freestar Collective, becoming a Freestar Ranger is still well worth the effort. Along with the Star Eagle, you will get a large disbursement of credits and a powerful pistol. You will also get access to a wide array of side quests exclusive to the faction.
The Star Eagle is one of the most formidable ships that you can acquire in Starfield, especially among the vessels you can acquire for free. Perhaps most importantly, the ship’s base weapons systems are unbeatable. Along with powerful missiles, you will also have energy and laser weapon systems.
Aside from the Star Eagle, you can also purchase a variety of Freestar Collective-exclusive ships in the Akila City Space Port. While there certainly are some specialized vessels in the arsenal, none can quite compare to this celestial bird.
How to complete The Hammer Falls quest in Starfield
By the end of the Freestar Ranger’s faction questline, you have discovered that Ron Hope, a prominent member of the Freestar Collective Council and mayor of Hopetown, is behind the attacks on Freestar farmers. Once you confront Hope about his crimes, you will have three options:
- Option One: Reject Hope’s bribe. This will turn Ron Hope and his guards hostile. You will need to kill Hope and report back to the Marshal at Akila City.
- Option Two: Accept Hope’s bribe. This will allow Ron Hope to remain mayor of Hopetown and the blame for the attacks will be pinned on the First Calvary Commander. You will be forced to lie to the Marshal.
- Option Three: Reject Hope’s bribe but let him live. You can urge Hope to cease his attacks on Freestar farms, but these will continue. You will be forced to lie to the Marshal.
No matter what option you select, the Marshal will anoint you as a fully fledged Freestar Ranger and gift you the Star Eagle as part of your reward.
Star Eagle ship stats in Starfield
The Star Eagle is among the best and most well-rounded ships in Starfield. I highly recommend picking this ship up as early as you can in your playthrough, as it will prove extremely valuable during the more difficult space battle sections of the game.
Below are all the base stats for the Star Eagle, though you can always replace or add more ship parts to power up this vessel:
- Fuel – 140
- Hull – 948
- Cargo – 2736
- Crew Capacity – 5
- Shield – 760
In terms of cosmetics, you can always repaint or rework your ship if you don’t appreciate the space frontier aesthetic of the Freestar Rangers. To add or remove parts, all you need to do is visit a ship technician at any of the major cities in Starfield and use the Ship Builder feature.
