Starfield Tech Skill Tree explained: All skills and ranks

How you spend skill points matters greatly in Starfield, determining how you customize your character’s “class.” Are you a stealthy assassin? Great, there are skills that can make that happen. A pacifist and scientist, perhaps? That’s an option too, with the Tech skill tree.

Starfield: Tech skill tree, explained

Tech is one of the most useful skill trees in Starfield for one very simple reason: no matter how you decide to play the game, you’re going to be using a ship. What you do once you’re on a given planet is between you and that planet’s residents, but unless you’re planning on working at the mines from the intro mission forever, you are going to be using a ship.

Put simply, the Tech skill tree enhances your ships in every way. Of course, it also does a lot more.

Starfield: All Tech skills and ranks

This tree is tied with the Combat skill tree for being the largest skill tree in Starfield. Who knew—a game centered around intergalactic exploration has a lot of technology involved. There are four tiers of Tech skills: Basic, Advanced, Expert, and Master. Before you can start putting points into a higher tier, you must put four skills into your current one.

This can mean one point in four different skills, or four points in one skill, as each skill has four ranks available. Before you can unlock a higher rank in any skill, you must complete an associated challenge. For example, Boost Pack Training allows you to use boost packs. But before you can purchase rank two of the skill, you must use a boost pack 10 time while in combat.

Displays the Tech Skill Tree from the Starfield Skill Menu. — Getting real technical. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

Basic Tech Skills

Almost every skill here is worth putting at least one point into regardless of your build. Lockpicking, boost packs, and ship thrusters are universal benefits that the game is quite frankly annoying to play without.

Ballistic Weapon Systems: Ballistic ship weapons deal 10 percent increased damage and cost 20 percent less to use in Targeting Mode. Rank two grants a 20 percent damage increase and 15 percent increased recharge rate, while rank three grants 30 percent increased damage and recharge. Rank four causes ballistic ship weapons to deal 50 percent more damage to individual systems. You must deal 1000 damage to enemy ships before you can rank up.
Boost Pack Training: Enables boosting with boost backs. At rank two, boosting requires less fuel. At rank three, fuel regenerates quickly. The fourth rank doubles all previous bonuses. You must boost 10 times in combat to unlock the option to purchase rank two.
Piloting: Grants the ability to use ship thrusters. Rank two grants better turning and maneuverability in ships. Rank three unlocks the ability to pilot Class B ships, and rank four allows for piloting Class C ships. You must destroy five ships before you can rank up.
Security: Grants the ability to hack (lockpick) Advanced locks, and allows for two auto attempts. At rank two you can hack Expert locks, auto attempt three times, and rings will turn blue when a pick can be slotted. Rank three allows hacking of Master locks, and four auto attempts. Rank four allows you to expend a digipick to eliminate any key that isn’t the final one, and grants five auto attempts.
Targeting Control Systems: Unlocks ship targeting functionality. At rank two, locking on is 15 percent faster, and ships that you are locked onto fire 25 percent slower. Rank three grants 30 percent faster lock-ons, and a 10 percent increased critical hit chance to target-locked ships. At rank four, locking on is 60 percent faster, and you deal 20 percent increased damage while in targeting mode. You must destroy five ships while in targeting mode before you can rank up.

Advanced Tech Skills

This tier mostly focuses on ship combat, and can be passed up if that isn’t something that interests you. Just be prepared to flee with a grav jump if you don’t care for leveling up your ship, as the Crimson Fleet pirates don’t care if you want to engage in ship combat or not.

Energy Weapon Systems: At rank one, Energy ship weapons deal 10 percent more damage and cost 15 percent less when used in Targeting Mode. Rank two doubles the bonuses received in rank one. Rank three grants 30 percent increased Energy damage and 45 percent cost reduction. At the final rank, Energy ship weapons recharge 30 percent faster. You must deal 1000 Energy damage with ship weapons before you can unlock the next rank.
Engine Systems: Increases your ship’s top speed by 10 percent. Rank two grants a longer lasting boost and reduces the cooldown of boosting. At rank three, your ship becomes 20 percent faster. At rank four, all enemies lose their target-lock on you whenever you use a boost. To unlock the ability to purchase rank two, you must boost five times while in space combat.
Payloads: Grants 10 percent additional carrying capacity on all cargo holds. This bonus increases to 20 percent at rank two, 30 percent at rank three, and 50 percent at rank four. Before you can advance ranks, you must make 10 grav jumps while your cargo hold is at 75 percent or higher carrying capacity.
Shield Systems: Grants 20 percent increased shield capacity at rank one, 40 percent at rank two, and 60 percent at rank three. At rank four, your shield has a chance to negate all incoming damage from an attack. You must take 150 points of damage to your ship’s shields before you are able to purchase rank two.

Expert Tech Skills

This tier allows the option to unlock significantly more ship builder options. If you jumped with joy when you heard that you can build your own ships from scratch in Starfield, you should absolutely spend skill points here. While not technically necessary for building ships, it is necessary if you want your custom ships to keep up with or surpass those available for purchase.

Missile Weapon Systems: Grants 10 percent extra missile damage and 20 percent reduced missile cost on your ship. This increases to 20 percent/40 percent at rank two, and 30 percent/60 percent at rank three. At rank four, ship missiles have 20 percent increased range, projectile speed, and reload speed. Dealing 1000 damage with ship missiles will unlock the option to purchase rank two.
Particle Beam Weapon Systems: Grants 10 percent increased particle beam weapon damage on ships, and 10 percent reduced cost in Targeting Mode. This bonus increases linearly until rank three, where it reaches 30 percent bonus damage and cost reduction. At rank four, your critical hit chance with particle beam ship weapons is increased. You must deal 1000 damage with particle beam weapons on your ship before you can advance to rank two.
Robotics: Grants 10 percent more damage to Robots and Turrets, and allows you to force a Robot within 10 levels of your own to stop fighting for a brief period. At rank two, you receive 20 percent bonus damage, and you can force a Robot target to flee rather than just stop fighting. At rank three you receive 30 percent bonus damage, and can force a Robot to become hostile to its allies for a brief period. At rank four, you can force a Robot within 10 levels to obey your commands as though they are your companion for a brief time. Destroying five robots will unlock the option to advance ranks.
Starship Design: Allows the installation of improved ship modules. Rank two allows Superior modules to be installed, and rank three allows Cutting-Edge. At rank four, you can install Experimental Ship Modules. You must install five unique ship modules before you can rank up.
Starship Engineering: At rank one, ship repairs are 10 percent faster. At rank two, ship systems take 25 percent less damage. At rank three, ship repairs are 25 percent faster. At rank four, repairing one block of a given ship system will occasionally fully repair the system. You must use five ship repair kits before you can advance ranks.

Master Tech Skills

This tier (in my opinion) really doesn’t have anything special to offer. Your ship shouldn’t have any issues with damage by this point, and while setting people on fire with your boost pack is hilarious, you similarly shouldn’t be finding that you actually need that extra help in combat. That said, live your life—it’s a Bethesda game after all.

Automated Weapon Systems: At rank one, automated ship weapons deal 10 percent more damage and have 20 percent less Targeting cost. These bonuses increase to 20 percent/30 percent at rank two, and your ship will take 20 percent less damage while in Targeting Mode. Rank three grants 30/40 percent respectively, and 20 percent increased crit chance to targeted sub-systems. At rank four, automated ship weapons recharge 40 percent faster and do 20 percent more damage to targeted sub-systems. Dealing 1000 damage with automated ship weapons will allow you to rank up this skill.
Boost Assault Training: Boosting damages and possibly ignites nearby enemies. At rank two, nearby enemies might be knocked over when you boost. At rank three, aiming while boosting allows you to hover until out of fuel. At rank four, hovering slows down time around you by 70 percent. Dealing 200 damage with a boost pack allows skill progression.
EM Weapon Systems: At rank one, EM ship weapons deal 10 percent more damage and cost 15 percent less in Targeting Mode. At rank two, these bonuses increase to 20 percent and 30 percent while rank three grants 30 percent and 45 percent. At rank four, EM ship weapons have a small chance to immediately disable their target’s engines. Dealing 1000 damage to ships with EM weapons will allow you to purchase rank two of this skill.