The start of any open-world RPG can be incredibly overwhelming as, after a generally on-rails experience during a tutorial phase, players are given a wide world to explore with tons of opportunities for quests and stories. This is especially true in a brand-new IP like Bethesda's Starfield, where the gameplay loop isn't yet ingrained in the collective consciousness.

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With hundreds of different planets to explore, Starfield is a huge game with a lot to do, but there are some things worth doing right away on any playthrough. And some of them aren't at all obvious. But whether it's credits, stories, or combat, early-game Starfield has something to offer every gamer.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

10 Visit Your Parents

Available to players who select the Kid Stuff trait, this miscellaneous Activity has a surprising number of payoffs. Far from just the fun of visiting a set of digital parents designed to look like the player character, Starfield's parent NPCs can offer the player more than a few little goodies, from delicious food recipes to weapons and armor, and even a free spaceship. With this in mind, it definitely pays to stay in touch.

9 Distilling Confidence

This quest is one of the earliest quests available to players, and it's a good start because it's simple to complete but walks new players through some of the game's systems. This is a simple fetch quest on the face of it, but the objective has three methods of completion, introducing players to hacking, lockpicking, and the persuasion system. Or even use the stealth system to sneak. An easy quest to complete the nets the player a free consumable, 75XP, and 2000 credits.

8 Keeping The Peace

Keeping the Peace is one of the first quests players can encounter after gaining access to New Atlantis, and for the amount of effort that goes into completing it, the reward is worth it. Sergeant Yumi is a security officer with an awful lot to do and not a lot of time or people to do it with. Fortunately for him, he's been authorized to pay freelancers like the player character to get some of it done for him.

Sergeant Yumi's quests pay 2000 credits, which isn't a whole lot of money, but it's great spending money for very little effort at the start of the game.

7 Finding Ricardo Bosch's Slate

This quest is an easy one to miss, but it's worth doing early as it provides easy access to a plentiful early-game source of laser ammo. After being kicked off his research station by Va'ruun Zealots, Ricardo can be found at the New Atlantis spaceport, and later on in the MAST building in New Atlantis's MAST District.

Ricardo can task the player with recovering his research from Starstation RE-939 in the Alpha Centauri system. This location is infested with Va'ruun Zealots, and it can be tough to clear, but it's worth doing just that for XP, loot, and ammo.

6 Tapping The Grid

Tapping the Grid is an easy and straightforward quest players can do right at the very beginning of the game, just after getting access to New Atlantis. Spending a little time inside the New Atlantis district of The Well, players are prompted to investigate power brown-outs in the Well.

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What starts out as a simple wiring job ends with the Trade Authority and a surprising twist.

What follows is an easy way to make quite a few credits, while also getting well acquainted with New Atlantis. Win-win.

5 Space Frog From Outer Space

Space Frog From Outer Space is a cute little sidequest given first as an Activity when walking through Cydonia on Mars. Players are tasked with speaking to Renee, a child NPC. Renee needs some help putting up posters to make everyone a bit more cheerful and is willing to give the player character her allowance in exchange for some help.

This quest is nothing Earth-shattering, and it doesn't affect the story, but it's fun and full of character. As a reward, players get to create Space Frog posters in their outposts.

4 Mission Board Quests

Starfield has several different quests available on its mission boards, found in major cities and far-flung outposts. Some of these are specific to factions, but many are general quests that can be completed by any character regardless of faction affiliation.

These quests are a good option for players looking for a quick bit of combat, some loot to sell, and XP. There's even a Constellation mission board with missions specific to Constellation.

3 Supra et Ultra

Joining the UC Vanguard might seem like a later game choice, but it has some great rewards if done early. Commander Tuala is encountered early during the main quest and he offers players the chance to join the Vanguard. Players who join are treated to a museum outing - which is great for learning the expansive lore of Starfield - as well as a chance to rank up their Piloting skills. But the rewards don't end there, as official induction into the Vanguard gives players access to special, extremely effective, ship parts for use in the ship designer. An easy choice.

This mission branches out into two different, excellent, questlines, so it's a great option for players looking for a meatier quest.

2 The Lair Of The Mantis

The Lair of the Mantis is an easily put-off quest players can access near the beginning of the game, but its rewards are worth it. After a grueling slog through a hidden facility players are presented with a puzzle, but after completing it and making it through the rest of the gauntlet, the rewards are very real.

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Why Players Will Want to Complete Starfield's Mantis Quest ASAP

One of Starfield's earliest side quests offers players some absolutely unmissable rewards with the potential to transform the early-to-mid game.

Players who complete the Lair of the Mantis mission are rewarded with a full set of Legendary armor, including a spacesuit, a pack, and a helmet; tons and tons of loot; and a free spaceship too. This quest is one of the best quests to complete at the start of the game because its rewards are significant.

1 Into The Unknown

It's something of a meme that many players put off the main quest in Bethesda games in favor of literally anything and everything else, but that isn't necessarily the best thing to do with Starfield. At least not for the early part of the main quest.

Reasonably early on in the main quest, after gathering the game's Constellation companions, players can complete the quest, Into the Unknown. Into the Unknown rewards players with all the usual rewards - a bit of loot, some credits, XP - but also with access to Starfield's special powers.

Starfield

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

September 6, 2023

Developer(s)

Bethesda

Genre(s)

Action , RPG