In the vastness of Starfield, death can be lurking around every corner. While alien fauna and marauding space renegades are the most obvious threats out in the discovered galaxies, players also have to pay attention to the environment and the various Afflictions they can cause.
Afflictions are essentially debuffs that hamper the player character's performance in Starfield. Infections lean more toward the biological and microbial side of such things, and their severity can range from mildly annoying to game-ruining. Thankfully, getting rid of these is fairly easy, assuming players have the money or supplies handy.
How to Cure Infections in Starfield
Throughout their journey, players may come across some medicines that are specifically meant to cure infections. Antibiotics are a good example of this, though they're far from the only ones that can do the job.
When sifting through loot, inspect all consumables and pay attention to the icons they have on their info screens. Items that have purple pill icons are all capable of curing infections, so don't be too hasty when selling, throwing away, or ignoring meds while exploring, as they may come in handy in the future. Players concerned about storage space shouldn't have to worry too much as consumables don't weigh much, and adding cargo bays to ships is fairly easy.
If there aren't any meds on hand, players can visit a doctor anywhere in the known systems and pay them for a cure. The Reliant Clinic on New Atlantis is a reliable spot to get checked up since it's right in front of one of the fast travel points inside the city. Also, players can craft their own meds at a Pharmaceutical Lab. One such crafting station can be found in the Lodge's basement.
Depending on the severity of an infection, it may disappear over time. However, it's possible that it may also get much worse. Players can tell which is the case by looking at the affliction's Prognosis on the character status screen. An excellent prognosis means the infection will eventually cure itself, while a poor prognosis suggests the sickness is there to stay unless forcefully removed.
Status effects with a poor prognosis rating are best resolved immediately, as more symptoms may pop up as time goes by. Players can have up to three symptoms at a time, greatly debilitating their physical capabilities inside and out of combat.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.