Much like every other modern role-playing game, Starfield features a lot of items to collect, ranging from weapons and gear to materials and everyday items that can be sold for a few Credits. If you like collecting items, however, you will soon go over your total carry capacity and will be forced to leave something behind if you do not want to consume vital oxygen even to move.
Thankfully, there are ways to increase your personal storage capacity and not get encumbered and be forced to leave items on the ground. Some require making a bit of progress into the game, but others are available as soon as the game begins.
How to Increase Your Storage and Not Get Encumbered in Starfield
Learn the Weight Lifting Skill
The fastest way to increase your personal storage capacity in Starfield is by learning the Weight Lifting skill in the Physical Skill Tree. For each rank of the skill, you get an increase of carrying capacity, culminating with an increase of 100 kilograms as well as 50% resistance to stagger. Unfortunately, you will have to invest four skill points into the skill to increase your carrying capacity seriously, so you may want to focus on other skills first before focusing on the Weight Lifting Skill.
Use the Lodge Locker
As soon as you join Constellation during the first few hours in Starfield, you will be given your own quarters inside The Lodge in New Atlantis. Your room comes with a bed to sleep in as well as a Locker with infinity capacity. So, whenever you have items that you do not want to drop or leave inside your ship’s hold, make a quick journey to your room to leave anything behind for later use.
Get Your Companion’s Help
Companions aren’t only an invaluable help during combat in Starfield but also to carry items. Whenever you need to make your backpack lighter, all you need to do is speak to the companion who is currently following you and choose to trade gear. This works great as emergency storage space when you are away from your ship or you are unable to travel to your room in New Atlantis.
Use Your Ship’s Hold
Your own ship comes with a hold that can carry a certain amount of items. Unlike the locker in your room, however, the ship’s hold has a limited storage capacity, which can be increased by getting another ship altogether or upgrading the hold of your current one. These options, however, require a lot of Credits and a lot of planning, as a bigger hold means a ship that is harder to control and that requires a more powerful engine, so they are way more viable once you have made some serious progress, and some serious credits, in the game.
Use the Captain Locker
What Starfield doesn’t tell you outright once you get your first ship is that its hold isn’t the only storage option you have on it. Close to the pilot’s seat, you can find a Captain Locker that can be used to store items for 40 kilograms. This works great in situations when you are exploring a planet and gathering resources, but your hold is already full.
Get the Proper Gear With Fastened
A great way to increase carry capacity in Starfield is to equip gear with the Fastened ability, which increases carry capacity by 20 kilograms. Interestingly enough, you can equip these items even when you are encumbered so as to become unencumbered temporarily until you find a way to store your items away.
Find Freestar Collective Magazines
A permanent increase in carry capacity is also available by collecting Freestar Collective Magazine, as each magazine will increase your capacity by 5 kilograms. Finding them is not particularly easy, so you should definitely take advantage of the options outlined above before going on the hunt for these useful yet elusive items.
