Being encumbered in Starfield seems to happen quite often for players. Whether they’re looting through an abandoned facility or amassing resources for a project or quest, players will need to consistently upkeep their inventories. Thankfully, the size of a ship’s cargo can help with this by acting as an additional storage area. So, how does one access their ship storage in Starfield?
Every starship ought to be equipped with cargo to store away and transfer materials. It’s where we can put away any weapons, spacesuits, pieces of apparel, materials, and other items without having to travel with them in our personal inventory. Ultimately, this allows us to go about in the Settled Systems in Starfield without worry of becoming encumbered. While you may have to resort to a few storage areas to consider, it’s best to know where and how you can access ship storage.
How to Access Your Ship Storage
There are a few ways that Starfield players can check out and inspect their ship storage holds. The best way to access ship storage is to open the in-game menu and the select the Inventory sub-menu on the bottom right. From there, choose the “Cargo Hold” option at the bottom, where the screen will then transition to your current ship’s storage (the name of your ship will then take the place of the “Cargo Hold” selection). Xbox players will use the LB button; PC folks will utilize the Q key.
You can also access storage by examining the interactive cargo hold screen in the ship’s cockpit. It’s usually close to the captain’s locker, which acts as an additional storage space for some of your prized belongings. Regardless, the cargo hold screen will be stationed within the cockpit if you choose to move past the action of going back and forth into your inventory through the in-game menu.
Another way to access ship storage in Starfield is to start trading with a vendor. Any vendor that you can walk up to and interact with will allow you to view your ship’s cargo for business transactions. This includes anyone who owns a shop, a merchant stationed at a Civilian Outpost, and the Trade Authority stands and kiosks. All you need to do is switch the inventories whenever you’re buying and/or selling resources and materials with a merchant.
The only method that doesn’t work in viewing your ship’s cargo is whenever you’re off-ship and aren’t bartering with anyone in the Settled Systems. Typically, whenever you’re scanning a planet while on foot, or traveling in general while outside of a settlement, your character won’t be able to access their ship’s cargo. Unless they have a storage container and landing platform to work with, there aren’t any other ways to check a ship’s cargo, except for the aforementioned methods.
Expert Tip
There is so much to explore and uncover in Starfield that collecting items can be a troublesome annoyance with the encumbered issue to consider. For this, look to the Weight Lifting Skill under the Physical skill tree. It’s a Novice skill, making it easily attainable from the start of any adventure in Starfield. With this skill, the total carrying capacity for your Starfield character will moderately increase.
How To Use Storage Containers in Personal Quarters
In addition to the ship storage, Starfield players can also utilize their living quarters to store items away. Instead of relying on companions to hold objects, jettisoning unnecessary resources, or increasing storage capacity, The Lodge (on planet Jemison) and any properties that you own will contain storage facilities. Notably, the former will include a big safe with unlimited storage. Indeed, you can freely put away any amount of items from your inventory into the storage at The Lodge without having to worry about mass intake.
Of course, the issue of limiting a ship’s storage can also be slightly remedied by investing skill points into Payloads. The Payloads skill is an Advanced Tech skill, and it basically increases the Starfield character’s ship’s cargo capacity. Across four ranks, the player will unlock the following bonuses, complete with their accompanying challenges:
- Rank 1 – Make 10 grav jumps with 75% or more of maximum cargo capacity. Unlocks 10% more capacity for ship cargo holds.
- Rank 2 – Make 25 grav jumps with 75% or more of maximum cargo capacity. Unlocks 20% more capacity for ship cargo holds.
- Rank 3 – Make 50 grav jumps with 75% or more of maximum cargo capacity. Unlocks 30% more capacity for ship cargo holds.
- Rank 4 – Challenges Complete. Unlocks 50% more capacity for ship cargo holds.
That’s all you need to know about accessing your ship storage, along with a few notes on other storage facilities that you can utilize. Be sure to be mindful of where you place your items, as well. There’s always a good chance you might have misplaced a snow globe or a legendary weapon by storing them at the wrong location in Starfield.
