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The worlds ofStarfieldare extremely dangerous, and you’ll need to keep on top of your research at the Research Lab so you’re able to upgrade your equipment and spacesuit. You never know when you might encounter the ruthless Crimson Fleet or hazardous planet surface conditions or, dare we say, have a run-in with a bloodthirsty Terrormorph.
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That’s why you should collect every resource and material you can find on your space-faring adventures so that you can fully utilize the Research Lab and learn new crafting schematics from outpost structures to weapon mods and everything in between.
What Does The Research Lab Do?
Before you can craft an item, whether it be optics and lasers for your weapons or cooking up a meatloaf at a Cooking Station, you’ll need to unlock how to craft it in the Research Lab.
The Research Lab features five research categories:
Each category has a series of research projects. The available research projects are displayed on each Research Lab’s main menu.
You must level up your skills to carry out higher-level projects. At the start of the game, you can research all level-one projects (as long as you have the resources available).
How To Use The Research Lab
To complete a research project, you arerequired to deposit resources and materials into the Research Lab. Each item that isdeposited will be consumed.
For example, if you wanted to learn how to cook Meatloaf, you would need to complete theOld Earth Cuisinelevel one project, requiring that you deposit the following items into the Research Lab:
Once you complete a project, you’ll then be able to craft each item at their corresponding crafting stations, in this case, the Meatloaf at the Cooking Station.
Advanced research projects will require more materials and deposits to unlock.
Research Progress Overflow Explained
When you deposit resources into a project, you may make a“Sudden Development”in research,rewarding you with other bonus materials. Research Overflow can even complete a research project if you’re lucky.
Due to Research Overflow, It’s a good idea to deposit materials you carry a lot of since you could potentially use them to fill in materials you don’t have for the project.
How To Improve Research Lab Efficiency
Starfield wouldn’t be a Bethesda RPG without an extensive skill tree. There are a plethora of skills and certifications to unlock to improve your character’s abilities and skills, and the Research Lab is no exception.
TheResearch Methodsskill is aNovice Science skillthat reduces the cost of required resources and the number of resources required to complete a research project.
The Research Methods skill has four ranks that increase the potency of the skill’s effect with each rank, butyou must complete each rank’s challengebefore you can purchase it with a skill point.
Unique Research Projects
Not all research projects are automatically displayed in the Research Lab.Some projects are locked behind specific skills.
TheSpecial Projectsskill found under the Master Science skill treewill allow you to research experimental projects andcraft rare, exotic, and unique items.
TheGastronomy skill found under the Novice Social skills treeallows you tocook and research unique food and drink recipes.
You’ll want to carefully consider whichcharacter backgroundyou choose for your character since this could give you access to unique research projects quicker than usual.
Where To Find Research Labs?
Research Labs can be found all over the galaxy! In fact, you’ll never be far from aResearch Lab since you’ll have one aboard your ship. Furthermore, you’ll find countless Research Labs in major settlements like the bustling city of New Atlantis and facilities that you find on remote planets.
TheConstellation Lodgeis a fantastic place to make a preliminary base since your room features asafe with infinite storage.As Walter Stroud states, the Lodge has every type of crafting station you could possibly need, including a Research Lab.
