Starfield’s New Game Plus mode contains a buff that can make space exploration notably less stressful, but because it’s hidden in plain sight, many players fail to notice it. It’s one of many optional but beneficial buffs that can be found in Starfield.
Starfield has been a sales juggernaut since its very recent release and is one of many open-world action RPGs to enter the gaming market, making itself stand out with its sci-fi setting and emphasis on charting planets and customizing spaceships. Given its genre, players are granted a lot of freedom in terms of how they can navigate the sprawling map, nab collectibles, and tackle the story. This even extends to in-game upgrades, many of which are cleverly hidden and can sometimes be collected out of order or even skipped entirely.
Case in point, Reddit user DontTakeMeSeriousli shared a screencap taking place inside The Lodge, one of Starfield’s locales. They lamented that they’re currently at Level 31, yet wound up missing an easy to grab buff despite it being available from near the start of the playthrough. The buff in question is hidden in plain sight on one of the tables in the center of the library and is called the “Constellation Guide 01.” It allows the player to lose 15% less oxygen while moving when over encumbered, or in other words, when their inventory is larger than can be held at the time. Combined with upgrades to one’s inventory size, it’s easy to see why this upgrade would be helpful to nab as soon as possible.
In actuality, while not specified in the post, one of the replies confirmed that some of the Constellation Guides’ effects are randomized depending on when they’re nabbed, and another one stated that this particular upgrade is only found in that specific location during New Game Plus. Meanwhile, on a normal mode playthrough, Guide 01 would yield a 5% fall damage reduction instead. That aside, many users in the comments appeared flabbergasted that such an upgrade would be so simple to find. Several reported having progressed much further or even beaten Starfield without noticing that there was a Constellation Guide in that spot.
Starfield is indeed a massive game, and its immense file size is proof of that. Combine this with its open-endedness, and it’s really no surprise that some players, even those attempting a 100% sweep, might miss out on some useful upgrades when they really could have used them.
Starfield is available to play on PC and Xbox Series X/S.