Highlights
- Contrary to previous assumptions, players can loot unique outfits off of corpses in Starfield similar to previous Bethesda games, but there are limitations.
- Unique NPC outfits do not appear in the loot list when examining a corpse, which has led players to use a workaround involving the Manipulation skill to obtain them. The workaround requires players to kill Manipulated targets, though, so many may be unwilling to use it.
- Implementing a traditional looting system through Starfield mods seems possible eventually, but for now, players looking for unique NPC outfits will have to get a bit violent.
Contrary to previous assumptions, players can loot unique outfits off of corpses in Starfield much like in previous Bethesda games, but the method comes with some important caveats to consider. Though powerful weapons in Starfield can be obtained from looting enemies and containers, some items remain hidden from player interaction. The most notable examples are unique NPC outfits that don’t show up in the loot list when Starfield players attempt to examine their corpse. This is a departure from Skyrim and Fallout 4, where bodies could essentially be stripped down to their undergarments, and all equipment worn by an enemy was thus fair game.
Though it is likely that Bethesda altered this rule to preserve the decency of Starfield‘s countless NPCs, it has had the unfortunate drawback of locking away several unique clothing options behind console commands. While the game certainly has plenty of options when it comes to the planets that players can explore across the Settled Systems, its weapon variety and clothing styles leave a lot to be desired. While Starfield mods and official content packs will eventually address this issue, some fans have found a workaround that may expand their options by a fair bit without disabling their achievement progress.
Namely, a Starfield player who goes by Zorping has discovered that it’s possible to loot enemies the old-fashioned way through using the Manipulation skill. However, for it to work, the method requires a degree of murder that a good chunk of Starfield players aren’t comfortable doing. If players want to obtain an outfit exclusive to NPCs, they need to first kill the NPC that they want to loot, and then use Manipulation on a nearby target to command them to Inspect the corpse. After the action is complete, players can then murder the manipulated target, which will allow them to obtain the exclusive outfit looted-by-proxy from the first NPC.
It’s certainly an unorthodox method, but it does manage to work around Bethesda’s looting restrictions, and more importantly, it implies that implementing a traditional looting system through Starfield mods will be an easy matter. Unfortunately, while the Manipulation skill lets players command random NPCs, the companions in Starfield are limited in that regard, especially when compared to previous iterations from Fallout 4 (or even Skyrim).
Given that the vast majority of human enemies in the game are in spacesuits, which fetch a decent price at any vendor or Trade Authority terminal, aiming for an early unlock of the Manipulation skill in the Social category may be a worthwhile way to earn credits in Starfield before better methods emerge at endgame.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.