This guide focuses on the Best Starfield Soldier Build in Starfield, with skills, armor, and weapons to create a powerful character.
The Best Soldier Build in Starfield
In the year 2330, humanity has spread to the stars, colonizing hundreds of planets. But with this expansion has come conflict, and those who are willing to fight for their home are in high demand. You are one such soldier, trained to battle in any environment and against any foe. You are the last line of defense between peace and chaos, and your skills will be put to the test on the harshest worlds in the galaxy.
| Soldier Build Pros | Soldier Build Cons |
|---|---|
| High Mobility | Weapon Focused |
| Ballistic Weapon Preference | Equipped Determines Power |
| High Oxygen Capacity | Lacks Starship Skill |
Best Soldier Build Features & Mechanics
The following list presents all the essential Soldier Build Mechanics and Features in Starfield:
- Damage: Ballistic
- Range: 40-48
- Primary Weapon: AA-99
- Best Skill: Armor Penetrator
- Best Power: Reactive Shield
- Mechanic: Boost Back
- Throwable: Frag Grenade
- Aid: Heart+
The Soldier is your prototypical front-line Space Warrior. The build focuses on Ballistic Weapons, Jet Packing for mobility, and simple weapons and armor to complete your missions. You will use a combination of medium to long-range weapons with an emphasis on combat through force. This build will focus heavily on the Combat skill tree with a plethora of weapon choices.
Background
The Soldier background in Starfield gives you Fitness, Ballistics, and Boost Pack Training skills at level 1. Here’s of the Soldier’s Background skills in Starfield:
- Ballistics: Rank 1: Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage.
- Boost Pack Training: You can now utilize boost packs.
- Fitness: You have 10% more oxygen available.
These skills are given to you at level 1, and progress by using the skill or some other function. Fitness levels up by using up all of your Oxygen 20 times. Ballistics levels by killing enemies with Ballistic Weapons. Boost Pack levels by using the boost pack in combat. You should be using Ballistic Weapons and Boost Packing while in combat. You can tell if a weapon is Ballistic by the icon on the top right corner. Look for a grenade explosion and not an energy symbol.
Traits
The best trait for a Soldier build in Starfield is Terra Firma. Health and oxygen are increased when on the surface but decreased when you’re in space. As a traditional foot Soldier, this can help you out while exploring planets, which will be most of your gameplay. Keep in mind that traits are optional customization options in Character Creation. Players can select up to three attributes from a wide list of traits to further shape their protagonists. It’s advised to limit or not select traits if it’s your first playthrough, but Terra Firma is our suggestion for the Best Starfield Soldier Build Guide.
Skills
Here is the list of the best and recommended skills for the Soldier Build in Starfield:
- Armor Penetrator – Combat skill line
- Rifle Certification – Combat skill line
- Weapon Engineering – Science skill line
- Demolitions – Combat skill line
- Persuasion – Social skill line
- Wellness – Physical skill line
- Marksman – Combat skill line
- Spacesuit Design – Science skill line
- Sniper Certification – Combat skill line
- Sharpshooting – Combat skill line
Starfield skill system includes multiple skills spread between 5 categories of skills: Social, Tech, Physical, Science, and Combat. Skills from every category will upgrade, customize, and enhance your Starfield character playstyle. Each skill unlock requires one skill point and then a condition in order to advance the skill ranks. Each rank requires another skill point, and each level of advancement requires four points in order to advance to another level.
For the Soldier, you want to stick with primarily Combat-based skills. The Science skill tree is vital to crafting later in the game. You will need a few points in level one to progress this in order to get important crafting skills. Start the game early with one skill in each tree so you can progress and then unlock additional levels.
Related:
Level Progression
At level one, you receive three free skills from your background selection. For this build, we recommend Soldier, which unlocks Boost Pack Training, Fitness, and Ballistic Weapons. Use the character creator and select any optional traits. Keep in mind that this is a template, and depending on your playstyle, you may not unlock additional ranks at the same level.
Here’s a list of level progression for the Best Starfield Soldier Build Guide:
- Level 1: Ballistics, Boost Pack Training, and Fitness
- Level 2: Medicine
- Level 3: Persuasion
- Level 4: Shotgun certification
- Level 5: Ballistics Rank 2
- Level 6: Astrodynamics
- Level 7: Medicine Rank 2
- Level 8: Boost Pack Rank 2
- Level 9: Shotgun, Ballistics or Pistol Certification
- Level 10: Rifle Certification
- Level 11: Astrodynamics Rank 2
- Level 12: Medicine Rank 3 or Research Methods
- Level 13: Weapon Engineering
- Level 14: Spacesuit Engineering
- Level 15: Demolitions
- Level 16: Rifle Certification Rank 2
- Level 17: Ballistics Rank 3
- Level 18: Marksman
- Level 19: Sniper Certification
- Level 20: Boost Pack Rank 3
- Level 21: Weapon Engineering Rank 2
- Level 22: Spacesuit Engineering Rank 2
- Level 23: Boost Pack Rank 4
- Level 24: Marksman Rank 2
- Level 25: Sniper Certification Rank 2
- Level 26: Armor Penetrator
- Level 27: Weapon Engineering Rank 3
- Level 28: Spacesuit Engineering Rank 3
- Level 29: Chemistry
- Level 30: Sharpshooting
It’s advised that you try to rank up skills by completing their requirements. For example, Boost Pack Training, simply hit Boost Pack constantly while in combat to level it up very easily. Leave one enemy alive, continually boost the pack as you have fuel, and you can complete the progression in one encounter.
Best Weapons for Soldier Build
The best weapon for Soldier Build is AA-99 Ballistic Rifle because it has great range, high rate of fire, and can be modified to fit both close and medium range. This weapon’s ammunition is easy to find and does great damage regardless of the situation. The ranged weapon option for sniping is the Old Earth Hunting Rifle. You can also get this ballistic weapon early in the game and continue to mod the weapon for massive damage at range. Your priority is to find or mod the weapon with a scope. This will give you the bonus you need for sniping with our skill selections.
Weapons can have up to 8 modifications depending on the type. Each mod requires materials or resources along with the Weapon Engineering skill from the Science skill tree. You will also have to research mod upgrades via a research station and this can take some time to unlock the gun and weapons full potential.
Weapons come in four qualities, white, blue, purple, and legendary yellow. If a weapon is blue or great in rarity, it comes with a perk or a trait. These add additional effects in addition to modifications. An example of a perk is Hitman: +15% damage while aiming. Most of these are randomly given with the exception of quest-related items that come standard. It will be unlikely that you get all three recommended perks or traits on a given weapon, but we will list a few below. It’s also a good idea to save modifying weapons at blue or greater quality. This way, you don’t waste material on a non-perk weapon that is limited in overall power.
Primary Weapon
The following table lists the best mods for AA-99 Rifle weapons:
| Weapon Slot | Mod |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Long Barrel |
| Laser | Recon Laser Sight |
| Optic | Recon Scope |
| Muzzle | Muzzle Brake |
| Grip & Stock | Stabilizing Stock |
| Magazine and Battery | Armor-Piercing Rounds |
| Internal | High Powered |
| Receiver | Semi-Automatic |
| Skin | – |
Here are the best weapon traits and perks for the AA-99 Rifle weapon in Starfield:
- Corrosive: Randomly deals corrosive damage and reduces the targets’ armor over 6 seconds
- Furious: Each consecutive hit deals more damage
- Incendiary: Randomly deals incendiary damage
Look to get Long Barrel modification straight away and work towards progressing your crafting. The most damage comes from Internal and Receiver with other mods mainly helping with accuracy.
Secondary Weapon
The following table lists the best mods for Old Earth Hunting Rifle weapon:
| Weapon Slot | Mod |
|---|---|
| Laser | Laser Sight |
| Magazine and Battery | Armor-Piercing Rounds |
| Internal | High Powered |
| Skin | – |
Here are the best weapon traits and perks for the Old Earth Hunting Rifle weapon in Starfield:
- Hitman: +15% damage while aiming
- Instigating: Deals double damage to targets with full health
- Shattering: Breakthrough even the strongest armor
This weapon is pretty simple but does great for levels 1 to 30. Later game options have more modification availability but you can get over 100 range with a scope and take advantage of all the skill passive boost to damage.
Best Armor for Soldier Build
The best armor for Soldier Build is the UC Marine spacesuit, power pack, and helmet. UC Marine armor offers great resistance, is easily available, and highly customizable.
Armors are available in four distinct qualities: white, blue, purple, and the legendary yellow. If an armor piece holds the rarity of blue or higher, it boasts an accompanying perk or trait. These augmentations introduce supplementary effects alongside any modifications. For instance, the “Beast Hunter” perk reduces damage from Alien enemies by 15%. While most of these enhancements are bestowed randomly, noteworthy exceptions include quest-related items that possess standardized attributes. Optimal resource utilization suggests reserving modifications for blue or higher quality armors, preventing the squandering of materials on non-perk gear that ultimately holds limited potency.
Spacesuit
Here is a list of the best Spacesuit armor mods for the Soldier Build in Starfield:
| Spacesuit Slot | Mod |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | EM Shielding |
| Slot 2 | Optimized Servos |
| Slot 3 | Heavy Shielding |
| Slot 4 | Pocketed |
| Skin | – |
Pack
Here is a list of the best Pack armor mods for the Soldier Build in Starfield:
| Pack Slot | Mod |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | Hazard Protection |
| Slot 2 | Emergency Aid |
| Boost Pack | Balanced Boostpack |
| Skin | – |
Helmet
Here is a list of the best Helmet armor mods for the Soldier Build in Starfield:
| Helmet Slot | Mod |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | Ballistic Shielding |
| Slot 2 | Sensor Array |
| Slot 3 | Heavy Shielding |
| Slot 4 | Gravitic Composites |
| Skin | – |
Each of these armor pieces can come with additional perks or traits if they are blue quality or higher. Here are the recommended armor perks and traits for a Soldier build in Starfield:
- Headhunter: Deals +25% damage on the next attack after hitting a target’s head
- Reactive: 10% chance to stagger nearby attackers
- Sentinel: 75% chance to reduce damage by 50% while standing still
Best Companion
The best companion for the Soldier Build is Vasco because the robot has access to three high-powered Starship skills that the Soldier lacks. Here’s a list of Vasco skills:
- EM Weapon Systems: EM ship weapons have 10% increased damage and cost 15% less to use in Targeting Mode.
- Shield Systems: Your ship has 40% increased shield capacity.
- Aneutronic Fusion: Ship reactors produce 1 extra unit of power.
Best Aid
The best aid for a Soldier build are Squall, Heart+, and Amp. The either increase your damage, reduce damage taken, and or increase movement speed. All of which are relevant on the battlefield for a combat-focused build. Here is a list of the best Aid items for a Soldier in Starfield:
- Amp: +35% movement speed for 2m and 2x jump height for 2m.
- Heart+: +20% health for 2m, +200 damage resistance for 2m.
- Squall: +20% damage for 2m, 20% movement speed for 2m.
Best Powers
The best Starborn power for Soldier Build is Reactive Shield because it provides superior protection at range or up close. This power also reflects damage, and with a 35 power cost, you can cast it frequently based on its duration. Sense Star Stuff is another great Starborn power because it helps detect enemies and friendlies.
Starborn Powers are earned through the main story campaign. You will encounter artifacts early on and acquire more of them as you progress. Using Vlad, located in the eye, and the Constellation group, located at the Lodge, to find more. Spend time finding and exploring Temples to progress this power.
Soldier Build Summary Guide
Background – Soldier
Traits – Terra Firma
Weapon – AA-99 Rifle
Spacesuit – UC Marine Spacesuit
Pack – UC Marine Power Pack
Helmet – UC Marine Space Helmet
Companion – Vasco
- Armor Penetrator – Combat skill line
- Rifle Certification- Combat skill line
- Weapon Engineering – Science skill line
- Demolitions – Combat skill line
- Persuasion – Social skill line
- Wellness- Physical skill line
- Marksman – Combat skill line
- Spacesuit Design – Science skill line
- Sniper Certification – Combat skill line
- Sharpshooting – Combat skill line
Looking For More About Starfield?
Thank you for reading the Best Starfield Soldier Build Guide. We provide the latest news and create guides for Starfield Bethesda Game Studios’ newest franchise. Also, watch me play games on Twitch or visit my YouTube channel!
