Starfield – How to board / dock ships
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Do you need to dock your ship in Starfield? A big part of the game is interacting with enemy ships, traveling to planets, and dealing with negotiations aboard other vessels or spaceships. You won’t be going through the game without opening your starmap at some point.
Each time you travel to a new destination, you will have various interactions. Early on, you will need to dock at a few ships in order to progress the main story. Because of this, it is important that you know how to interact with other ships in Starfield.
Prepare your crew for the eventuality that you will have a run-in with the Crimson Fleet space pirates. Each of your own ships can be unique, but they will all fly the same. Whether it is docking at a planet or interacting with another ship, you need to know how your ship operates. Here is how to board ships in Starfield.
How to board ships in Starfield
If you want to dock your ship, you first need to target the space station or ship you wish to dock at. This is done by pressing the E key on PC/Keyboard or the A button on Xbox Series X/S. Cycle through the targets until you have the correct one selected.
Once a ship or space station has been targeted, you will get the option to hail it. This means that you will attempt to contact the vessel. Hail the vessel first in order to dock at it.
With both of those steps done, you will finally need to dock your ship. Once you are within 500 meters of the station or ship, hold the X button or the R key to dock your ship. This will connect your ship’s airlock to that of the other ship or station and make it so you aren’t drifting off into space in your fancy Mk 1 Spacesuit.
When you are connected to a space station or a ship, you will be positioned in the pilot’s seat. From here, you will have the option to board the ship, undock from the ship, or wander around your ship. Select the board option to board the ship and take a look around at the resources they have.
How to board ships during combat in Starfield
To do this board a ship during combat you must not blow up the enemy ship and instead disable it. This can be done by shooting the enemy ship’s engines. With the engines destroyed, simply follow the steps above to dock onto the enemy ship.
This will allow you to board an enemy ship during combat. Keep in mind, that you will want to do this after combat has stopped and there aren’t more ships shooting at you. This could lead to your ship getting destroyed. Make sure you don’t have your weapon holstered because the enemies aboard will most likely be angry.
Can you fast-travel while docked in Starfield?
No! You cannot fast-travel while you are docked on a ship in Starfield. If you want to fast travel, you will need to go through the process of undocking your ship which can be done by pressing the Y button on Xbox controller or the spacebar on keyboard while you are in the pilot’s seat. With that done, you will be able to fly around the galaxy once more.
