Starfield's ship boosters are really useful in combat

Starfield frontier starship flying through space — (Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield's ship boosters are a lot more useful than you might think - especially in combat and you don't even need to master Starfield ship customization to use them.

Starfield has barely launched out of early access, but apparently Bethesda's already offering up helpful hints for players. Just below, the developer reveals on Twitter that boosting in your ship while in combat will scramble the targeting sensors of enemy ships, effectively breaking an enemy's target lock on your ship for missiles.

Boosting during a space battle not only gives you a sudden burst of speed - it also breaks an enemy's target lock on your ship. It can be advantageous to save your boost for when you tactically need it. #Starfield pic.twitter.com/lbS9XS5fiJSeptember 5, 2023

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This is really useful, especially in the early hours of Starfield. The Frontier, the ship you're given at the beginning of the RPG, unfortunately isn't all that sturdy, and so there'll be times when you're scrambling for your life against enemy fighters out in space, sometimes just a few hits away from death.

Next time you're in one of these situations, try boosting periodically to knock off an enemy's target lock on your ship. You'll always get a severe red warning sign above your ship whenever an enemy ship is locked onto you, so at least Starfield tells you when you should be evading using the boost ability.

Remember that you'll need to put points into your ship's engines if you want to boost and travel quicker, and there some Starfield skills that can help. Obviously you've only got a certain amount of points to use up per ship, so don't go using all your available power points on your engines if it's going to come at the cost of something like your shields.

This system is actually reminiscent of the best Star Wars games, if you didn't know. The likes of X-Wing and TIE Fighter are clear influences on Starfield's ship management system, and even the targeting reticule for leading your shots against enemy ships looks straight of the classic games.

Head over to our Starfield companions guide for a full list of all the helping hands you can recruit in the outer reaches of space.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.