Starfield ship crew guide: Best companions for spaceship, stats, and more

It’s not enough to have an amazing ship in Starfield - you need a crew of reliable companions to back it up. While you can put anyone onboard, some party members are simply better than the rest. They have the most ideal skills to assist you as you travel the stars. We’ll highlight just a few of the characters that make the best partners as you travel through space. You’re of course welcome to use whomever you decide, but we’ve handpicked the best options.

Thankfully, each member of the crew you can recruit in Starfield is good at something. While some might be good at nearly everything, others are focused on things like ground combat or stealth manuervers. Here are the best ship-based characters in the game.

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Which companions are the best for your ship in Starfield?

Ideal allies

• Sam Coe
• Barrett
• Sarah Morgan

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1) Sam Coe

Sam Coe is everyone's favorite former space cowboy (Image via Bethesda)

Stats

• Piloting: ****
• Rifle Certification: ***
• Payloads: **
• Geology: *

Honestly, it seems like Sam Coe is just good at almost everything. He’s great as a pilot, solid in combat, and has other useful skills as well. This character is capable of piloting Class C ships, and also adds +20% more cargo hold capacity, thanks to his Payloads skill. Sure, he’s good with a rifle, but in space, there’s no pilot I trust more among the Starfield companions.

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2) Barrett

Barrett is a must-have for starship combat (Image via Bethesda)

Stats

• Starship Engineering: ****
• Particle Beam Weapon Systems: ***
• Robotics: **
• Gastronomy: *

Sam’s an excellent pilot, but Barrett has what I need for overall ship combat in Starfield. He is easily my favorite crew member for any ship. His Starship Engineering allows you to occasionally fully repair your ship when you repair just one block. That can save incredible amounts of time, and cannot be underestimated. They also have Particle Beam Weapon Systems, which increases outgoing Particle Weapon damage by 30%.

This skill also reduces the cost of Targeting Mode by 30%, which is a serious boon. He's an absolute must-have when it comes to the game's companions.

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3) Sarah Morgan

If you want to travel efficiently, Sarah Morgan is a great ally to have on your ship (Image via Bethesda)

Stats

• Astrodynamics: ****
• Lasers: ***
• Leadership: **
• Botany: *

While Sarah Morgan is another one of the best companions in Starfield, her usefulness as a member of your ship is solely for Grav Jumping. She comes with Astrodynamics 4, which you have to normally complete 30 Grav Jumps to unlock.

It reduces the fuel cost of jump drives by 50%, which is incredible. Anything that makes your costs go down is worth having on your ship crew, that's for sure.

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This isn’t to say the other in-game characters are bad, far from it. Their abilities simply lie elsewhere. Be sure to explore our comprehensive guide to the best Starfield ships, as well as expert insights on constructing your starship build.