Starfield Bounty Hunter Build
The Best Bounty Hunter Build for Starfield, that is focusing on Ship combat and taking down enemies in space! The Build is focusing on ship combat and is using all the appropriate skills that will make your Starship powerful. You can destroy enemy Starships or disable and board them! Incapacitate the crew and take their cargo, items or even ship to sell for profit. While the Build is designed for Space fights you can still use it for ground combat as well.
Table of Contents
- Bounty Hunter Build Background
- Bounty Hunter Build Traits
- Bounty Hunter Build Skills
- Bounty Hunter Build Weapon
- Bounty Hunter Build Power
- Bounty Hunter Build Companion
- More Builds
Best Background for Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield
Backgrounds are basically starter classes in Starfield, that offer access to a set of three novice skills. Picking the right background for your build will help you become more efficient at your role early in the game. The Best Background for the Bounty Hunter Build is obviously the Bounty Hunter!
The Background gives access to the following skills:
- Piloting
- Targeting Control Systems
- Boost Pack Training
Piloting is the most important skill for the Build since it allows to pilot better ships but also increases our efficiency when piloting them. Targeting Control Systems allows us to lock onto other ships. Boost Pack Training gives access to the Boost Pack which increases mobility and unlocks advanced combat tactics! Some good alternative Backgrounds you can use are:
- Space Scoundrel
- File Not Found
- Long Hauler
Best Traits for Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield
The focus of the Build is Ship combat and in general fighting in Space. Traits that will improve our combat prowess while in Space are the best to pick! The Best Traits for the Bounty Hunter Build are:
- Alien DNA
- Introvert or Extrovert
- Spaced
- Taskmaster
- Wanted
- Empath(if you bring Companions along)
- Faction and Religious
Alien DNA boosts Health and Oxygen but reduces the effectiveness of healing and food items. Introvert boosts Oxygen when adventuring alone while Extrovert boosts Oxygen when adventuring with Companions. Spaced will boost your Health and Oxygen while in Space. Taskmaster is a great Trait if you wish to save credits from ship repairs! Wanted offers a boost to damage when you are low on health, which can be helpful when fighting outnumbered or dealing with a stronger enemy. Empath will increase the fighting performance of your Companions, if they like you. If they do not like you they will not be as effective though.
Finally you can pick any Faction specific or Religious specific Trait, if you wish to build up your relationship with one of their corresponding groups. You can only have one of those Social focused Traits in the game active. One for Factions and one for Religions.
Best Skills for Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield
Skills are the core of our Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield! Starfield Skills offer all kind of benefits and can make or break your Build. While we do get access to three Novice Skills with our background, there are a few more we can take to make it truly efficient and powerful. The Core skills of the Build are
- Isolation or Leadership
- Ballistics
- Shotgun Certification
- Incapacitation
- Crippling
- Scanning
- Aneutronic Fusion
- Piloting
- Targeting Control Systems
- Engine Systems
- Shield Systems
- Starship Design
- Starship Engineering
- EM Weapon Systems
These are all the skills you should take for a powerful Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield!
Physical Skills
- Fitness(Novice)
- Weight Lifting(Novice)
- Wellness(Novice)
- Gymnastics(Advanced)
- Pain Tolerance(Advanced)
Fitness offers more Oxygen which allows you to take more actions. Weight Lifting helps with carrying more items while Wellness will increase your Health. Gymnastics is a nice skill to have when moving and fighting in zero-g environments! Finally Pain Tolerance will reduce Physical Damage taken.
Social Skills
- Commerce(Novice)
- Deception(Advanced)
- Isolation(Advanced) or Leadership(Expert)
- Ship Command(Master)
Commerce will help you make credits in Starfield by selling all the items you are looting! Deception is a must-have skill, if you wish to follow the route of Smuggling and Piracy. Pick Isolation or Leadership to further boost your capabilities, depending on whether or not you have Companions with you. Ship Command will allow you to have more crew members, hence more benefits in your ships.
Combat Skills
- Ballistics(Novice)
- Shotgun Certification(Novice)
- Incapacitation(Advanced)
- Rapid Reloading(Expert)
- Targeting(Expert)
- Armor Penetration(Master)
- Crippling(Master)
Ballistics will boost the damage of all Ballistic based weapons. Shotgun Certification allows you to use Shotguns effectively. While Shotguns might be more effective for combat inside ships, you can still pick any other weapon of your choice, rifles or pistols! Incapacitation will allow you to take down human enemies without killing them. Rapid Reloading assists with reloading and being faster when fighting. Targeting is a great skill to have when using Shotguns because it boosts accuracy and range when you are not aiming! Armor Penetration makes your weapon to ignore enemy armor. Finally Crippling increases the chance to put enemies in a downed state.
Science Skills
- Astrodynamics(Novice)
- Medicine(Novice)
- Scanning(Advanced)
- Spacesuit Design(Advanced)
- Weapon Engineering(Advanced)
- Chemistry(Expert)
- Aneutronic Fusion(Master)
Astrodynamics will allow you to travel farther away while consuming less fuel. Medicine boosts the effectiveness of Med Packs. Scanning is a vital skill for the Bounty Hunter Build, especially if you are interested in Smuggling and Piracy. Spacesuit Design and Weapon Engineering will help you create better Suit and Weapon mods. Chemistry allows you to create chems to further boost your character. Aneutronic Fusion is another very important skill for the Build! It creates extra units of power for your ship.
Tech Skills
- Ballistic Weapon Systems(Novice)
- Boost Pack Training(Novice)
- Piloting(Novice)
- Targeting Control Systems(Novice)
- Energy Weapon Systems(Advanced)
- Engine Systems(Advanced)
- Shield Systems(Advanced)
- Missile Weapon Systems(Expert)
- Particle Beam Weapon Systems(Expert)
- Starship Design(Expert)
- Starship Engineering(Expert)
- EM Weapon Systems(Master)
Almost every skill in this category is important for the Bounty Hunter Build! If you wish to become the best in ship combat, then you will have to invest heavily in the Tech Skills Line! We get Piloting, Boost Pack Training and Targeting Control Systems from the Bounty Hunter Background. Piloting and Targeting Control Systems are important for space and ship combat, so you should focus on ranking them up first. Boost Pack Training allows you to use a Boost Pack and can be also helpful but is a secondary skill if you wish to focus on ship combat more.
Engine Systems and Shield Systems are rather important as well. Starship Design and Starship Engineering will allow you to improve and upgrade your Ship! As for ship weapons you can focus on the type you prefer the most. Ballistic, Energy, Missiles or Particle Beam. Unlocking the EM Weapon Systems skill though will allow you to disable the engine of enemy ships and make it easier to board and capture them!
Best Weapon for Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield
The Best Weapon for the Bounty Hunter Build depends on your personal preference! Shotguns will be more effective when fighting inside Starships while EM Weapons will help you incapacitate enemies faster. Rifles and Scoped weapons in general will be better when fighting in open fields.
For a Shotgun focused Build you can use early in the game the Coachman or Pacifier. Upgrade them with their better versions when you are lucky to find them. Later you can use better weapons like Old Earth Shotgun and Breach.
Breach Weapon Mods:
| Slot | Component |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Long Barrel |
| Laser | Recon Laser Sight |
| Optic | Reflex Sight |
| Muzzle | Choke |
| Grip and Stock | Tactical Stock |
| Magazine and Battery | Slug Shots/Flechette Rounds |
| Internal | High Powered |
| Receiver | Semi-Automatic |
Keep a Ballistic Rifle as a secondary weapon. Grendel or Maelstrom will be enough early in the game. You can later upgrade to Drum Beat, Tombstone and AA-99. If you wish to learn more about Weapons, you can read my Starfield Weapons Guide!
As for Ship weapons, Energy based weapons can take down ship shields faster while EM weapons can disable engines and allow you to capture them easier. Ballistics, Missiles and Particle Beams are more useful when you try to destroy your targets.
Best Power for Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield
Powers are unique abilities you can unlock by advancing the main quest line and completing the “Into the Unknown” main mission. Powers offer unique effects to your character and can complement your Build. The Best Power for the Bounty Hunter Build is Phased Time! This power slows down time, allowing you to deal with enemies with ease. A few more powers you can use are:
- Parallel Self
- Grav Dash
- Reactive Shield
- Solar Flare
If you wish to learn more about Powers, you can read my Starfield Powers Guide!
Best Companion for Bounty Hunter Build in Starfield
Companions in Starfield come with their own unique skills that can assist your character and further complement your Build! Not all Companions are good for every role and type of gameplay. Picking the right Companion with the right skills will help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently. The Best Companion for the Bounty Hunter Build is Lyle Brewer. A Shotgun focused Companion that can assist in Close Quarters Combat. Other good Companions you can use with the Build are:
If you wish to learn more details about all available Companions, you can read my Starfield Companions Guide!
More Starfield Builds
- Beast Hunter Build
- Diplomat Build
- Explorer Build
- Heavy Weapons Build
- Laser Weapons Build
- Melee Brawler Build
- Pirate Build
- Pistol Build
- Shotgun Build
- Soldier Build
- Stealth Assassin Build
- Stealth Sniper Build
- Thief Build
- Unarmed Build
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