Having some support behind you is important, so picking up as many companions and crew as possible is always a good idea. Even though I tend to get annoyed at some companions ruining my stealth op missions, I can always just assign them to a different station where they can be more useful. Each companion character has different skills that can be beneficial to your outpost, ship, or during missions, but it's up to you to give them the proper assignments. Here's how!
Starfield assigning crew guide
All characters in your crew are located in the Ship menu. Simply press the Menu button and then open your Ship menu on the bottom left side of the screen. From here, you can navigate to your Crew Roster menu. This will show all the characters you have available to assign to different stations.
While extractors tend to work by themselves to produce materials for you, it's still important to assign a crew so you can properly utilize their various skills. (Their skills are displayed to the right of their name on your Crew Roster menu.) Each character has skills in different areas of expertise, and you'll want to assign them to a field where they will shine. For example, assigning Lin to an outpost will help the harvesting of materials work faster because she has Outpost Management skills.
To assign a character, click on their name from the list and then select where you want them to go, either an outpost or your ship. Players following you will be shown as 'unassigned,' along with characters you have not yet assigned to anything.
If you receive a message that there are currently no stations for them to be assigned to, it's probably because you need to make room in your ship or place down the correct amenities at your outpost first. Here's a look at how to do that correctly:
How to assign crew to an outpost in Starfield
To assign a crew to an outpost, they are going to need some items to work with. You can place down the Crew Station to open up a spot for them to work at your outpost. Two characters can be assigned per station you have; the more Crew Stations you have, the more players you will be able to assign (just be sure to give them enough room to work).
The Crew Station is located in the Misc. tab of the build menu. Here's what you'll need to build it:
- Aluminum x5
- Nickel x3
- Iron x2
How to assign crew to a ship in Starfield
Creating space for your crew on your ship works very similarly to an outpost. You'll need the appropriate amount of Crew Stations and Living Quarters for your crew to be able to work there. On a ship, your Crew Station space is determined by the cockpit and Living Quarters habs that you have in place. When you hover over them in the Ship Builder menu, the Crew Station space is shown on the left side of the screen. Switching out those pieces of your ship for ones with larger quantities will allow you to assign more crew members at a time.
You don't always have to have your companions following you around. In fact, it's better to assign them to different stations so their skills can help you out in various aspects, such as collecting and harvesting more resources at your outpost or helping you control your ship. As long as you have room for all of them, everyone's skills can shine.
Looking for more Pro Game Guides Starfield content? Check out our guides on Starfield Habs Guide – Best Habs and Features, Explained or How to Swap Ships in Starfield!
Abby Smith is a super nerd and video game fanatic and grew up playing games on a variety of platforms. She likes to spend her free time binge-watching Netflix, reading all genres of novels, and playing all the best new video games. She is currently a full-time Staff Writer for Pro Game Guides, and as an alumni from Full Sail University, also enjoys dabbling in creative writing such as short stories, scripts, and comics on the side.