Physical Skills
- See also: Skills
Physical Skills offer a wide variety of effects and abilities that cover mostly what the human body can perform. Investing skill points into the Physical skill tree will increase the durability of your character, while also providing boosts to the physically demanding activities you will be performing traveling. There are 16 Skills in the Physical Skill tree. 5 Tier 1 (Novice) Skills, 5 Tier 2 (Advanced) Skills, 3 Tier 3 (Expert) Skills, and 3 Tier 4 (Master) Skills.
Skills
| Skill | Tier | Description | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 | Rank 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxing | 1 | Once considered a "sport of kings," boxing is still practiced as a recreational competitive activity, but its combat applications can't be denied. | Unarmed attacks do 25% more damage. 25% less O2 used when using a power attack. | Unarmed attacks do 50% more damage. 50% less O2 used when using a power attack. | Unarmed attacks do 75% more damage. While in a fight and unarmed, running consumes 30% less O2. | Unarmed attacks do 100% more damage and have a chance to knock down opponents. |
| Fitness | 1 | In space, the greatest commodity is oxygen, and the increased lung capacity gained by a regular physical fitness regimen is essential to survival. | Sprinting uses 10% less Oxygen. | Sprinting uses 20% less Oxygen. | Sprinting uses 30% less Oxygen. | Sprinting and power attacks now use significantly less oxygen. |
| Stealth | 1 | For a combatant who values discretion above all else, the ability to approach a target while undetected and kill with a silenced weapon is as terrifying as it is effective. | Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 5% sneak attack damage. | Upgrades the Stealth Meter. You are 50% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 10% sneak attack damage. | You are 75% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 15% sneak attack damage. | You are 100% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 20% sneak attack damage. Doors you interact with while in stealth no longer alert enemies. |
| Weight Lifting | 1 | Weight training can significantly increase one's ability to carry weapons and equipment, both in space and on the ground. | Increase total carrying capacity by 10 kilograms. | Increase total carrying capacity by 25 kilograms. | Increase total carrying capacity by 50 kilograms. | Increase total carrying capacity by 100 kilograms. Gain 50% resistance to stagger. |
| Wellness | 1 | By embracing an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits, one may improve their overall sense of health, and even gain prolonged life expectancy. | Increase your maximum health by 10%. | Increase your maximum health by 20%. | Increase your maximum health by 30%. | Increase your maximum health by 40%. |
| Energy Weapon Dissipation | 2 | Considering the widespread use of energy weapons in the Settled Systems, specialized training to minimize damage is considered invaluable. | Energy damage is reduced by 5%. | Energy damage is reduced by 10%. | Energy damage is reduced by 15%. | 25% chance to reflect energy damage back to an attacker when your health is below 50%. |
| Environmental Conditioning | 2 | In the Settled Systems, even oxygen-rich planets and moons may have an atmosphere that is hazardous to human beings. | Gain 10 resistance to Airborne environmental damage. | Gain 10 resistance to Thermal environmental damage. | Gain 10 resistance to Corrosive and Radiation environmental damage. | Reduced chance to gain afflictions from environmental damage sources. |
| Gymnastics | 2 | From navigating the elevations of alien landscapes to exploring derelict ships in Zero-G, gymnastic training is invaluable for improving both safety and maneuverability. | Unlock the ability to combat slide. Take 15% less fall damage. | Move faster in Zero-G. Take 20% less fall damage. | Become more stable while firing in Zero-G. Take 30% less fall damage. Replenish some O2 after mantling. | Increased jump height. Run faster after combat sliding or mantling. |
| Nutrition | 2 | Advanced nutritional science is no substitute for good life choices, and knowing how much and when to eat can be just as important as the food itself. | Food and drink are 10% more effective. | Food and drink are now 20% more effective. | Food and drink are now 30% more effective. | Food and drink are now 50% more effective. |
| Pain Tolerance | 2 | Pain hurts - but only if you're not strong enough to take it. | Physical damage is reduced by 5%. | Physical damage is reduced by 10%. | Physical damage is reduced by 15%. | 5% chance to ignore physical damage when your health is low. |
| Cellular Regeneration | 3 | Whether through secret experimentation or just plain healthy living, boosting the body's ability to naturally recover from injuries can mean the difference between life and death. | Slightly increased chance to recover from injuries naturally. | Moderately increased chance to recover from injuries naturally. | Noticeably increased chance to recover from injuries naturally. | 20% chance of not gaining an injury when you otherwise would. |
| Decontamination | 3 | Through a deliberate regiment of conditioning and antibody therapy, one may effectively combat even the Settled Systems' unseen threats. | Slightly increased chance to recover from infections naturally. | Moderately increased chance to recover from infections naturally. | Noticeably increased chance to recover from infections naturally. | 20% chance of not gaining an infection when you otherwise would. |
| Martial Arts | 3 | There are currently hundreds of martial arts practiced in the Settled Systems, some originating on ancient Earth, some newly created, almost all effective in combat. | 15% increased chance to crit with a melee or unarmed attack. | 15% chance to disarm an opponent with a melee or unarmed power attack. | While unarmed or wielding a melee weapon, take 10% less damage. | Reflect 50% damage back when blocking a melee or unarmed attack. |
| Concealment | 4 | Few skills capture the imagination like the ability to remain undetected, used by assassins, special forces operatives, and simple thieves alike for centuries. | You no longer set off enemy mines. Ranged sneak attacks do 2.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 4x normal damage. | Running while sneaking doesn't affect stealth. Ranged sneak attacks do 3x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 5x normal damage. | You gain a Chameleon-like ability when completely still and sneaking. Ranged sneak attacks do 3.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 8x normal damage. | Engaging stealth causes distant enemies to lose you. Ranged sneak attacks do 4x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 10x normal damage. |
| Neurostrikes | 4 | Once considered the realm of fiction, the ability to disable an opponent without using a weapon is terrifyingly effective when performed by a skilled practitioner. | 10% chance to stun an NPC with an unarmed attack. | Unarmed attacks now do additional EM damage. | 20% chance to stun an NPC with an unarmed attack. | After stunning an enemy, you also knock down any enemies within close range. |
| Rejuvenation | 4 | Utilizing both ancient meditation techniques and newly developed breathing exercises, it's possible for one to actually trigger their body's natural healing ability. | Slowly regenerate health outside of combat. | Regenerate health more quickly outside of combat. | Regenerate health much faster outside of combat. You can now slowly regenerate health while in combat. | Regenerate health even faster outside of combat. You can now regenerate health quickly while in combat. |
Overview
Within the realm of Physical Skills, there's an extensive range of options that enhance the planetside gameplay experience. Whether you're traversing an alien landscape, infiltrating enemy ships, diving deep into space stations, or engaging with other orbital structures, these skills offer intriguing depth. A standout feature in this skill set centers around unarmed combat. It has matured into a comprehensive system that, when paired with skills like Close Combat, Martial Arts, and Neurostrikes, can transform your avatar into a force to be reckoned with, sans any weapon. Integrate Ascension, and you gain the power to not only reduce the damage you take but also to decelerate time, setting the stage for a dramatic initial strike.
During the Starfield Direct, we got a glimpse of the nuances of this style of gameplay, especially the Neurostrikes. An exciting addition to the revamped Close Combat is the potential to incapacitate an opponent stealthily, making it appear as though the developers intended to introduce a non-lethal alternative that doesn't rely solely on dialogue interactions.
Diving deeper into the Physical tree, there's a plethora of skills aimed at enhancing your utility and survivability for diverse playstyles. Such versatility in this skill tree eliminates the strict necessity of delving deep into the Tech Skills, often associated with crafting, or accumulating vast amounts of credits.
This rich tapestry of skills equips you to boost your health and oxygen (endurance) levels, bolster your innate defenses against both combat and environmental hazards, augment your resilience against toxins or addiction, speed up natural recovery from ailments, enhance healing through consumables, rejuvenate when health dips, diminish fall-related injuries, maintain balance in zero gravity, extend carrying capacity and maneuver even when weighed down, and stealthily approach or target foes, dealing amplified damage in the process.
Effectively, the Physical skill tree can be perceived as a modifiable difficulty gauge. It grants players the flexibility to ease some of the game's challenges without sinking resources into other skill branches. For those leaning towards a survival-centric experience, cherry-picking from the Physical skills can hone specific competencies, ensuring a continuous thrill of peril in their gameplay journey.