Starfield: Find Enemy Ships, Here's the Fastest Way

Starfield: Find Enemy Ships, Here’s the Fastest Way

By Alex NeySeptember 7, 2023Updated:September 14, 2023

Finding enemy ships in Starfield is not that easy. That’s why this guide shows you how to find pirates, spacers and other space criminals more quickly.

What this is about: In Starfield you rarely encounter enemy ships, at least outside of quests or bounty missions. But the Starfield universe isn’t that peaceful even in space; you just have to know how to look for enemy ships of Spacers & Co. This is exactly the topic of the following guide, which also names star systems that will definitely involve you in space battles.

Finding Enemy Ships in Starfield: Partly a Matter of Luck

That’s why enemy ships are rare: At times, Starfield gives the impression that enemy ships are almost non-existent. However, there is a plausible explanation for this, considering the criminal background of the ship owners you are primarily looking for.

Spacers, pirates and all the other space scum do not operate under the eyes of “system security”, of course, and they rarely settle near law enforcement. More precisely, the populated systems are not in the comfort zone of space raiders, who retreat to more unexplored star systems.

The Trick: Jump Diligently

This gives you a first hint where enemy ships might be found in Starfield. Additionally, you can see from the pictures below what exactly is meant by “more explored” systems. Roughly speaking, they are simply located away from Alpha Centauri and the populated systems.

Starfield Find enemy ships 03 — These are some unexplored systems and routes. (Starfield)

But wait: Did we just say that there “might” be ships in these unexplored star systems? Yes – unfortunately, it looks like a bit of chance decides if and when you’ll be attacked by enemy ships in Starfield.

More about Starfield

But there is a very simple trick how you can encounter enemy spaceships faster. Travel to a remote or unexplored system and use the gravity jump again to jump to a neighboring system. If you repeat this a few times, you have a good chance of encountering either enemy ships directly or at least a relevant event.

Clues From Friendly Pilots Reveal Locations of Enemies

Starfield Find enemy ships 01 — In Starfield, every now and then you will encounter a friendly pilot who will warn you about dangers in the current or another system.

Such an event can be, for example, that you encounter a “friendly” ship whose pilot radios you. If you accept the spell, it warns you of pirate activity in the current system or in a nearby system. This event seems to be fired frequently; we have received such warnings in the Altair and Sirius systems (near Sirius III), for example.

Starfield Feindliche Schiffe finden 02 — One of the systems where you are likely to encounter pirates or other enemies is the Sirius system. (Starfield)

By the way, when you receive such a radio message, you don’t have to fly blindly through the target area. On the star map, you will see a marker in the system in question that shows exactly where the enemies are up to mischief.