Starfield Razorleaf vs Star Eagle: Which ship should you use?

The Razorleaf and Star Eagle are two of the best A-Class ships in Starfield that you can get relatively early on in the game. Unless you invest Skill Points early on into your piloting skill, you will likely use one of these ships for the majority of your early game.

Given the similar stats between the two, debate has raged on over which is superior.

Both the Razorleaf and Star Eagle are free ships you can acquire in Starfield from side quests. As ships tend to cost a lot of Credits, I would recommend picking up both of these ships to add to your fleet as soon as you can. If you are trying to decide between making the Razorleaf or the Star Eagle your home ship, here’s what you need to know.

How to get the Razorleaf in Starfield

You can get the Razorleaf from the Mantis side quest, which you can start after picking up the “Secret Outpost” note that randomly drops off enemies. This is a fairly quick questline however it does require you take tackle a challenging puzzle along the way.

This quest also allows you to unlock the Mantis Spacesuit, which is one of the better early game space suits.

How to get the Star Eagle in Starfield

You can get the Star Eagle quite quickly in Starfield by completing the Freestar Rangers faction quest chain. Compared to the Mantis side quest, this is a much lengthier quest chain that ultimately rewards you with the Star Eagle, a massive disbursement of Credits, and Freestar Ranger gear. Whether or not you end up preferring the Star Eagle or the Razorleaf, I still highly recommend you take on this long quest chain.

Should you choose the Razorleaf or Star Eagle in Starfield

The Star Eagle is the much better choice between these two similar A-Class ships. On almost all practical fronts, shielding, cargo, hull, and weapon systems, the Star Eagle far outpaces the Razorleaf, though the Mantis ship does still have some advantages.

The Freestar Ranger’s signature ship has a much stronger hull than the Razorleaf, meaning it can sustain much more incoming damage. The Star Eagle also contains one of the best missile systems in Starfield, making it an incredible offensive tool. The cargo hold is the biggest disparity between the two ships however, as while the Razorleaf can only hold 420lbs of content, the Star Eagle has a massive limit of 2,200lbs.

The Razorleaf has a unique feature dubbed the Legacy Perk. Due to the Razorleaf’s in-universe history, space pirates fear it upon sight and retreat as soon as you arrive.

This is a double-edged sword, as you could miss out on XP and chances to upgrade your piloting and weapon perks by getting fewer space combat experiences.