Starfield’s fast-travel system will have you missing some of the game’s best content

With so much happening in the world and universe around you in Starfield, it’s easy to get lost and skip over critical story beats and gameplay moments. One player who got their hands on the game for early access last week has some sage advice for those making their first venture into the stars.

A seasoned Starfield player shared a tip via a Sept. 5 Reddit post, advising all players not to fast travel and actually go to their ship’s cockpit and take off. Instead of instantly landing in a location, they recommend warping in and flying for a short moment. By doing so, the ship will arrive in the planet’s orbit first and thus will be exposed to more happenings in the game.

Players were quick to agree with the message. Most remarked about valuable side quests and interesting encounters they would’ve missed if they didn’t travel to a planet’s orbit, such as the famous U.S. warranty scam moment.

Another player shared that by taking their time traveling through space, as opposed to immediately landing on a planet, they encountered a SysDef ship that gave them a quest which netted them a quick 7,500 credits. Others shared hilarious encounters with NPCs like Grandma and a geologist whose ship has a worn-out grav drive.

For other players, they felt like the tip was only for people who were in the mood for random encounters and for people who really wanted to immerse themselves in the game. One player explained that they still use the fast travel option if they really need to visit a planet quickly to buy something they forgot before adventuring.

Like Bethesda titles in the past, Starfield has so much to learn and discover while traversing the stars, and while it’s plenty convenient to just hit “Land” and immediately teleport to your next location, it really defeats the purpose of what the title is all about—space exploration.

So, next time you’re about to hit that warp button, take a moment to think about what you could be missing out on, and fly there manually instead. And no, we don’t mean like the person who flew seven hours to Pluto.

Starfield is officially open and available to all players today, Sept. 6.