• Guide

How to earn Credits fast - Starfield

If you need to make some Credits in a big hurry, here's the fastest way we've found so far.

Bill Lavoy

September 1, 2023 1:00 PM

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Earning Credits is key to being successful in the first hours of Starfield. There will always be something you want to buy, be it a weapon, pocket full of Digipicks, or maybe even parts for your ship. Well, after nearly 90 hours of Starfield, here’s the fastest way I’ve found to make Credits quickly.

How to earn Credits fast

Just like real life, the best way to earn Credits fast in Starfield involves doing illegal things. Pickpocketing one NPC will typically get you between 300 and 900 Credits. On the low end it will be under 100, and on the high end you could make several thousand. To pickpocket you’ll need the Theft skill from the Social tree. At Rank 1 this skill gives you the base ability pickpocket targets, and at Rank 4 it gives you a 50 percent greater chance to successfully pickpocket, and you can steal guns in the process which can also be sold for a nice sum of Credits.

A second way to earn Credits quickly is to smuggle Contraband, assuming you can get it somewhere that you can sell Contraband. The amount will vary depending on the type you are selling, but you can earn more than 10k Credits selling a single piece. The reason this isn’t our preferred method of earning Credits quickly is that there are too many factors that can make this process less appealing. The two major ones are that you need to find Contraband, and that your ability to sell Contraband is limited by the number of Credits vendors have. If you have Contraband on hand and the ability to sell it, consider filling your pockets with some quick Credits.

If you’re not okay with doing illegal things in Starfield, which is a good possibility depending on how you choose to roleplay, there are other ways to earn lots of Credits, but they aren’t as quick as being a criminal.

You can make a good chunk of Credits by taking on side quests in Starfield. It's not just the payout when you finish a quest either, but looting locations as you play. You’ll find several containers with over 1,000 Credits just going through a research lab or abandoned mine, not to mention the cash you can earn by selling weapons, spacesuits, and other items. Selling a single, quality weapon that you don’t see yourself using could get you a couple of thousand Credits.

All these methods of earning Credits quickly and efficiently can be enhanced by the Commerce skill which is also found in the Social tree. At Rank 1 you can buy for five percent less and sell for five percent more. At Rank 4 you can buy for 20 percent less and sell for 25 percent more. If you want more Credits in your pocket, spend less and earn more. It’s a simple concept that you can achieve with this one skill.

Now that you know how to earn Credits quickly, visit our Starfield Strategy Guide. It’s there that you can learn the ins and outs of how to be a space pirate if that’s what you’re hoping to do.

Bill Lavoy

Managing Editor

Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.