Starfield NG+ Guide 2026: What Carries Over, What You Lose & How to Skip the Main Quest
Starfield’s New Game Plus is not a simple replay with stronger stats. When you finish the main quest and step into the Unity, you enter a parallel universe and start again as a Starborn, keeping your level and skills but leaving almost everything else behind. This guide explains what carries over, what you lose, how to skip the main quest on repeat runs, and how to plan each loop. Updated October 2026.
Note: an earlier version of this page listed a “new power for every NG+ run” and other details that are not in the game. We have rewritten it using verified information.
How to Start New Game Plus
Complete the main quest. At the end you can choose to enter the Unity. Doing so starts New Game Plus in a new universe; choosing to stay ends the main story and lets you keep playing your current save.
What Carries Over to NG+
- Your level, XP and skills, including unspent skill points and progress on skill challenges.
- Your research, including progress on research projects.
- Your Starborn powers. Temples in the new universe offer upgraded versions of powers you already have, and since Free Lanes you can also upgrade powers with Quantum Essence.
- A Starborn spacesuit and the Starborn Guardian ship, which get a new, stronger variant on each run.
- Some items. Since the Free Lanes update (April 2026), the Quantum Entanglement Device lets you transfer some items with you through the Unity.
What You Lose
- Most credits, ships, weapons, gear and inventory.
- All outposts.
- Companion relationships. Your crew does not remember you.
- Quest and faction progress.
- Planet scans and survey data.
Before entering the Unity, spend your credits on anything that will survive the trip, and finish any skill challenges you are close to completing.
Starborn Suit and Guardian Variants
Each run gives you a new variant of the Starborn suit and ship:
| NG+ run | Variant |
|---|---|
| 1 | Astra / I |
| 2 | Materia / II |
| 3 | Locus / III |
| 4 | Tenebris / IV |
| 5 | Solis / V |
| 6 | Gravitas / VI |
| 7–9 | Bellum, Tempus, Avitus (Guardian stays at variant VI) |
| 10+ | Venator (Guardian stays at variant VI) |
The Starborn suit is one of the best spacesuits in the game, so many players keep it rather than hunting for new armor each run.
Skipping the Main Quest
Because you are Starborn, new dialogue options let you skip large parts of the main quest:
- One Small Step: tell Sarah Morgan what you know about the Temples and Artifacts to unlock Among the Stars, which skips most of the early story.
- Further Into the Unknown: warn Vladimir using your foreknowledge to avoid deaths and skip several later missions.
- Unity: you can skip almost all of it and go straight to the meeting with the Hunter and the Emissary.
You can also use what you know to prevent some bad outcomes, such as a companion’s death.
Alternate Universes
Some NG+ runs drop you into an alternate universe, chosen at random, where the meeting at the Lodge plays out differently. Examples include a universe where Vasco is alone and hands you the Artifacts, one where an extra version of you can join as a companion, one where an evil version of you attacks, and one where the Lodge is empty and Noel gives you the Artifacts.
Some alternate universes have had bugs that lock saving or inventory access, so make a manual save before entering the Unity.
Best NG+ Strategy
Fast runs
- Use the skip options above to get through the main quest quickly.
- Rush the Temples to upgrade your powers. See our Starborn powers guide.
- Pick up a strong ship early. The Freestar Rangers questline rewards the Star Eagle, and our ship builds guide covers other options.
- Only replay faction questlines for rewards you want this run.
Full runs
On your first playthrough, take your time with faction questlines, companion stories and side content, since none of your progress there carries over. On later runs, slow down whenever you land in an alternate universe to see what is different.
Build tips
Your build carries over, so NG+ is the time to invest in skills you skipped. For build ideas, see our best character builds and best skills guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you keep your level in Starfield NG+?
Yes. Your level, XP, skills and research all carry over.
Does NG+ give bonus XP?
No. There is no XP multiplier in New Game Plus. See our XP farming guide for the fastest ways to level.
Can I take items into NG+?
Since the Free Lanes update, yes: the Quantum Entanglement Device lets you transfer some items through the Unity. Most of your gear, ships and credits are still left behind.
Can I skip the main quest in NG+?
Mostly. Starborn dialogue options let you skip most of the main mission, including nearly all of Unity.