If you’re trying to live out the life of a space pirate, then you’re going to need to know how to target engines in Starfield. After all, how can you board an enemy ship and blast your way to its loot if it’s still able to wiggle away from your clutches on PC and Xbox?
Before we get into it, be sure to check out the best Starfield ships to bring with you on your swashbuckling adventures, as well as all of the Starfield ship customization options that you’ll need to turn your spacecraft into an efficient engine-destroying machine. The instructions you’ll find below come courtesy of our Starfield review playthrough – you should definitely peruse our thoughts on the space Xbox RPG game.
How to target engines in Starfield
To target engines in Starfield you’ll need a point in the Targeting Control Systems skill, which can be found in the Tech tree. This will let you lock on and, when prompted, take aim at specific parts of an enemy’s ship, including the engines.
To initially target a ship, press the ‘A’ button on controller, or the ‘E’ key on keyboard when in range. While in ‘Target Lock’ mode – you can enter this with ‘X’ on controller or ‘R’ on keyboard – cycle left and right to select the ship part to target, beginning with the shields, and then finally the engines themselves. Just take care to not hit untargeted parts of the ship, lest you destroy it by accident.
Once the engines are destroyed, it’ll become possible to dock the now-stranded ship. Take care when closing into docking range, though, as weapons will still be online for your target – they’re going to shoot you. Beyond that, make sure you have one of the best Starfield weapons you can attain at your current level in-hand as it’s undoubtedly going to get gnarly in there.
And that’s how to target engines in Starfield. While you’re out there exploring the cosmos, be sure to keep an eye out for all those Starfield crew members and Starfield companions you’ll want to pressgang (or politely invite aboard) your pirate ship.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools. See you out there, Captain.