Weapons come in many different shapes and sizes in Starfield, and players can tweak those shapes even further by manually swapping out gun parts based on their tastes and needs. The game's weapon modding system can turn a common rifle into one that's unique to the player, giving it a stronger sense of identity (and much better stats too).
However, weapon mods must first be unlocked before they can be crafted, which means Starfield players will need to prioritize which ones to spend their precious resources on. Some mods are better than others, so here's a guide to help figure out which ones to get first.
Best Weapon Mods in Starfield
The two best mod categories to unlock first are Internal and Magazine mods — the former dictates the rate-of-fire and overall damage profile of a weapon while the latter affects bullet count, reload speed, and even ammo type for some extra spicy firepower. Keep in mind that even unique weapons can be modded as well.
Some notable Internal mods are:
- High Powered - increases damage done by ballistic weapons
- High Velocity - boosts accuracy and range of ballistic weapons
- Hair Trigger - improves firing rate of ballistic weapons
- Amplifier - increases damage dealt by lasers
- Overclocked - increases fire rate of laser weapons
- Precision Tuning - increases range and accuracy of laser weapons
Guns with high base damage like the Peacemaker and Coachman benefit greatly from the Hair Trigger mod, and even more so when paired with muzzle devices that help control recoil.
Meanwhile, exceptional Magazine and Battery mods include:
- Explosive Rounds - fires explosive munitions that deal damage in an area
- Hornet Rounds - fires rounds that explode into clusters of mini-explosives
- Flechette Rounds - shotgun rounds that deal more damage over range and inflict bleeding
- Slug Shots - converts normal shotgun ammo into large slugs that deal more damage to distant targets
- Armor-Piercing Rounds - penetrates armor
- Whitehot Rounds - sets enemies on fire
- EM-Charged Shot - non-lethal ammo for knocking out targets
Not every gun is compatible with certain mods, so players will have to make do with what they have. An AA-99 assault rifle with the Explosive Rounds and Hair Trigger mods is especially effective at hitting enemies behind cover and quickly mopping up smaller critters on planets.
Players should not ignore the other mod categories as they all contribute to a weapon's overall performance. Barrels and Muzzles improve a weapon's effective range and recoil stability while lasers, grips, and stocks help with accuracy.
Sights should be unlocked depending on whether players find themselves needing longer-ranged scopes or not. These aren't mandatory, but aspiring snipers out there may want to unlock this category of weapon mods first if they want to convert their favorite guns into long-ranged killing machines.
Speaking of snipers, keep in mind that swapping a fully automatic weapon's receiver for a semi-auto one will greatly increase the damage it deals, more so than any mod in other categories. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a semi-automatic AA-99 or Maelstrom and in the same vein, don't rule out converting a pistol or a shotgun into a full-auto room sweeper.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.