by theygamesSpace is a dangerous place, as Starfield makes clear. Any planet you start to explore could host dangerous creatures that tear through your life meter. But there are ways to undo that damage, and not all of them require you to use items. You can learn skills that restore you almost as quickly.
How to activate and master the Rejuvenation skill
The Rejuvenation skill starts by allowing you to slowly restore lost health outside combat. Your life meter will refill on its own the minute enemies are out of the picture. You can level it up from there, up to the usual four levels. Doing so increases the rate at which health restores. Eventually, you may even see restoration while still battling enemies (although, in my experience, the skill currently is bugged and doesn’t function as described). To activate and master the Rejuvenation skill, unlock it and then level it up by allowing your health to drop dangerously low before refilling to its maximum.
Image: Bethesda
You will find Rejuvenation in the Physical category of the skill tree, on the far right side of the bottom row. That placement means you have to activate a lot of other skills in the same category. Leveling them up also counts, so I focused mostly on Wellness, Pain Tolerance, and Weight Lifting. Once you activate Rejuvenation, then you can level it up to improve its effects. The catch is that you need to let your health drop below 25% before refilling to its maximum. The number of times you must do this increases each time, starting at 3 times, then increasing to 8 times, and finally requiring 15 times.
I tested extensively to see what allowed me to meet the game’s requirements. I let enemies damage me until my life meter dropped into the red. Then I escaped combat and hid somewhere safe until my life meter gradually refilled due to the Rejuvenation effect. This approach works great. However, you achieve the same result more quickly if you refill your life meter using items such as Med Packs and Trauma Packs (if your supply is short, see our guide telling you the best ways to get Med Packs). It’s only important that you let your meter drop below the 25% mark.
You can find tough enemies on some planets. Bring lots of medical supplies to a risky area and let the enemies drain your life meter most of the way before you kill them. Your companion can help finish them off so you don’t die in the attempt. Save before and after fighting a dangerous group. My favorite place to work was the planet Leviathan IV. In the wetlands biome, the Pack Windbag enemy frequently appeared at level 40. It deals significant damage with a single hit, which is useful if your character level is at around 30 or higher.
Image: Bethesda
Another approach is to land on a planet and breathe in its hazardous atmosphere. After arriving, simply step outside your ship and remove your helmet. Let the atmosphere drain your life to lower than 25%. Next, board your ship and sleep in your bed to refill your life meter. If you have Rejuvenation at a lower level, just waiting around in your ship for a bit also works. Repeat the process as necessary to quickly level up your skill. You still need to use skill points to go up each level, as normal. It’s unclear if this simpler approach will continue to work. Bethesda may or may not patch it out of existence.
Starfield is available to purchase on Steam and the Microsoft Store.