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how to upgrade cargo hold starfield

To upgrade your cargo hold in Starfield, you need to use a Ship Technician and the Ship Builder to swap or add cargo modules, and optionally invest in a couple of specific Tech skills to boost your storage further.

H1: How to Upgrade Cargo Hold in Starfield

Upgrading your ship’s cargo hold is basically a mix of talking to a Ship Technician, entering the Ship Builder, and then bolting on bigger or additional cargo modules while keeping your ship’s stats in balance. Along the way, skills like Payloads and Starship Design can make a big difference to how much you can carry and which modules you’re allowed to install.

H2: Step‑by‑Step – Basic Cargo Hold Upgrade

H3: 1. Find a Ship Technician

You can’t upgrade the cargo hold just anywhere; you need a Ship Technician at a landing pad or spaceport.

Common places include (examples players frequently use):

  • New Atlantis ship services, by the main landing pad.
  • Other major hubs (Cydonia, Neon, Akila, etc.) also have ship services NPCs or kiosks.

Talk to the technician and choose the option that lets you modify/customize your ship , not just repair or buy/sell.

H3: 2. Enter Ship Builder (Not Just “Upgrade”)

Once you’re in the ship menu, you’ll usually see two paths:

  • A quick Upgrade option (good for swapping engines, weapons, etc.).
  • The full Ship Builder mode, where you can redesign modules piece by piece.

For cargo, players consistently point out that you must use the full Ship Builder, because the fast “Upgrade” menu does not list cargo modules as a replaceable type. In other words, if you only see weapons/grav drive/etc. in the upgrade list, back out and go into the full builder instead.

H3: 3. Open the Cargo Modules List

Inside Ship Builder:

  1. Hover somewhere off the ship and open the Add or Modules list.
  1. Navigate to the Cargo category. This shows all cargo hold modules sold by that technician.
  1. Different technicians can stock different cargo modules, so if you don’t like the options, you may need to shop around other cities.

When you highlight a cargo module, a panel on the side shows:

  • Capacity (how much mass it adds to your cargo).
  • Mass (how heavy the module itself is).
  • Class and manufacturer, which must be compatible with your ship.

H3: 4. Replace or Add Cargo Holds

You can increase cargo in two main ways:

  • Replace existing cargo holds with larger ones
    • Select your current cargo module on the ship.
    • Remove it, then place a larger-capacity cargo module in the same slot (or a compatible snap point).
  • Add additional cargo modules
    • Attach new cargo holds onto free hardpoints or surfaces of your ship, as long as they have valid attach points and don’t break flight rules.

Players note that “upgrading” cargo basically means replacing or stacking more cargo modules, not pressing some single “upgrade cargo” button. After placing, make sure:

  • Center of mass is still reasonable.
  • You have enough landing gear and engine thrust for the new total mass.

Then confirm the changes and pay the credit cost.

H3: 5. Save, Exit, and Use Your New Cargo Hold

Once your design passes the ship checks (mass, landing gear, etc.), you can finalize :

  • Confirm the modifications and pay the fee.
  • Back out to the ship view.

To access the upgraded cargo hold:

  • Use the Cargo option in the ship menu or from the cockpit’s cargo access panel.
  • You’ll see the new, larger capacity and can start dumping loot in.

A useful detail players mention: when you edit your ship and confirm changes, loose clutter lying around inside tends to get swept into the cargo hold automatically. That’s handy if you’re constantly rearranging your ship.

H2: Skills That Boost Cargo Capacity

H3: Payloads (Tech Skill)

  • Found in the Tech skill tree.
  • Increases ship cargo capacity, up to around a 50% boost at max rank , according to game guides.
  • Very good for haulers, scavengers, or anyone doing long trade runs where every unit of mass counts.

Some crew, like Sam Coe, can also bring Payloads ranks as a crew perk, giving extra effective cargo when assigned to the ship.

H3: Starship Design (Tech Skill)

  • Required to use more advanced ship components, including some better cargo modules.
  • You need at least 1 point in Starship Design to start equipping many improved components, and higher ranks unlock more complex gear up to Rank 4.
  • If you visit a technician and see gray‑out or locked cargo modules, you probably need Starship Design ranks to use them.

H2: Other Ways to Increase Storage

Beyond basic cargo modules, players and guides outline several indirect methods of boosting your effective storage.

  • Buy a ship with more cargo by default
    • When browsing ships at a technician, check the Cargo stat and consider a dedicated hauler ship if you mainly do cargo runs.
  • Use companions and crew inventories
    • Crew can carry extra items, which helps if you are running up against ship + personal carry limits. Community discussions often mention pairing ship upgrades with smart crew management.
  • Ship design for balance
    • As you add cargo, you might need more engines and landing gear to keep performance acceptable, especially if you’re building a huge freighter.

There are also player‑shared tricks involving how editing certain interior modules shoves clutter into cargo, which some treat almost like a storage exploit, but that’s more of a side effect than a formal feature.

H2: Mini Story – From Starter Ship to Space Trucker

Imagine you start with the basic Frontier, constantly getting “ship cargo full” warnings after every second mission. You head to New Atlantis, walk up to the ship services tech, and open the Ship Builder. The first time, you only swap one small cargo module for a slightly larger one and notice you still fill up fast.

After putting a point into Payloads and Starship Design , you come back with more credits. This time, you slap two big cargo modules on the sides of your ship, add an extra landing gear to pass the checks, and upgrade your engines to handle the new mass. Suddenly, your humble starter ship has morphed into a chunky freighter that can clear entire derelicts and asteroid fields without dumping loot, and your runs between major cities feel more like piloting a true cargo hauler than a fragile starter craft.

H2: Latest Forum and Community Talk

Right now, community discussion around how to upgrade cargo hold Starfield often centers on a few recurring themes:

  • Confusion between the Upgrade shortcut menu and the full Ship Builder , with many players thinking cargo can’t be upgraded because it doesn’t appear in the quick upgrade list.
  • Questions about why some cargo modules are locked, leading to advice about Starship Design requirements.
  • Tips about balancing cargo with engine power and landing gear, especially on heavy freighter builds.
  • Occasional discussions around interior clutter being dumped into cargo after edits and how that can be used to quickly gather specific items or cosmetics.

As of the latest guides and posts, the core loop is unchanged: use technicians, use the full Ship Builder, stack or replace cargo modules, and support them with the right skills.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.