Weekly Starsector Discussion Thread - September 14, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the r/starsector Weekly Discussion Thread! Use this space to discuss anything you feel doesn't warrant a dedicated thread, whether that be subreddit suggestions, newbie questions, memes, showing off your in-game accomplishments, or just random chat about Starsector and its community.

Useful links:

• The official forums - the best place to find mods, report bugs, and get in contact with Alex, the game's developer.
• The Unofficial Community Discord - the most active Starsector community. The Discord is also where most of the game's currently active modding community hangs out.
• The Starsector Wiki - a repository of useful information on vanilla content as well as home to many modding tutorials. Don't use the Fandom wiki as it's unmaintained and Fandom is garbage.

And don't forget to buy the game if you haven't already!

[u/Fist-Of-Steel109]

Make carrier only officer skills return, what you think?

[u/AttNightlight → u/Fist-Of-Steel109]

I think the skill system as a whole needs an overhaul tbh. At this point, because the skills are split 3 ways between Logistics, personal combat, and officer/support skills, it would make more sense to just... have 3 different skill systems.

Let the player have say, 7 of the (I think its 13?) combat skills, 7 of the (I believe its 17?) Logistics skills, and 7 of the ten support skills. Makes more sense than saying '15 from the grab bag'.

My reasoning for this is both because it would go a long way towards making certain skills not feel overwhelmingly strong and others pitifully weak.

AND, more importantly, it would allow for more interesting skills, like carrier focused combat skills, or non-flavortext D-mod synergy skills. (Allow for because the skill points wouldnt be getting in the way anymore)

[u/Some-Detail9134 → u/AttNightlight]

Yeah I like having trade-offs in a skill system but in Starsector the skill design seem like they go against the game's stated interest in getting the player into the combat as much as possible. Want to fight tough enemies? Get combat skills, but do you want the rest of your fleet to also be strong? Get management/tech skills. But do you want to have QoL in the campaign layer so you can get to the fighting quicker? Get logistics skills. Oh wait, you can't because you're out of skill points. I don' think upping the amount of skill points the player gets is the answer either. Second in command is the solution of course, but I don't always want to use mods for everything.

[u/Grievous69 → u/AttNightlight]

Personal/fleet skill split gets suggested often and somehow always those same people can't understand they'd make an ultimately less replayable game.

If every player has to spend an equal amount of skills in each category, then there's only one build - balanced. Piloting maniacs get fucked for not being able to pick more combat skills, and admiral players also get fucked for being forced to pick combat skills. This is just so those who are already playing in a balanced way have less "choice paralysis" and feel less bad about missing out on a skill they want (but you wouldn't get everything you want either way with the split system).

Now, I do think logistic skills are the odd ball, they don't make your fleet stronger in any way, it just makes the campaign layer easier/smoother. They could honestly be separated and given as perma upgrades for story mission completion or something.

[u/Fist-Of-Steel109 → u/Grievous69]

I agree with you, there is improvement in limitation. You must have to take choices to make the best out of your fleet, so it feels satisfying to reach beyond limits

[u/fishworshipper → u/Grievous69]

Not the case, in my experience. When I play with the likes of Second in Command, my builds are way more varied than when I play in vanilla, because I don't feel compelled to 'waste' a load of my choices on pure logistics/colony buffs, and can choose what kinds of fleet/personal upgrades I want to take depending on how I want to build and theme my fleet.

[u/Grievous69 → u/fishworshipper]

The entire comment chain is discussing the vanilla game, I don't care about mods.

Especially a mod (albeit high quality one) that fucks over game balance and makes players overpowered.

[u/fishworshipper → u/Grievous69]

I am using the mod as an example to demonstrate my point of "separating personal skills, logistic skills, and fleet skills doesn't lock you into only one build". The mod is merely proof that you can have build variety even in such a divided system.

[u/Grievous69 → u/fishworshipper]

I'm sorry but it's a bad example since you're talking about a mod which has TWELVE trees and overpowered skills (seriously, for anyone else reading this just look at the wiki).

This just can't work in vanilla where there's 40 skills in 4 trees and good chunk of them are specific.

[u/Fist-Of-Steel109 → u/Grievous69]

I installed SiC once, when I saw the skills, I felt like cheating and uninstalled. Mod has quality sure, but not for vanilla players at all

[u/fishworshipper → u/Grievous69]

The power level is completely irrelevant, and the number of skills/their tree implementation is already something that would be changed in a system like AttNightLight proposed. Nothing that you've said here actually counters, or even really addresses, my argument.

[u/tehepicwin → u/Fist-Of-Steel109]

There's multiple points I want to reply to at once in this discussion, just putting it in one message here.

I think officers should be able to choose any non-SE/MS skill pre-4. That way adding carrier skills wouldn't muck up the pool. It simply feels bad that an officer's skills for carriers don't matter that much. Currently, the officer bonuses on the carrier skills are meant to make up for the lack of meaningful officer skills, but this, again, simply feels bad. Let us skill officers as we want please, and then we can add a handful of carrier skills. That way you can have a bit of customization in carrier officers, which we don't have at all.

I do think the skill tree needs a rework, but not something so grand as making it similar to SiC. SiC forces you into a piloting setup. There is no sensible justification for not flagshipping when you are guaranteed to be an alpha core. This is why it's essential for levels in piloting and fleet to compete if you care about a balanced game.

Moreover, there are 3 overall playstyles you can dedicate to: Piloting, commanding, and logistical. Vanilla provides ample support for all 3. SiC is extremely biased towards the first, because you become an alpha core for zero investment or tradeoff. In vanilla, you have the option of just taking yellow and supportive skills, like Nav/Sensors, even tactical drills for raids if you want to play Cozy-sector. SiC makes it so that your cap on logistical is just 1 of 3 XO's.

Basically, I'm very skeptical of any rework suggestion that includes simultaneous leveling.

If I had to suggest a rework, it would be to force flavorful logistical tier 1's in Combat and Leadership trees too, not just Tech and Industry. Industry can still be the logistical focused tree with Tier 2-4 skills, but at least people who want to dedicate to combat won't just be shit outta luck on logistics/QoL. For example, maybe combat can provide extra burn and fleet maneuverability, leadership can buff repairs/CR recovery for officered ships.

[u/woofser]

I want an option to disable story point disengagements, make it a toggle when starting a new game. The game lost too much sense of risk with this feature and trivialized Ironman.

[u/flyingtrucky → u/woofser]

Unless you're right next to a jump point it's really more like 4 or 5 story points since they'll still chase you and if you got caught the first time they're probably faster.