Starfield features a staggering amount of quests, but some stand out as absolute must-plays. With so much to do and see, it’s easy to miss quite a lot of storylines, especially those that require wandering from the beaten path. Players with an adventurous spirit are in for a treat, as they will stumble upon the hidden gems of Starfield, most of which end up being some of the most fun and captivating quests the game has to offer, but it could take a while to get to the best.

Starfield’s massive open world is excellent for explorers, but it can be daunting wading through so much content just to find the stories that stand out. To be sure, the majority of Starfield’s quests are very well-written and feature engaging gameplay. Yet, only a few leave players with the feeling of awe that Bethesda’s top-notch storytelling is capable of. These must-play missions are sometimes part of larger storylines that do require some time to access, but it’s absolutely worth it in the end.

Related: "An Instant Classic": Starfield Review

10 Groundpounder

“Groundpounder” is an action-packed quest that features plenty of gunfights and space battles. It’s a straightforward FPS mission with a simple story attached, but it excels at conveying the historical baggage for two of Starfield’s major factions. Against the overwhelming force of Spacers, players have to work with and unite two small groups, one representing the United Colonies and the other representing the Freestar Collective, governments that had been locked in a brutal war just a couple of decades before Starfield’s main story.

9 Operation Starseed

The less said about “Operation Starseed,” the better, as it’s one of the few quests in Starfield that players must experience for themselves with as little spoilers as possible. It’s a pretty zany quest that leans on Bethesda’s expertise of putting players into odd scenarios and having them figure out what to do with the intriguing charterers around them. It also does a wonderful job of showing what’s possible on the fringes of Starfield’s universe, both literally and from a lore perspective.

8 Mantis

“Mantis” is a relatively easy mission to stumble upon in Starfield. It will be added to the quest log after looting a randomly placed slate that points the player in the direction of a secret base that Spacers are targeting for the loot. This treasure hunt takes a turn, as the outpost belongs to a famed and feared vigilante known as the Mantis.

Players will have to compete with Spacers and the Mantis’ traps and puzzles to make it to the end of a unique dungeon with plenty of stellar rewards. It also has a compelling story about the person who most recently held the Mantis mantle and how the responsibility strained her role as a mother.

7 First To Fight, First To Die

“First To Fight, First To Die” is a full-fledged action showcase at the tail end of the Freestar Rangers faction questline. It opens with a space battle and then moves to the planet's surface, where the player assaults the First Cavalry’s base of operations inside an abandoned mech factory.

The level design provides one of the best areas for combat gameplay, featuring multiple layers of verticality and a mix of long-range and close-quarters action. It’s refreshing because it stands out among the many randomly generated buildings players encounter in Starfield’s open world. Plus, it’s one of the few times the players fight the First Cavalry, which is an excellent change of pace from fighting Ecliptic mercenaries and Spacers.

6 Unearthed

“Unearthed” is situated deep into the main questline, showcasing one of the game’s most poignant plot reveals. It sends players to NASA headquarters on the long-dead Earth, where humanity’s last moments before evacuating the planet are somewhat frozen in time, helping to put into perspective what the main journey could mean for the larger universe. It also forces players to make a tough choice that impacts the end of the game, and the stakes feel very real.

5 Failure To Communicate

“Failure to Communicate” is another quest that displays Starfield’s action and space gameplay with a great story to accompany it. Players are recruited by an independent settler whose communications to other nearby settlers have been cut off by Spacers. Since they aren’t supported by the UC or the Freestar Collective, they are left to fend for themselves but have a hard time working together because of past grievances against each other. It’s an underdog story about letting go of the past and working together for a stronger future, and it fits so well in the world of Starfield.

4 War Relics

“War Relics” features one of the most interesting settings out of all of Starfield’s quests. It takes place in a bleak, frozen city that was the center of a tragic event during the Colony War. It does a phenomenal job with environmental storytelling, giving players something tangible to support the lore that was presented in earlier sections of the UC Vanguard faction questline. “War Relics” is also exciting because it features some intense encounters with the horrifying Terrormorph creatures rarely experienced elsewhere in the game.

3 Space Frog From Outer Space

Starfield’s “Space Frog From Outer Space” is a really short quest and admittedly doesn’t showcase epic battles or huge story moments. However, it excels at being one of the most adorable quests in the game, offering a pleasant change of pace from the usual fare. Players are sent on an errand by a child, who isn’t allowed to roam Cydonia by herself, to decorate the city with hand-drawn posters of a character she created, the Space Frog from Outer Space. It’s simple, cute, and nets players with a cool new decoration for their outposts.

2 First Contact

“First Contact” features an intriguing storyline that centers around the appearance of a mysterious ship that enters the orbit of a vacation planet opened by a resort company. Speculation among the staff and residents says that the mysterious ship is of extraterrestrial origin, but what players find is something very different. It’s a relatively short questline focusing more on Starfield’s branching dialogue than combat, and it will undoubtedly leave an impression on players.

1 Eye Of The Storm

“Eye of the Storm” is one of the final missions in the Crimson Fleet faction questline, and it features some epic, heart-pounding moments. Players are sent aboard a derelict ship to obtain valuable items that lay within, but the catch is that it’s in orbit over a deadly gas-giant planet that’s incredibly harmful to spaceships. Things go awry, and players are forced to make a chaotic escape, fighting off tons of robots along the way. It’s an intense mission and one of the highlights of the best faction quest in Starfield.

These quests comprise some of the best sequences in Starfield, and each showcases the story and gameplay potential of Bethesda’s new IP. Players are encouraged to check these out at some point in their playthrough, as missing out on even one would be a shame.