The Eye is a stunning space station (or star station as it is called in-game) owned by the legendary space exploration organization Constellation. It’s an impressive sight when you first encounter it. However, getting to the station and docking with The Eye are completely separate matters.
Because the game’s systems don’t explain docking procedures very well, you may try to dock with The Eye several times before finally succeeding. This article will help you get it right and make all your landings smoother.
Dock with the eye
The Eye is located in the Alpha Centauri system, near the Constellation’s other base of operations on Jemison: the Lodge. Your first encounter with this star station will be the main story mission. Towards the unknown. Docking with The Eye (or, indeed, docking with any vessel) can be difficult and confusing due to the lack of prompts in the interface, leading many players to crash their ship on their first attempts.
However, attaching to The Eye is a simple procedure, as long as you know the correct order of actions. These are the steps to follow:
- To navigate to The Eye, open the Star map from the menu.
- Navigate to the Alpha Centauri System. The Eye will be next to the planet Jemison. Hover over the station and press my (personal computer) or TO (Xbox) to travel there.
- You will travel to the outskirts of Jemison, moving towards the Eye. Keep flying straight.
- Enable your ship’s guidance mode by pressing my either TO again. I should pick up the station.
- You’ll need to be within range of The Eye before docking. Increase your flight speed by pressing LShift (PC) or the left lever down (Xbox).
- Once you are within 500 meters of the station (check the distance counter on your aiming reticle), you will see the option to dock or call the Eye. press and hold R (personal computer) or x (Xbox) to dock.
- After a short cutscene, you’ll have the option to board, undock, or get up and walk around your ship.
If the option to dock with The Eye doesn’t appear, you’ll first need to make sure the station is in your reticle. If you are currently aiming at some other object, you can quickly cycle by pressing the button my key on your PC or the TO button on your controller. If you hold The Eye in the middle of your reticle, it will be aimed automatically. Aim at the blue interface diamond that will appear in the center of the station and the menu should appear.
Once you’ve docked your ship, you can board the station directly or access it by walking to your ship’s airlock.
Eye disengagement
Once your business is concluded, you must undock from The Eye before leaving. Importantly, you cannot fast travel while docked on any ship or station in the game. You will have to return to the pilot’s seat before you can undock your ship. Once there, press the Space bar on PC or AND on the controller to undock.
Calling ships and stations
Calling is a good way to find out more about a ship or station, and a precursor to a friendly boarding. When aiming at a ship or within 500 meters of it, you will see the Hail The Dock button appears, sometimes next to the Dock button. To call a ship:
- Place the reticle on the ship and press my on your keyboard or TO on your controller to point it.
- Once within range, press and hold F (personal computer) or TO (Xbox) to greet the ship. A voice will tell you a little more about the ship and whether it is friendly, hostile or abandoned.
A simple call may be all you need to access docking at a station. Some hailed ships may also offer you the ability to trade with them. After a successful call, a dialog box will appear. Choose the Let’s trade option, and you will be taken to the operations window.
If you are allied with the Crimson Fleet pirates, or have a bounty on your head from the faction of the ship you are calling, they will want nothing to do with you. If you press the matter, you will have to board the ship by force.
Board a hostile ship
Constellation won’t object to you boarding their ship, but there are plenty of other factions and ships that will. If you’re trying to board a hostile ship in Starfield, there are a few things you need to do before you can dock safely:
- Make sure you have some skills invested in space combat. He Targeting control system The skill is essential for boarding hostile ships and will allow you to target different key systems.
- Destroy the ship’s engines to immobilize it. Cycle through the targets on your reticle until you find the engines. Keep shooting until the ship stops. Be careful, you can still be shot.
- Make sure there are no other boats nearby. If your ship is attacked once it is docked, you could lose it forever.
Once you have immobilized the ship, you can board it when you are within 500 meters. The docking procedure will be the same as for The Eye. Once on board, have your companions and weapons ready. You will have to eliminate all the hostiles on board.
When the dust has settled and all enemies are dead, you can explore and loot whatever you want from the ship. You can then leave the ship adrift in space returning to your own ship or command it for your own roster.
For higher ship classes, you will also need to have a high Pilotage skill level to command them. If you don’t, the ship’s systems will remain locked to you. Rank three will give you access to Class B ships, while rank four will also make Class C ships available to you. You can advance in rank by destroying enough enemy ships.
To command a ship, simply sit in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit and undock from your ship. The hijacked ship will become your new home ship, and all items and functions will be transferred automatically. Your old ship will be added to your ship list and you can always return to it when you visit a space technician. You can have up to nine ships in your list.
Finally, be aware that some requisitioned ships may carry contraband, which could get you fined or imprisoned when visiting planets in the Settled Systems. Crimson Fleet pirate ships are common carriers of illegal goods.
Ready to dock
Docking, like many interface systems in Starfield, is neither intuitive nor well explained by the game itself. However, once you know how, you’ll be able to dock and undock from ships and stations like a pro. As long as you remember how to aim for The Eye and at what distance to begin docking procedures, you should have no problem visiting the Constellation members waiting on board.