Starfield: How to Bribe NPCs

The bribery is quite helpful in certain situations. After all, while most people tend to go about their own way, being law-abiding citizens and all, there are those that prefer a few under-the-table deals. Our guide discusses how to bribe NPCs in Starfield using the Negotiation skill, which unlocks the bribery mechanic.

How to Bribe NPCs With the Negotiation Skill in Starfield

The Starfield bribe mechanic comes from the Negotiation skill, which is among the tier 2 options in the Social tab. Here’s a quick summary:

• Description: In certain, more challenging communications, skillfully supplementing words with credits may help achieve the desired results.
• Effects
  • Rank 1: Gain access to bribery speech challenges.
  • Rank 2: Reduces bribery cost by 25%.
  • Rank 3: Reduces bribery cost by 50%.
  • Rank 4: Occasionally, bribery won’t cost any money.
• Leveling tally/method: Use the bribery option during dialogue.

I suggest just having the first rank of this skill just so you can have access to the mechanic itself. However, if you wish to level it up further, be forewarned that bribery options are few and far between. As such, it’s probably better to unlock this early in the campaign. That way, you can maximize the number of potential dialogues as you progress further.

Related: Starfield‘s Universal and Local Times Explained

Bribery Mechanics

The Negotiation skill or bribery mechanic is somewhat similar to the Persuasion skill. At certain situations, you may need to diffuse the tension or hostility of an NPC. The [Negotiate] option then appears, and you’ll be able to pay off that person.

There are moments where a quick payoff is enough to end the dialogue, whereas others requires you to start the Persuasion minigame first. Coincidentally, because you’re spending credits to pay someone off, the equivalent point rewards tend to be higher.

Examples of Bribery in the Campaign

I’ve included a couple of examples wherein I was able to use the Starfield Negotiation skill effectively:

• In A Tree Grows in New Atlantis, you can convince the museum manager to hand over the Ancient Branch by giving her enough credits.
• In All That Money Can Buy, you can pay off one of Slayton’s security guards. Later, you can also give cash to his secretary, which allows you to enter his office.

That’s everything you need to know about how to bribe NPCs in Starfield. For more tips and strategies, you can visit our guides hub.