What are Ballistic Weapons in Starfield?

One of the tier-one skills in Starfield is Ballistic Weapons. The description doesn’t explain exactly what Ballistic Weapons are, which is why I’ve created this guide for you. Here is exactly what Ballistic Weapons are in Starfield.

Note: If you want to know what the best tier-one skills are in Starfield, then check out our guide.

Starfield Ballistic Weapons, explained

Ballistic Weapons in Starfield are any weapon that deals physical damage. Weapons in Starfield can deal three types of damage: physical, energy, and electromagnetic. Energy weapons are laser weapons and Electromagnetic weapons are weapons that deal damage via sound and shockwaves.

Any standard weapon that shoots bullets or deals explosive damage is considered a Ballistic Weapon. Weapons that are considered Ballistic Weapons are pistols, shotguns, machine guns, snipers, grenade launchers, and any other weapon that deals ranged physical damage.

Note that melee weapons aren’t Ballistic Weapons; instead, they are their own classification and can be upgraded with the Duelling skill. You can also know if your weapon is considered Ballistic if it has the explosion symbol and says “PHYS” in the stat box.

I think Ballistic weapons are the best weapons in Starfield. While Energy and Electromagnetic Weapons are impressive to look at and effective in combat, Ballistic Weapons are more common and can get the job done with ease.

Plus, one of the best tier-one skills you can get in Starfield is the Ballistic Weapons skill in the Combat skill tree. With the Ballistic Weapon skill, you deal an extra 10% damage with Ballistic Weapons. You can increase your ballistic pistol and ballistic shotgun damage even further by getting the Pistol Certification skill and the Shotgun Certification skill.

Now that you know what Ballistic Weapons are in Starfield, you might want to learn how to use quick select to swap weapons easily mid-combat.