Starfield has a lot of nice game mechanics. Some of them are given to you from the very beginning, while to obtain others you will have to level up certain skills. However, you may be lucky enough to get some skills for free if you know how. The Manipulation skill allows you to influence NPCs in the game and force them to do your bidding. This skill can prove invaluable in combat situations, giving you a tactical advantage in difficult situations. But there are also more creative ways to use Manipulation, such as having NPCs open locks for you so you don’t have to deal with those pesky digital lockpicks. Here’s our guide on how to get NPCs in Starfield to open safes.
Starfield Manipulation Skills Explained
To force NPCs to open safes at your command, you need to learn how to obtain and use the Manipulation skill. Manipulation is the fourth level skill in the Starfield social skill tree. This skill gives you the unique ability to force NPCs to obey your commands. You can have them open doors, step away, or even sit on the couch for a while. We’re going to use the manipulation skill to force NPCs to open their safes for us.
How to get the Manipulation skill in Starfield
skill menu. But this is not the only way to control the minds of some NPCs. Completing the Ryujin faction questline gives you a chance to gain Manipulation at no cost. You’ll receive a cyberpunk-themed device called the Internal Neuromap, which will give you the ability to manipulate NPCs without spending skill points.
How to open safes using Manipulation in Starfield
Armed with the Manipulation skill or the Inner Neuromap, you are now ready to break into safes throughout the Starfield universe. To unlock a safe belonging to an NPC, first pick up the scanner and point it at the NPC. Then press the “social media” button, which is “E” on PC, and you will see a variety of actions that will affect the NPC. To unlock the safe, select “manipulation”. To perform the manipulation, point the scanner at the safe you want to unlock and press the social button again. An NPC will approach the safe and open it, allowing you to loot everything inside.
Note that Manipulation only works on certain NPCs, and how well it works depends on the levels of both you and the NPC. If the enemy is on a higher level, you need to be higher too for this to work. If it doesn’t work a few times, I’d suggest trying it on some lower level NPCs first and continuing to improve your manipulation skills.
