Essential Starter Gear
Essential Starter Gear
Before you leave the city and start taking contracts, you should buy some basic gear.
You do not need the best armour.
You do not need rare weapons.
You do not need to dress like you are about to invade a moon by yourself.
You just need enough equipment to survive your first few mistakes.
And there will be mistakes.
Star Citizen is much easier when you leave the city with:
- A helmet
- An undersuit
- Basic armour
- A weapon
- Ammo
- Med pens
- Food and drink
- A backpack
- A multi-tool
- A tractor beam attachment
This guide will walk through what to buy first, what each item is for, and what new players should avoid wasting credits on too early.
Why Gear Matters
Your starter ship gets you moving, but your personal gear keeps you alive once you step out of it.
You will need gear for:
- Bunker missions
- Delivery missions
- Cargo hauling
- Looting
- Exploring outposts
- Surviving hostile environments
- Healing yourself
- Moving boxes
- Recovering from bad situations
Even if you mostly plan to fly, you still need basic equipment.
At some point, you will leave your ship.
At some point, something will go wrong.
At some point, you will be standing in a hangar, station, moon outpost, bunker, cargo deck, or wreck site wishing you had brought the thing you left in local inventory.
Do not be that citizen.
Be slightly more prepared.
Do Not Overspend Early
Early gear should be practical, replaceable, and affordable.
You are new.
You are learning.
You are going to die to things that would embarrass a seasoned pilot and amuse everyone else in Discord.
So do not spend all your starting credits on expensive armour or fancy guns.
Your first kit should be something you can afford to lose.
A good beginner mindset is:
If losing it would make you angry, do not wear it while learning.
Save the fancy gear for later.
For now, buy the basics.
The Basic Starter Gear List
A simple beginner kit looks like this:
- Undersuit
- Helmet
- Light or medium armour
- Backpack
- Rifle
- Rifle ammo
- Med pens
- Food
- Drink
- Pyro multi-tool
- Tractor beam attachment
- Optional sidearm
- Optional repair attachment
- Optional mining attachment
You do not need every optional item immediately.
But the core list will make your first few missions much smoother.
Undersuit
An undersuit is the base layer your character wears under armour.
You need an undersuit to wear most armour pieces and survive in environments where normal clothing is not enough.
Many players spawn with a basic undersuit already equipped.
That is usually fine to start with.
You only need to buy another one if:
- You lost yours
- You want a spare
- You want a different look
- You are building a backup kit
SCANZ take
Do not overthink undersuits early.
Wear one.
Bring a spare later if you are operating away from home.
That is enough.
Helmet
A helmet is not optional.
Well, technically it is.
But so is breathing, briefly.
Your helmet protects you in hostile environments and lets you survive in areas without breathable atmosphere.
Before leaving a city or station, make sure you are wearing a helmet.
Not carrying one.
Not owning one.
Wearing one.
This is one of the most common new player mistakes.
They buy gear, leave it in local storage, fly somewhere dangerous, step outside, and discover that lungs are not rated for vacuum.
Beginner advice
Before leaving your ship, check:
- Am I wearing a helmet?
- Is it actually equipped?
- Is the environment safe?
- Do I need to keep the helmet on?
If in doubt, keep it on.
Your haircut can wait.
Armour
Armour helps protect you from damage and gives you storage slots for ammo, med pens, and small items.
Armour generally comes in three broad types:
- Light armour
- Medium armour
- Heavy armour
Each has trade-offs.
Light Armour
Light armour gives less protection but allows better movement.
Good for:
- Travel
- Delivery missions
- Light looting
- Low-risk activities
- Players who want to move faster
Light armour is fine if you are not planning to get into heavy combat.
Medium Armour
Medium armour is a good all-round choice.
Good for:
- Bunker missions
- General missions
- Beginner combat
- Looting
- Carrying ammo and supplies
Medium armour gives decent protection without feeling too heavy.
For most new players, this is a sensible first choice.
Heavy Armour
Heavy armour gives the most protection but can slow you down and feel more cumbersome.
Good for:
- FPS combat
- Bunkers
- Higher-risk missions
- Players expecting trouble
Heavy armour can be useful, but it is usually more expensive and not necessary for your first few steps.
SCANZ take
Start with basic light or medium armour.
Medium is probably the safest beginner recommendation if you plan to try bunkers or combat.
Do not buy the fanciest set.
You are not building a museum display.
You are building a kit that may be lost to a staircase.
Backpack
A backpack gives you extra storage.
This is useful for carrying:
- Food
- Drinks
- Spare ammo
- Loot
- Tools
- Attachments
- Medical supplies
- Random items you found and decided were probably important
Some armour supports backpacks. Some does not.
Make sure your armour and backpack are compatible.
A backpack is especially useful for bunker missions and looting.
Without one, you will be much more limited in what you can carry.
SCANZ take
Buy a basic backpack once you can afford it.
You do not need a massive one immediately, but having extra storage makes life easier.
Also, backpacks make you feel prepared, which is half the battle.
The other half is remembering to equip it.
Weapon
You should carry a basic weapon before leaving the city for missions.
For most new players, a simple rifle is the easiest recommendation.
A rifle gives you better range and control than a pistol and is useful for bunker missions, hostile outposts, and general defence.
A common beginner-friendly option is something like the P4-AR, depending on what is available in the current patch and local shops.
Good beginner weapon traits
Look for something that is:
- Easy to use
- Reliable
- Common
- Supported by easy-to-find ammo
- Affordable to replace
Do not obsess over the best gun immediately.
The best gun is the one you remembered to bring ammo for.
Ammo
A weapon without ammo is just a heavy opinion.
When you buy a gun, buy magazines for that exact weapon.
Make sure the ammo type matches.
Then equip the magazines into your armour ammo slots or carry them in storage.
For a first mission, bring more ammo than you think you need.
Not absurd amounts.
Just enough that missing a few shots does not become a financial and tactical crisis.
Beginner advice
Before leaving, check:
- Do I have a weapon?
- Do I have ammo for that weapon?
- Is the ammo equipped or carried?
- Did I accidentally buy ammo for a different gun?
This mistake happens all the time.
There is no shame.
Only reloading silence.
Sidearm
A pistol can be useful as a backup weapon.
Many players spawn with a basic pistol, or you may already have one available.
A sidearm is good for emergencies, but it should not be your main plan for most beginner FPS combat.
Use a rifle as your primary weapon if you are going into bunkers or hostile areas.
SCANZ take
Carry a pistol if you have one.
Do not spend too much on one early.
If things have gone so badly that your pistol is your only hope, you are already having what we call a Star Citizen learning moment.
Med Pens
Med pens are simple medical items used to heal yourself.
You should carry at least one.
Preferably carry several.
They are useful when:
- You get shot
- You fall
- You survive a crash
- You make a poor decision near stairs
- You are waiting for someone to rescue you
- You are trying to finish a mission while barely holding yourself together
Med pens can be equipped into armour slots for quick access.
A common hotkey for med pens is:
4
Depending on your keybinds, this may pull out your med pen so you can heal yourself or someone else nearby.
SCANZ take
Do not leave home without med pens.
They are cheap, useful, and often the difference between “that was close” and “why am I waking up in hospital?”
Food and Drink
Your character needs food and hydration.
This is easy to forget until it becomes annoying.
Before leaving the city, buy some supplies.
Useful items include:
- Drinks
- Food bars
- Burritos
- Cruz Lux or similar combined food/drink items
Some items restore both food and hydration, which makes them very useful for new players.
Keep a couple of supplies in your backpack or armour storage.
SCANZ take
Bring snacks.
This is good advice in Star Citizen and in life.
Do not survive combat only to get bullied by dehydration.
Multi-Tool
The multi-tool is one of the most useful items in Star Citizen.
You will use it with attachments for different jobs.
A basic multi-tool can support attachments such as:
- Tractor beam attachment
- Mining attachment
- Salvage or repair-related attachments
- Other utility attachments depending on the current patch
For new players, the most important attachment is usually the tractor beam.
Buy a multi-tool early.
You will use it constantly.
Tractor Beam Attachment
The tractor beam attachment lets your multi-tool move objects.
This is extremely useful for:
- Cargo boxes
- Mission crates
- Loot
- Gear
- Bodies
- Small objects
- Loading and unloading cargo
- Moving things without manually carrying them
If you plan to do cargo, delivery, bunkers, looting, or general missions, get a tractor beam attachment.
This is one of the most important beginner purchases.
SCANZ take
A multi-tool with a tractor beam is basically mandatory starter gear.
Not technically.
But practically, yes.
Buy one.
Keep one on you.
Replace it when you lose it.
Love it like the tiny gravity wizard it is.
SRT / Repair Attachment
Some tools and attachments are used for repair or engineering-related gameplay.
Depending on the current patch, you may see items such as:
- SRT attachment
- Repair canisters
- Salvage-related attachments
- Engineering supplies
You do not need to master engineering immediately.
But carrying a basic repair-related setup can be useful later, especially when ship components, damage, and repairs become part of your routine.
Beginner advice
This is optional for your very first outing.
Focus on:
- Multi-tool
- Tractor beam
- Basic gear
- Med pens
- Food and drink
Add repair tools once you are comfortable with the basics.
Mining Attachment
A mining attachment lets your multi-tool perform small-scale hand mining.
This can be useful later if you want to try gem mining or resource gathering.
For a brand-new player, it is optional.
Buy one if you are curious or have spare credits.
Skip it if you are trying to keep costs low.
Mining is useful, but you do not need to prepare for every gameplay loop before your first flight.
What Not to Buy Immediately
New players often overspend because everything looks useful.
Here are things you probably do not need immediately:
- Expensive armour sets
- Rare weapons
- Multiple rifles
- Heavy specialist equipment
- Large piles of ammo for guns you may not use
- Fancy clothing
- Expensive ship components before learning to fly
- Gear you are afraid to lose
You can buy better equipment later.
Your first goal is not to look elite.
Your first goal is to survive long enough to understand what happened.
Where to Buy Starter Gear
Most major cities have shops that sell useful beginner gear.
You are looking for places that sell:
- Weapons
- Armour
- Ammo
- Multi-tools
- Attachments
- Medical supplies
- Food and drink
Examples of shop types include:
- Weapon and armour shops
- Utility shops
- General stores
- Food courts
- Medical clinics
- Component shops
At Area18, for example, a new player might visit:
- A weapon and armour shop for guns, armour, ammo, and tools
- A utility/component shop for specific multi-tool attachments
- A food vendor or shop for drinks and snacks
Other cities have their own equivalents.
If you cannot find what you need, ask in chat or in SCANZ Discord.
Someone will know where the thing lives.
Possibly with unnecessary detail.
That is how you know they are useful.
Equipping Gear Matters
Buying gear is not enough.
Most items go into local inventory when purchased.
You still need to equip them or carry them.
Before leaving, check that you are actually wearing or carrying:
- Helmet
- Armour
- Backpack
- Weapon
- Ammo
- Med pens
- Multi-tool
- Tractor beam
- Food and drink
If an item is sitting in local storage, it is not helping you on a mission.
Local storage is not magic.
It does not follow you.
It does not teleport your rifle into your hands when trouble starts.
It just sits there, quietly judging you from another planet.
Basic Starter Loadout
A simple beginner loadout could look like this:
On your body
- Undersuit
- Helmet
- Light or medium armour
- Backpack
- Rifle
- Sidearm, if available
- Multi-tool with tractor beam
In your armour or backpack
- Rifle magazines
- Med pens
- Food
- Drink
- Spare multi-tool attachment, optional
- Repair item, optional
This is enough for basic travel, cargo, deliveries, bunkers, and general learning.
You can refine it later.
Cheap Kit vs Good Kit
There is a difference between cheap and useless.
A cheap kit can still be good.
For early gameplay, you want gear that is:
- Affordable
- Easy to replace
- Good enough for basic missions
- Available from common shops
- Not emotionally devastating to lose
A good beginner kit is not the most expensive kit.
It is the kit you can lose, replace, and keep playing.
That is the sweet spot.
Common Starter Gear Mistakes
Buying Gear and Not Equipping It
This is the big one.
Always check your character before leaving.
If you bought a gun but it is still in local storage, you do not have a gun.
You have a receipt.
Forgetting a Helmet
Always wear a helmet before leaving safe city areas.
Especially before walking onto planets, moons, stations, wrecks, or anywhere you have not checked.
Bringing No Ammo
The gun needs magazines.
The magazines need to match the gun.
This is rude but true.
Wearing Expensive Gear Too Early
Do not bring your favourite armour to your first bunker mission.
The bunker does not care about your fashion journey.
Forgetting Food and Drink
You do not need a pantry.
Just bring something.
Forgetting the Tractor Beam
The tractor beam makes cargo, boxes, loot, and mission objects much easier to manage.
Once you get used to having one, you will hate being without it.
SCANZ Recommendation
For your first few sessions, keep your gear simple.
Buy:
- Basic undersuit and helmet, if you need them
- Light or medium armour
- Backpack
- Rifle
- Matching ammo
- Med pens
- Food and drink
- Multi-tool
- Tractor beam attachment
Skip the expensive stuff until you understand death, respawn, gear loss, and ship claims.
You are not trying to build the perfect soldier.
You are trying to build a functional citizen who can survive a beginner mission and maybe not suffocate on a moon.
That is enough.
Final Advice
Starter gear is not about being powerful.
It is about being prepared.
The right basic kit lets you take contracts, explore locations, move cargo, defend yourself, heal injuries, loot useful items, and recover from minor disasters.
Do not overcomplicate it.
Do not overspend.
Do not leave your helmet behind.
Get the basics, equip them properly, and go learn by doing.
The gear will not make you good.
But it will give you enough room to make mistakes without every mistake becoming a full medical incident.
And in Star Citizen, that counts as progress.