Starfield: Persuasion Mechanics [Expert’s Take]

Persuasion is a mechanic in Starfield by which you can control the outcome after a conversation with an NPC. You need to carefully work towards getting an NPC to see your side of an argument in the limited turns you have to solve a situation passively.

Persuasion Steps

Here is an explanation and detailed step-by-step guide to complete a Persuasion Event:

1. Enter into a conversation with the NPC.
2. Continue the dialogue until the [Persuade] option appears. Pick it.
3. Then, you will be presented with choices on the next screen, a Persuasion bar, and your remaining turns.
4. Your choices have a number associated with them. That number indicates how much your persuasion meter will fill if that choice succeeds.
5. Furthermore, the choices also have a color associated with them. The colors can be Green, Yellow, or Red, indicating how likely the choice is to succeed. Green has a very high success rate, Yellow has a medium chance, and Red has a meager chance of going through.
6. Your remaining turns don’t precisely mean how many turns are remaining. It would be more appropriate to say how many mistakes or failed choices you can make. For example, if your Red +5 choice fails, you will lose 1 turn. If it succeeds, you won’t lose a turn.
7. Continue making choices and fill up the Persuasion Bar. If you lose turns by failing a choice, make a Green low-risk choice.
8. You will have completed the Persuasion Event when the Persuasion Bar has been filled.

Persuasion Events are pretty easy to complete if you put a little thought behind your choices. However, if you’re struggling with the Persuasion Events in the latter half of Starfield, look for some tips and tricks below.

Starfield Persuasion Tips

Persuading NPCs can be difficult as the game progresses and the training wheels come off. Small mistakes can cause you to fail Persuasion immediately. So, you must be more careful and vigilant when approaching each choice.

Here are some general tips and tricks to win more Persuasion Events in the later half of Starfield:

1. Do a Quick-save before the Persuasion Choices. This is an easy way to go back and repeat the event in case you make any mistake. You will thank yourself for doing this before an especially important Persuasion Event.
2. Use the Auto-persuade button to fill up your Persuasion Meter faster. The Auto-persuade button gauge will fill up as you make the correct choices. When it’s complete, you can press the Auto-persuade button to fill up some of the Persuasion Meter.
3. Consume Alcoholic Drinks before a Persuasion Event because it slightly increases the chance of success when persuading someone. Keep in mind that this effect is temporary.
4. Use the green or yellow choices during the Persuasion Event, and only use the red choice when you have no other option.
5. Upgrade the Persuasion Skill to improve your chances of success up to 50%.
6. If you have a lot of credits to spend, consider upgrading your Negotiation Skills and bribing the NPCs instead of Persuading them.

Upgrade Persuasion Skill

“In the Settled Systems, the nuanced ability to listen and discuss can often accomplish far more than simply shooting first and asking questions later.”

Persuasion is a Social Skill you can upgrade in Starfield. Unlike in real life, where you must spend years developing Social Skills, in Starfield, you must level up and spend some skill points. Rank 1 Persuasion can be unlocked easily with 1 skill point, but you must win speech challenges to unlock higher ranks.

Here is a breakdown of what the Persuasion Skill does and how to upgrade it:

Rank	Description	Challenge Condition
1	10% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	N/A
2	20% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Succeed in 5 speech challenges.
3	30% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Succeed in 10 speech challenges.
4	50% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Succeed in 15 speech challenges.

That covers the Persuasion Mechanic in Starfield. Hopefully, this guide helped clear up any confusion about Persuasion in Starfield. Moreover, consider reading some of the other Starfield guides on our website to learn more about the game. Also, consider subscribing to our newsletter and bookmarking our website to be the first to read our upcoming content.

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