How to Get Quantum Essence in Starfield

I need more power!

Starfield Power Stars
Screenshot by Prima Games

While you make your way through the world of Starfield, you’re going to find a lot of resources that you simply don’t know what to do with. Many of the minerals for example are used for very specific crafting recipes, and those could be for weapons or armor you simply haven’t found yet. One such resource is a little less common to get but is useful nonetheless. Here’s how to get Quantum Essence in Starfield.

Where to Find Quantum Essence in Starfield

Quantum Essence is given whenever you kill a Starborn enemy in Starfield. These are found later in the game after unlocking new powers (or upgrading the ones you own) and when finding Artifacts lodged within rocks on certain planets. These are found either through the main mission line or through the repeatable Power From Beyond mission.

Once you come upon one of these events, a Starborn enemy will spawn who can be quite tanky or annoying at times to kill. Once you manage to though, you’ll be automatically given some Quantum Essence without needing to loot the body. That’s all you get for killing a Starborn. Not even a cool weapon or anything like that.

How to Use Quantum Essence

To use the Quantum Essence you’ve earned, head to your Data Menu (where you find your Inventory, missions, ship stats, and more) and select the option at the top of the menu, labeled Powers. This will show a wheel of all of the powers you’ve unlocked. At the bottom, you should see a key listed with the option to use one Quantum Essence. This will heavily increase the recharge speed of your Power resource for the next 60 seconds, letting you spam it. This can be useful for difficult combat encounters, where enemies are spread out and aren’t easily affected by your powers.

If you’re looking for more help with Powers, check out our tier list for all Powers in Starfield.

About the Author

Shawn Robinson

Shawn is a freelance gaming journalist who's been with Prima Games for a year, writing mainly about FPS games and RPGs. He even brings several years of experience at other sites like The Nerd Stash to the table. While he doesn't bring a fancy degree to the table, he brings immense attention to detail with his guides, reviews, and news, leveraging his decade and a half of gaming knowledge. If he isn't writing about games, he's likely getting zero kills in his favorite FPS or yelling at the game when it was 100% his fault that he died.