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Starfield

All Weaponry Research Projects - Unlocks, Crafting Costs & More

By
Seren Morgan-Roberts

Weapons are a big part of Starfield, and one of the most fun things you’ll experience in the game is finding or being rewarded a really cool gun. But what if I told you, you could also craft your own unique dream weapon? With the "Weapon Workbench" iconWeapon Workbench, players can add weapon modifications to their guns, tailoring them to their individual playstyles. But, a lot of these modifications are locked behind Research Projects that you’ll need to craft using various inorganic, organic and manufactured materials. Below, we’ll outline all Weaponry Research Projects, their costs, skill requirements and unlocks. As a player, you can then make an informed choice on what research projects will help you get the weapon mods of your dreams!

Time to start upgrading your weapons!

Weaponry Research Projects List

Below, we’ve split the Weaponry Research Projects into the weapon mod categories, as displayed on the "Research Lab" iconResearch Lab. We’ll also offer a quick summary of each category and what to expect from the different weapon modifications.

All Barrel Mod Research Projects

Barrel Mods can impact a variety of things in your guns, from accuracy, to fire rate, damage, recoil control and aim down sight speed (ADS). Many of the best Barrel Mods require some research to unlock them. If you’re looking for a breakdown of the Best Barrel Mods, take a look at our Best Barrel Mod page!

Research Project Crafting Cost Skill Required Unlocks
Barrel Mods 1 x2 "Sealant" iconSealant, x3 "Iron" iconIron, x3 "Nickel" iconNickel None Extended Barrel, Fluted Barrel, Long Barrel
Barrel Mods 2 x2 "Tungsten" iconTungsten, x4 "Nickel" iconNickel, x2 "Lubricant" iconLubricant "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 1★ Bull Barrel, Magnetic Rails, Stabilizing Barrel, Tech Barrel

The Magnetic Rails increase the Rate of Fire and Damage!

All Grip and Stock Mod Research Projects

As the name suggests, this weapon mod category is all about improving your weapon’s grip and/or stock (the back bit of your gun). Many of these mods will impact aim down sight (ADS) or recoil, as well as range and accuracy. Some will give added stability and recoil control at the cost of ADS speed, whilst others like the Ergonomic Stock and Tactical Stock offer quicker ADS and accuracy.

Research Project Crafting Cost Skill Required Unlocks
Grip and Stock Mods 1 x3 "Aluminum" iconAluminum, x3 "Sealant" iconSealant, x3 "Nickel" iconNickel None Ergonomic Stock, Tactical Folding Stock, Tactical Grip, Tactical Stock
Grip and Stock Mods 2 x4 "Adhesive" iconAdhesive, x3 "Tungsten" iconTungsten, x2 "Polymer" iconPolymer "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 1★ Shielded Tool Grip
Grip and Stock Mods 3 x4 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x8 "Adhesive" iconAdhesive, x4 "Polymer" iconPolymer "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 2★ Stabilizing Stock

All Muzzle Mod Research Projects

Muzzle Mods will modify the end bit of your gun, and can improve damage, accuracy and noise. In this category, you’ll find mods such as the Suppressor, which will be a popular mod amongst players who enjoy stealth missions! For more information on Muzzle Mods, you can head over to our guide on the Best Muzzle Mods.

Research Project Crafting Cost Skill Required Unlocks
Muzzle Mod 1 x5 "Sealant" iconSealant, x5 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x10 "Tungsten" iconTungsten "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 1★ Choke, Muzzle Brake, Short Suppressor
Muzzle Mods 2 x4 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x4 "Tantalum" iconTantalum, x3 "Zero Wire" iconZero Wire, x4 "Polymer" iconPolymer "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 2★ Focus Nozzle, Large Muzzle Brake, Spread Nozzle, Stealth Lasers, Suppressor
Muzzle Mods 3 x8 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x8 "Adhesive" iconAdhesive, x4 "Isotopic Coolant" iconIsotopic Coolant, x4 "Polymer" iconPolymer, x4 "Ytterbium" iconYtterbium "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 3★, "Special Projects" iconSpecial Projects 1★ Double Barrel Muzzle, Shock Charge Band

Suppressor Muzzle Mods will reduce the sound of your gun shots.

All Magazine and Battery Mod Research Projects

These Modifications can improve the ammo your gun uses or even increase the size of the magazine cartridges your weapon holds. Some of these mods will offer extra damage perks to your ammo, such as armor-piercing and electromagnetic beams. And, larger magazines mean you’ll have to reload less, making combat feel smoother!

All Optic and Laser Mod Research Projects

Researching Optic and Laser Mods will allow you to modify the sights and lasers on your gun. In the laser category, you’ll find different tiers of laser sights that offer visual aid and increased accuracy. And in the Optics category, you’ll find some more visual aids as well as magnified scopes that can turn your rifles into the ultimate sniper! Head over to our guides on the best laser mods and the best optic mods for more advice.

Research Project Crafting Cost Skill Required Unlocks
Optic and Laser Mod 1 x3 "Aluminum" iconAluminum, x3 "Sealant" iconSealant, x2 "Chlorosilanes" iconChlorosilanes None Holographic Sight, Short Scope
Optic and Laser Mod 2 x4 "Aluminum" iconAluminum, x3 "Chlorosilanes" iconChlorosilanes, x3 "Zero Wire" iconZero Wires, x3 "Adhesive" iconAdhesive "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 1★ Long Scope
Optic and Laser Mod 3 x8 "Adhesive" iconAdhesive, x8 "Vanadium" iconVanadium, x8 "Iridium" iconIridium, x4 "Zero Wire" iconZero Wire "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 2★ Foregrip with Recon Laser Sight, Recon Laser Sight, Recon Scope

(1 of 2) Optic Mods can offer magnified scopes

Optic Mods can offer magnified scopes (left), that allow you to turn your boring old rifle into a Sniper! (right)

All Internal Mod Research Projects

The Internal Mods category feels like a bit of a “misc” category. Some of the mods will increase Fire Rate (Hair Trigger, Bullet Hose, Overclocked), whilst others will impact accuracy, range and damage (High Velocity, Amplifier, High Powered). Increased Fire Rates will determine how quickly your gun shoots when you pull the trigger, and combining increased Fire Rates with a Fully Automatic receiver (see below) could be a lethal combo! On the flip side, you could go for one of the damage increasing mods like High Powered or Amplifier, which won’t increase your fire rate but will increase overall damage pretty significantly.

Research Project Crafting Cost Skill Required Unlocks
Internal Mods 1 x10 "Sealant" iconSealant, x10 "Tungsten" iconTungsten, x8 "Iridium" iconIridium, x5 "Zero Wire" iconZero Wire "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 2★ Hair Trigger
Internal Mods 2 x4 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x4 "Adhesive" iconAdhesive, x3 "Zero Wire" iconZero Wire, x4 "Tantalum" iconTantalum, x3 "Isocentered Magnet" iconIsocentered Magnet "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 3★ Amplifier, High Velocity
Internal Mods 3 x8 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x8 "Europium" iconEuropium, x4 "Polymer" iconPolymer, x4 "Ytterbium" iconYtterbium, x4 "Zero Wire" iconZero Wire, x1 Power Circuit "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 4★ Bullet Hose, High Powered, Overclocked

All Receiver Mod Research Projects

Receiver Mods will enable players to change the way their gun shoots ammo. Not necessarily changing fire rate but instead determining how much ammo is shot when pulling the trigger. For example, the Fully Automatic mod will make it so your chosen weapon shoots for as long as the trigger is held down! For more information on the best receivers, head over to our guide.

Research Project Crafting Cost Skill Required Unlocks
Receiver Mods 1 x30 "Titanium" iconTitanium, x5 "Isotopic Coolant" iconIsotopic Coolant, x10 "Lubricant" iconLubricant, x3 "Microsecond Regulator" iconMicrosecond Regulator, x10 "Ytterbium" iconYtterbium "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 3★ Burst Fire, Semi-Automatic
Receiver Mods 2 x3 "Isotopic Coolant" iconIsotopic Coolant, x8 "Lubricant" iconLubricant, x2 "Microsecond Regulator" iconMicrosecond Regulator, x8 "Polymer" iconPolymer, x8 "Ytterbium" iconYtterbium "Weapon Engineering" iconWeapon Engineering 4★ Binary Trigger, Fully Automatic

The Fully Automatic receiver mod means your gun will shoot ammo as long as the trigger is pulled.

Looking For More Weapon Guides?

We’ve been busy writing a ton of pages on the best weapon mods and recommended weapon builds in Starfield. Take a look at some of them below:

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Bethesda Softworks
  • Platforms,
    PC, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Action Adventure, Action RPG, Shooter
  • Guide Release
    30 August 2023
  • Last Updated
    18 October 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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Starfield is an action role-playing game from Bethesda Game Studios set in a futuristic interpretation of space exploration and colonization. Earth has long been abandoned, but there are plenty of other planets in different star systems where humans have ventured and settled. You have the freedom to create your own character with a unique background, but the main story will take you through a series of adventures as you uncover more information about mysterious artifacts which create gravitational anomalies. Along the way, you can build and customize your own space ship, establish your own outpost, befriend and romance new companions, and more. As a Bethesda game, you can also expect to see a lot of creative mods which have the potential to change your experience of the base game, or take it in an entirely new direction.

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