How to Power Up Your Grav Drive for Epic Journeys in Starfield

Have you dreamed of journeying to the farthest reaches of the galaxy? Of leaving your mark across unknown star systems and awe-inspiring planets? Then you need to master the Grav Drive in Starfield.

As an experienced space captain in Bethesda‘s breathtaking new universe, powering up your Grav Drive is the key to making those epic leaps between stars and embarking on adventures beyond imagination.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know about powering up your Grav Drive in Starfield for maximum jump range and freedom to explore the farthest frontiers. You‘ll learn how to divert power to your Grav Drive, upgrade to better models, and much more.

When we stand on that final planet at the galaxy‘s edge and gaze into the great unknown, we‘ll get there together on wings of powered-up Grav Drives. So let‘s get started! This guide has everything to turn you into a true space trailblazer.

What Are Grav Drives in Starfield?

Grav Drives are your starship‘s engines for faster-than-light travel between star systems. They enable you to "jump" enormous distances measured in lightyears almost instantly.

Without enough power diverted to your Grav Drive before a jump, you‘ll be limited to short hops between closer systems early on. But as you install upgraded Grav Drives and allocate more energy to them, you can expand your operational range exponentially.

According to Todd Howard, Starfield‘s director, zooming around the galaxy using your Grav Drive is "similar to flying in space in our other games." The Grav Drive really opens up that sense of freedom and exploration Starfield is all about.

How the Grav Drive Works

Grav Drives generate immense gravitational fields that essentially fold space, allowing ships to "jump" between two points without traversing the distance in between.

While this advanced technology is inspired by real theoretical concepts like the Alcubierre Drive, the Grav Drives in Starfield are powered by a fictional element called Aetherium that enables stable faster-than-light travel.

Aetherium is a rare and valuable crafting component that you‘ll need to upgrade your Grav Drive models over the course of the game. Finding caches of Aetherium is key for extending your jump range farther.

Accessing Your Starship‘s Power Systems

To divert more power to your Grav Drive for huge jumps, you first need to access your starship‘s power allocation systems.

Bring up your ship‘s interface and select the "POWER" tab. This will display your various system including:

LAS (Laser Weapons)
BAL (Balance/Navigation)
SHL (Shields)
ENG (Engines)
O2 (Life Support)
GRV (Grav Drive)

You can toggle between each system by pressing ALT + A on keyboard or the left/right buttons on a controller. The selected system will be highlighted.

Use the up/down arrow keys on keyboard or D-pad on a controller to increase/decrease the percentage of total power going to that system.

For example, take power from LAS and ENG and allocate it to your GRV system for a jump. The more power in Grav, the farther you‘ll leap!

How to Power Up Your Grav Drive

Follow these steps to divert maximum power to your Grav Drive before a jump:

Bring up your ship‘s power management screen (default key is P)
Select the GRV (Grav) system by pressing ALT+A on keyboard or left/right on controller
Reduce power levels of other systems like LAS, BAL, and ENG by pressing down arrow key or D-pad
With freed up power, increase GRV level by pressing up on keyboard or controller
Exit power screen and initiate Grav Drive jump!

I recommend draining your LAS (Weapons) power completely when preparing for a big jump, as you won‘t need lasers while traveling between systems.

However, maintain at least 20-30% power for BAL (Balance) so your ship handles smoothly during the jump. No one wants to drop out of FTL with a ship tumbling out of control!

Keyboard vs. Controller for Power Management

Managing your ship‘s power systems can be done easily with both keyboard and controller.

The keyboard gives you more precise control with arrow keys to tweak percentages. It‘s ideal if you‘re distributing power across many systems.

Controller is quicker for shifting between the 6 main systems using the left/right shoulder buttons. If you‘re just maxing out Grav, controller may suit you better.

In the end, use whichever input method feels more comfortable and intuitive. Starfield offers flexibility to captain your ship how you want.

Here‘s a comparison of keyboard and controller commands:

Action	Keyboard	Controller
Select System	ALT + A	LB / RB
Increase System	Up Arrow	D-Pad Up
Decrease System	Down Arrow	D-Pad Down
Confirm Changes	ALT + A or ALT + D	A Button

Upgrading Your Grav Drive is Vital

While powering up your Grav Drive is important early on, installing upgraded models is truly the game-changer for rapid long distance travel.

Higher tier Grav Drives exponentially increase your jump range. Even at 100% power, the starting Grav Drive only gets you between closer planetary systems.

But the top S-Tier Aetherium Drives can jump you across the entire galaxy in one go!

Here‘s a comparison of Grav Drive models by jump range at 100% power:

Grav Drive Model	Jump Range
Starter Drive	5 – 15 Light Years
MK I Drive	20 – 30 Light Years
MK II Drive	60 – 80 Light Years
MK III Drive	200 – 250 Light Years
S-Tier Aetherium Drive	1000+ Light Years

As you explore systems and follow Starfield‘s main quests, you‘ll have opportunities to purchase or find upgraded Grav Drive models to install in your ship.

Prioritize acquiring better Grav Drives early, even over weapons. Traversing the galaxy rapidly pays dividends on your journey to unlocking the universe‘s secrets!

Master Gravity Itself

Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of physics. And now, with your Grav Drive, you can master gravity itself to traverse the galaxy!

The freedom of the open stellar skies awaits. So upgrade your ship, power up your drive, and set a course for the horizon, my friend! The wonders of the Settled Systems call to explorers and trailblazers like us.

May your Grav Drive carry you to adventure beyond imagination. See you in the stars!