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Powers inStarfieldare unique abilities you’re able to acquire toenhance your experience of the game. There are24 powers in totalto be discovered and acquired, and thePrecognition is one of them. Unlike most powers that improve your ability to either excel in combat or reinforce your stealth capabilities,Precognition shines at being stealth-social oriented.
Precognition integrates exceptionally well insocial buildsthat focus on better dialogue options and easier persuasions, making you the best interstellar diplomat the Settled System’s ever seen. If you’re dealing with some confusion around the use of Precognition power, this easy-to-follow guide has you covered.
Updated on August 24, 2025, by Vincent Arogya:This guide has been updated to include details on an alternative skill that you’re able to acquire instead of precognition, which serves a similar function. Additional links have been added throughout the article to help enhance your reading experience.
Using Precognition For Stealth
One aspect of the Precognitionpoweris that itallows you to view the path an NPC takes in the game. This provides you theopportunity tostrategize stealth tacticswhen infiltrating enemy bases. Precognition can also be used to avoid enemy engagements when pursuing objectives. Additionally, knowing where an NPC would turn and how far they could go allows you to succeed inpickpocket attempts without being detected.
However, it’s important to note thatPrecognition works only one NPC at a time. Moreover, if you’re considering putting together a stealth build that relies on Precognition, ensure that you don’t bring along anycompanions, as they might blow your cover.
Using Precognition For Social
In addition to being a good stealth-focused power,Precognition also enables you to predict NPC responseswhile interacting with them in dialogues. To predict NPC responses,activate the Precognition power before entering a dialogue sequence. With the power in effect, thegame displays a hovering box next to thedialogues, which provides a gist of what an NPC would say in response to the chosen dialogue. This allows you to steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go.
Moreover,Precognition also makespersuasiona lot less daunting. Since failed persuasions can change the course of the quest or even alter the rewards you might get, succeeding in persuasions becomes extremely important. If you’ve already advanced your persuasionskills to a few ranks, coupling it with Precognition willsignificantly increase your chances of succeeding in persuasion attempts.
Should You Use Precognition For Pickpocket & Persuasion
Since Starfield allows you tosave the gamealmost at any time, you can build a habit of saving the game before pickpocketing an NPC and talking to an important NPC. If you’re detected while pickpocketing or fail a persuasion attempt, you can always reload the save. However, having to reload the save game frequently may also become annoying.
But, if you’re really after building asophisticated characterthat excels in diplomacy, the Precognition power will certainly come in handy.
Starfield: Which Companions Are Best For Sneaking
Sneaking can be pretty tricky in Starfield. If you want to be successful, you will need a companion who can do it too. Here are your best options.
How To Use Precognition
To use Precognition on an NPC,first, the NPC should be in your view and in the center of the screen. Then press Z onPCor LB+RB on the controller. If there are multiple NPCs in the scene, the NPC upon which you wish to use the power should be in the center of your screen.
If the target is moving, the power will reveal the path the NPC will take, and talking to them reveals their responses to your dialogue choices.
Alternatively, you may also invest in theManipulation skillunder thesocial skill treeto assist in influencing NPCs in your surroundings. With Manipulation,you can mind control certain NPCs below or at your current level to obey your commands. Unlike Persuasion, Manipulation doesn’t allow you to view the path an NPC may take, butit does allow you to move NPCs, including guards out of your way.
You can unlock the Manipulation skill from the social skill tree, or you can also acquire it for free by completing theRyujin Industries quest line.
