Crippling is a skill in Starfield that increases the chance for enemies to enter into a crouching state, making them essentially handicapped and unable to fight back. To level up Crippling, you must continue putting enemies into a bleedout state. How do you do this? We got you covered; here is how you can put enemies in a bleedout state and level Crippling.
How to Put Enemies in a Bleedout State for Crippling Skill in Starfield
The trick about putting enemies in a bleedout state in Starfield is using the right gun. If you use a gun that is too powerful, you’ll instead kill the enemy and bypass the bleedout state. On the other hand, if the gun is too weak, you sacrifice yourself by taking too much damage instead. You want to find a strong weapon with bleeding effects but is not overpowered.
I recommend using a shotgun with flechette rounds. Flechette rounds are razor-edged rounds that slice through targets and have the potential to cause a bleeding effect. Players can craft this ammo at a weapon workbench after researching Magazine and Battery Mods 2.
It’s unknown whether a gun or ammo needs a bleeding effect to cause enemies to go into a bleedout state, but it helps and is recommended.
Find An Enemy Base
Once you have a gun you believe will work, head to any planet with enemy bases. I recommend Venus in the Sol Star System. Use your scanner to find a symbol that says “unknown” and head towards it, usually leading the player to an enemy base.
Next, start attacking enemies individually, shooting quickly but not unloading too many bullets. A bleedout state happens when you deal a lot of damage in a short amount of time, but shooting too much can cause you to kill the enemy instead of letting them enter a bleedout state. There is a fine line, and it can be challenging to master, but practice makes perfect.
When you drain the enemy’s health bar to about half to 3/4, and the enemies go down, you have successfully had them enter a bleedout state.
Rest for 24 to 48 hours to respawn the enemy base and return to the area. Sometimes enemies respawn after 24 hours, but sometimes I have had to rest twice for 48 hours.
Related: Starfield Robot Locations: How to Level Robotics Fast
Crippling Leveling Requirements and Rewards
Honestly, the Crippling skill has some of the most ridiculous requirements to reach rank 4. It requires having 170 enemies enter a bleedout state, meaning leveling it fast is very tough. Check out the conditions and rewards below.
- Rank 1: Human enemies have a 30% increased chance to enter a downed state after taking enough damage. (Spend 12 skill points in Combat).
- Rank 2: Humanoid enemies have a 50% increased chance of not naturally recover from a downed state (Put 20 enemies into the bleedout state).
- Rank 3: Human enemies can now enter a downed state earlier (Put 50 enemies into the bleedout state).
- Rank 4: Previous ranks now apply to all enemy types. You now do 100% more damage to downed enemies (Put 100 enemies into the bleedout state).
It may take a long time to reach rank 4 for the Crippling skill, but using the right gun and hitting enemy bases will speed up the process.
