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How to fix Lung Damage in Starfield

Here's how to cure Lung Damage with ease in Starfield

An Injector pack in Starfield, superimposed over a blurred screenshot from the game.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios

How do you cure Lung Damage in Starfield? Lung Damage is one of the first - and easiest to obtain - afflictions that players can come across in Starfield. Bethesda's gigantic new space RPG has a nuanced injury and infections system which means you need to match the right affliction with the right cure.

Lung Damage is caused by inhaling nasty gaseous substances from toxic planetary atmospheres, gas vents, or gas grenades. If you have Lung Damage, you will sporadically lose Oxygen, and you'll start to cough, making it virtually impossible to remain undetected in a hostile environment. If you want to learn how to get rid of Lung Damage in Starfield, read on to find the answer!

Was Starfield worth the wait? Liam and Alice B discuss this question - and more - in the video above.Watch on YouTube

How to fix Lung Damage in Starfield

To fix the Lung Damage affliction in Starfield, you must use an Injector, an Aid item. To use an Injector, simply open your Inventory, locate the Injector item under the "Aid" category, and click on the Injector to use it. Doing so will instantly remove the Lung Damage affliction.

The Injector is an Aid item that you can either find scattered as floor loot (particularly in First Aid packs), craft at a Pharmaceutical Lab, or purchase from various pharmacy labs and other vendors across the Settled Systems. Here are a few places where you are guaranteed to find Injectors for sale:

  • Dr. Alexei Lebedev in the Residential District, New Atlantis, Jemison, Alpha Centauri
  • Talia O'Shea in The Well, New Atlantis, Jemison, Alpha Centauri
  • Mary Cartwright in The Rock, Akila City, Akila, Cheyenne
A doctor in his laboratory in Starfield looks at the camera.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios

An alternative to curing Lung Damage yourself is to pay a doctor to heal it for you. It costs 1000 credits to pay a doctor to cure you, but it will also remove any other afflictions you may be suffering from, not just Lung Damage. Then again, the Injector item can cure quite a few afflictions too. For the full list of afflictions and their cures, check out our Starfield status effects guide.

If all else fails, you can simply wait it out and eventually the Prognosis of your Lung Damage condition will improve, until the affliction disappears on its own. You can view the current Prognosis of your Lung Damage by opening your Character Menu and clicking the "Status" button in the bottom-right corner. It will likely begin as "Poor", and then slowly change to "Stable", then "Good", and finally "Excellent", before fully disappearing.

However, this can take some time, and Lung Damage is a particularly annoying affliction, so your best bet is to obtain an Injector or pay a doctor as soon as possible.

That's all you need to do to cure Lung Damage in Starfield. Now that you're fighting fit again, why not boost your strength further with our guides on the best Starfield skills to get first, best Starfield traits, and best Starfield builds. Alternatively, if you'd prefer a method besides combat to celebrate your fully functioning respiratory system, check out our Starfield romance options guide.

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