Skill DC progression makes it hard to understand how this game is playable at mid-to-high level

[ENHenry]

In regards to Mechanics not having feat options for non-combat: I would submit Barricade, which simultaneously is and is not a combat feat: It's quite handy when people are shooting at you, and you don't want to be shot at. :D

Also, all of Fleet, Improved Initiative, and Jet Dash for getting away from combat, and do NOT underestimate the utility of Toughness. Are they unsexy? Sure! But will they keep your character alive in a combat allowing your drone to focus on taking the enemy down and not pulling your fat out of the fire? Absolutely!

As for having more feat choices, I am certain those will come in time -- we're looking at the core book only and a few AP supplements right now, the range of choice will expand as time goes on. Just don't expect more feats and extra abilities to improve raw numbers, because doing so is going to make the whole thing just as top-heavy as Pathfinder.

[Charre]

I happen to agree with the OP that the current system of balancing DCs for level appropriate challenges makes it so that you must focus on skills for them to remain useful (for level appropriate challenges) and that this is bad design as it limits useful choices. Frankly they would have been better off removing all the scaling bonuses from the skill based classes and lowering the DCs to scale at 1 X vice 1.5 X. Then choices wouldn't be between "useful for everything" and "useful only for things that really aren't challenging anyway." And characters would have meaningful choices to be the "Best of the best" rather than it being a class feature.

[BoneMagnus]

I am grateful for this thread because I was confused specifically about the Cargo Rules in Live Free or Die, We're No Heroes. It did not make sense to me that it would become more difficult to find a load of cargo the higher your level. If anything, I'd think it would get easier because you've probably developed a reputation.

Yes, I get that the skills will have a higher modifier, but it seems there would be other factors - the value of the load, need for discretion, danger and payout. For higher level characters, doing a low-paying run may not be worth the effort, and the RAW imply that the cargo run is scaled to the current level with the factors above. I get all that.

Bottom line, the rules allow the GM to set/change the base DC - to 5, 10, 15 etc. Heck, it could be dropped to zero for certain circumstances - whatever makes sense. So, this gave me a sense of relief that I can adjust the DC as I see fit without getting too far away from the rules.

[Metaphysician]

The key thing people need to understand is that, in many cases, Starfinder shorthands to "_____ happens at level _____" as a way of handling difficulty balance. So, its not that a higher level crew has a harder time finding cargo, its that a higher level crew has a harder ( relative ) time finding a *level appropriate* cargo, and that is what they should be looking for rather than easier, cheaper, and dramatically irrelevant cargo. Its no different from how, yes, your Level 10 PCs can beat up effectively endless numbers of CR 1/2 enemies. . . but you don't get any reward for doing so, and the GM shouldn't design the adventure around such, because there is no challenge to it.