Backgrounds are part of the character customization experience when you start in Starfield. After you design your space explorer, you hit the Backgrounds tab. There are various choices to make, and each comes with a group of three perks for your character. However, like many Bethesda games, this choice can be important and tough to make. More so if this is your first time diving into a game like Starfield. If you are about to make a character, you should be prepared for the backgrounds in Starfield. Plus, knowing which ones are among the better picks gives you an upper hand.
All Backgrounds in Starfield
In total, there are 21 Backgrounds that players can select from at the start of Starfield. You only get to pick one of them, and they offer different playstyles. Along with the one you select, you automatically get three starting perks with it. From being a Diplomat and focusing on Speech, to being an Explorer. There are various Backgrounds in the game, and they are as follows:
| Background Name | Description | Perks Included |
| Beast Hunter | From Ashta of Akila to the Terrormorphs that plague the whole of the Settled Systems, hostile alien life abounds. You’ve learned the skills to track them, find them, and take them down. | – Fitness: Increases Maximum Oxygen. – Ballistics: Increases damage dealt by Ballistic Weapons. – Gastronomy: Can craft food and drinks, plus you can research more recipes. |
| Bouncer | You’ve worked the line at the toughest clubs in the Settled Systems. Back then, you learned that most non-lethal confrontations can be solved in one of two ways: a strong right hook or a more strongly secured door. | – Boxing: Increases Unarmed damage. – Security: You can attempt great difficulty locks. And also receive an increase in the number of Automatic Hacking attempts. – Fitness: Increases Maximum Oxygen |
| Bounty Hunter | Wherever there are wanted individuals, there are those who profit from their capture. And your quarry knows that in the vastness of space, they can run… but they can’t hide. | – Piloting: Gain additional options for flying Ships. – Targeting Control Systems: Grants additional targeting of different systems on ships controlled by NPCs while in combat. – Boost Pack Training: Grants a Boost Pack attachment for your spacesuit. |
| Chef | While the unrefined masses scarfed down Chunks by the shipload, you catered to those with a more… discerning palate. In your kitchen, countless alien species became true culinary masterpieces. | – Gastronomy: Can craft food and drinks, plus you can research more recipes. – Dueling: Increases damage dealt by Melee weapons. – Scavenging: Increases loot gained from containers. |
| Combat Medic | Leave it to human beings to fight over something as infinite as outer space. That’s where you come in. You’ve never been afraid to take on the enemy… but you’d much rather take care of your friends. | – Pistol Certification: Increases damage dealt by Pistols. – Medicine: Increases the effectiveness of Med Packs. – Wellness: Increases your total Health Points. |
| Cyber Runner | From Neon to New Atlantis, the megacorps stand as monuments to power, prestige, and profit. You’ve worked both for and against them, on the inside and out, often sacrificing conscience for credits. | – Stealth: Increases players’ ability to be hard to detect by NPCs. – Security: You can attempt great difficulty locks. And also receive an increase in the number of Automatic Hacking attempts. – Theft: Unlocks and improves the Pickpocket ability. |
| Cyberneticist | Robots? Mere toys. Neuroamps? Good for parlor tricks. The Colony War may have made implants and upgrades available to veterans, but once you saw a greater future. Humans and machines, as one. | – Medicine: Increases the effectiveness of Med Packs. – Security: You can attempt great difficulty locks. And also receive an increase in the number of Automatic Hacking attempts. – Lasers: Increases damage dealt by Laser weapons. |
| Diplomat | The wars are over. Peace now reigns in the Settled Systems. But only because there are those quietly fighting to keep it. Because of you, agreements were signed, words were heeded… lives were spared. | – Persuasion: Increases the ability to pass speech checks. – Commerce: Improves vendor prices for the player, for both buying and selling. – Wellness: Increases your total Health Points. |
| Explorer | They said exploration is a lost art. You didn’t listen. As the major factions argued over the space they desperately tried to control, you were busy uncovering the wonders of the Settled Systems. | – Lasers: Increases damage dealt by Laser weapons. – Astrodynamics: Increases the Grav Drive range of ships. – Surveying: Helps with Planet Surveying. |
| Gangster | You were always disgusted by suckers killing themselves to make an “honest wage.” As soon as you were old enough to hold a weapon, you took what you wanted from anyone unlucky enough to have it. | – Shotgun Certification: Increases the damage of Shotguns. – Boxing: Increases Unarmed damage. – Theft: Unlocks and improves the Pickpocket ability. |
| Homesteader | The discovery of the Settled System’s many oxygen-rich planets and moons meant humans could live just about anywhere… if they had the know-how. You did, and utilized it to great effect. | – Geology: Players can harvest crafting materials. – Surveying: Helps with Planet Surveying. – Weight Lifting: Increases total carry capacity for the inventory. |
| Industrialist | There was a time when all you wanted to be was a titan of industry, maybe a ship designer or megacorp exec. Thankfully, that skillset never goes out of style in the Settled Systems. | – Security: You can attempt great difficulty locks. And also receive an increase in the number of Automatic Hacking attempts. – Persuasion: Increases the ability to pass speech checks. – Research Methods: Research and Crafting are both cheaper. |
| Long Hauler | Let those other hothead pilots obsess over laser weapons and maneuverability. You’re a space trucker, pure and simple. Pack the cargo, get it there fast, get paid, repeat. Life is simple and good. | – Weight Lifting: Increases total carry capacity for the inventory. – Piloting: Gain additional options for flying Ships. – Ballistic Weapon Systems: Improves the damage of Ballistic weapons in space combat. |
| Pilgrim | Wayfarer, wanderer, seeker… transient. You’ve been called many things during your travels, and you learned something those others could never understand – the journey IS the destination. | – Scavenging: Increases loot gained from containers. – Surveying: Helps with Planet Surveying. – Gastronomy: Can craft food and drinks, plus you can research more recipes. |
| Ronin | Masterless and unbound, you wandered the Settled Systems as a blade for hire. To some, you were a simple mercenary. To others, a hero. And to a select few… a nightmare they could never wake from. | – Dueling: Increases damage dealt by Melee weapons. – Stealth: Increases players’ ability to be hard to detect by NPCs. – Scavenging: Increases loot gained from containers. |
| Scientist | You’ve always enjoyed learning, but nothing could compare to the joy of teaching others. As humankind spread throughout the stars, there was never a lack of knowledge to obtain, and you gladly assisted. | – Astrodynamics: Increases the Grav Drive range of ships. – Geology: Players can harvest crafting materials. – Research Methods: Research and Crafting are both cheaper. |
| Sculptor | With your knowledge of anatomy and skilled, steady hands, you could have become a surgeon. Instead, you followed your heart and created works of art to amaze and inspire. | – Medicine: Increases the effectiveness of Med Packs. – Geology: Players can harvest crafting materials. – Persuasion: Increases the ability to pass speech checks. |
| Soldier | The Settled Systems is no stranger to warfare, and if there’s one thing armed conflict relies on, it’s trained warriors with guns and guts. You had both. Simple, bloody work… and you were great at it. | – Fitness: Increases Maximum Oxygen. – Ballistics: Increases damage dealt by Ballistic Weapons. – Boost Pack Training: Grants a Boost Pack attachment for your spacesuit. |
| Space Scoundrel | Good? Bad? Whose right is it to say? If there’s anything you’ve learned traipsing through the galaxy, it’s this: space may look black, but it’s really one shade of grey. | – Pistol Certification: Increases damage dealt by Pistols. – Piloting: Gain additional options for flying Ships. – Persuasion: Increases the ability to pass speech checks. |
| Xenobiologist | The Settled Systems is home to untold alien species. And while none of them have yet proven sentient, that never deterred you. So you sought out and studied them for whatever gifts they offered. | – Lasers: Increases damage dealt by Laser weapons. – Surveying: Helps with Planet Surveying. – Fitness: Increases Maximum Oxygen. |
| [FILE NOT FOUND] | Oddly, there’s no information on file about your past life. Clerical oversight? Deletion by some powerful unknown faction? Or was there just nothing of note to mention? Whatever the reason, your past is known only to you. What’s important is the here and now, and the path you’re about to forge. | – Wellness: Increases your total Health Points. – Ballistics: Increases damage dealt by Ballistic Weapons. – Piloting: Gain additional options for flying Ships. |
Best Background to Choose in Starfield
Although there are many Backgrounds, there are some that are better than others to pick from. And these below can be your top options when you start the game:
- Combat Medic: If you are looking to stay alive as much as you can, Combat Medic is effective. You get more health, and the Med Pack healing items can heal a lot more. Additionally, getting the extra pistol damage is a nice bonus.
- Diplomat: The perks that come with the Diplomat background are fantastic. Gaining extra success with Speech is a big positive in Bethesda titles. Furthermore, having the vendors on your side with cheaper items and boosts to selling is great.
- Explorer: Players looking to search every part of the Settled Systems, the Explorer background is a top choice. Not only do you get better usage with Laser weapons. But you can survey planets more easily, and you have more options when it comes to ships.
- Ronin: If you want to go for a more stealth-based playthrough, Ronin gives you just that. A boost to melee damage and not being seen work hand-in-hand. And gaining increased loot from containers leaves the possibility open for getting great items.
- [FILE NOT FOUND]: The three perks cover a great deal of useful mechanics in the game. Allowing you to have more health, be good with a specific weapon class, and have the upper hand with ships. Great for a well-rounded option.
Backgrounds are something every player can pick at the beginning of Starfield. The choices can matter a lot for most of your playthrough. More so if you are looking to have a more enjoyable and thorough experience of the game. So, now that you know all of them and which are the best, be sure to pick what suits you.
