Starfield backgrounds grant your character three Skills to get started with, giving you a nice boost in a few disciplines as soon as the game starts. Each of these backgrounds represents your character's prior experience and the skills and abilities they carry with them into Starfield as a result. Thankfully they don’t lock you to a strict path or class either, so you can deviate and broaden your skills.
Perhaps you want to explore the Settled Systems as a veteran soldier, or a silver-tongued diplomat. Or maybe the Skills of a chef or scientist appeal to you more. To help you make your choice and explain what each background is all about, we’ve laid out all the Starfield backgrounds to choose from and have specified a few that we think are the best.
Disclaimer
All the Starfield backgrounds and details below are still accurate as of November 10, 2023, and it seems highly unlikely that Bethesda will adjust any of them in the future.
What are Starfield backgrounds?
Starfield backgrounds provide you with three Skills at the point of character creation. There are 21 to choose from, and they represent your character's previous life experience from an occupation from before they ended up on a space mining operation - you can see the full list of Starfield backgrounds below!
The three Starfield Skills that your chosen background comes with can be anything you can later level up anyway when you're actually playing. They simply unlock ahead of you actually earning any skill points and it's not a rigid class system that fixes you down to a set path, so you can still freely choose and upgrade other Skills later. However, your chosen background can also grant you some unique dialogue options that might open alternative paths through conversations and potentially lead to new missions.
Choosing a background is compulsory, but when you're creating your character, you also get the option of selecting up to three Starfield traits. These might seem similar to backgrounds but they're optional, personality-based, add-ons that usually apply some sort of benefit and penalty combination to your character.
Best Starfield backgrounds
While the Starfield background you choose isn’t hugely game-changing, there are some good options to pick that get you a great selection of Skills early on, and these are our top picks:
- Bounty Hunter: The Bounty Hunter background is very Tech-focused but the starship Skills it offers provide you with an immediate advantage in space battles. Being able to use a Starfield boostpack almost right away is very handy too.
- Industrialist: With a great mix of non-combat Skills, the Industrialist is a solid background for players that want to try a bit of everything, including persuasion, lockpicking, and research for all kinds of craftable items. Diplomat is a good alternative if you want to focus more on Social Skills.
- Long Hauler: If you fancy going on long expeditions around different planets, the Long Hauler background is the best choice. Weight Lifting will help you with encumbrance while ship-focused Skills will help you move and protect your cargo.
- Soldier: The Soldier’s Skills gives you a great head start for run and gun playstyles. Additionally, the Boost Pack Training and Fitness Skills are incredibly useful, even if you aren’t going to shoot you’re way out of every situation.
- Space Scoundrel: Starting with increases to pistol damage and persuasion will help you with combat and dialogue early on. The Piloting Skill isn't useful initially but will help you on the way to better ship manoeuvrability, and the ability to pilot larger ships.
- FILE NOT FOUND: This is the all-rounder choice and is a great pick, especially if you’re not sure what sort of playstyle you want to focus on.
Remember, you can unlock any of the Skills from these backgrounds with your own Skill Points as you progress, but choosing a background just gets them for you early and for free. Pick what makes sense to you in terms of how you want to play as well - there's no point choosing an array of Combat Skills if you like stealth gameplay.
All Starfield backgrounds
Starfield Beast Hunter background
- Fitness – Increases available O2.
- Ballistics – Ballistic weapons deal more damage.
- Gastronomy – Craft special food and drink, and research additional recipes.
Hunting horrendous beasts and surviving alien attacks were your bread and butter so the Beast Hunter has boosts to oxygen level (which is effectively your stamina), skill with ballistic weapons, and cooking capabilities – at least you’re using what you kill.
Starfield Bouncer background
- Boxing – Unarmed attacks deal more damage and use less O2.
- Security – You can hack Advanced locks and bank more auto attempts.
- Fitness – Increases available O2.
You’re in good physical condition thanks to your former life as a club bouncer, and fisticuffs are your preferred weapon. You also get the Security Skill which is strangely more about countering security measures through hacking rather than providing any actual security yourself.
Starfield Bounty Hunter background
- Piloting – You can use ship thrusters and better ships.
- Targeting Control Systems – Unlocks and enhances ship targeting systems.
- Boost Pack Training – Unlocks and enhances boost packs.
As a hardened spacefarer who traveled the systems looking for bounties to bring in, you’ve got expertise in flying your ship and utilizing its weapon systems. You’ve also got boost pack training to help when you’re on foot. Pick this Starfield background if you want to get around the galaxy quickly and safely.
Starfield Chef background
- Gastronomy – Craft special food and drink, and research additional recipes.
- Dueling – Deal more melee damage and take less damage while wielding a melee weapon.
- Scavenging – Find extra resources when looting containers.
As a former chef specializing in ET butchery, your skills will help you cook up new food recipes and fend off enemies with melee weapons. Ingredients could be anywhere in the Settled Systems too, so it’s a good job you get the Scavenging Skill.
Starfield Combat Medic background
- Pistol certification – Deal more damage with pistols.
- Medicine – Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits heal more and faster.
- Wellness – Increases maximum health.
Pick the Combat Medic background if you want your character to be a self-sustaining space explorer. You can defend yourself more capably with small arms thanks to Pistol Certification, and you’ll be able to keep moving and stay alive thanks to increased health and superior healing items.
Starfield Cyber Runner background
- Stealth – Adds a Stealth Meter and makes you harder to detect while sneaking.
- Security – You can hack Advanced locks and bank more auto attempts.
- Theft – Unlock and enhance pickpocketing capabilities.
As a Cyber Runner, you’ll be leaning more into clandestine activities and sabotage thanks to the starting skills. You’re better at sneaking around with suppressed weaponry, picking locks, hacking, and grabbing loose property without getting caught. Break in, steal, and deal with your foes without getting caught.
Starfield Cyberneticist background
- Medicine – Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits heal more and faster.
- Security – You can hack Advanced locks and bank more auto attempts.
- Lasers – Laser weapons deal more damage.
Believing that man and machine should be more unified, your Cyberneticist experience has gifted you with superior healing items, a greater understanding of high-tech locks and terminals, and expert use of laser weaponry.
Starfield Diplomat background
- Persuasion – Increased chance of success when persuading someone.
- Commerce – Buy items for less and sell items for more.
- Wellness – Increases maximum health.
Unsurprisingly, the Diplomat’s starting skills are mostly about dealing with people, letting you win persuasion attempts more easily and get better rates with merchants - useful when getting involved with the various Starfield factions. If you want a character who’s more suited to talking their way out of a situation, this is the Starfield background for you.
Starfield Explorer background
- Lasers – Laser weapons deal more damage.
- Astrodynamics – Improve your ship’s grav drive.
- Surveying – Increase the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
As a former explorer, you’re well-versed in advanced grav drive tech and surveying planets to see what’s on them. You’ll be able travel far and wide and gather resources effectively as you travel, so this is a great option for any players that want to focus on exploring Starfield’s many planets.
Starfield Gangster background
- Shotgun Certification – Shotguns deal more damage.
- Boxing – Unarmed attacks deal more damage and use less O2.
- Theft – Unlock and enhance pickpocketing capabilities.
As a violent mobster, you’re adept at close-quarters combat, whether that’s with your fists or a buckshot spread. With the Theft Skill, you also get to take what you want once the dust has settled too. The Gangster background is definitely for dangerous characters with penchant for crime and killing.
Starfield Homesteader background
- Geology – Get less common inorganic resources from surface objects and more of them.
- Surveying – Increase the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
- Weight Lifting – Increase carrying capacity.
If you’re looking to settle on planets, the Homesteader background is for you. With the Surveying Skill, you’ll be better at scouting out planets to make a home on, and Weight Lifting and Geology Skills mean you’ll be able to work the land and extract plenty of resources.
Starfield Industrialist background
- Persuasion – Increased chance of success when persuading someone.
- Security – You can hack Advanced locks and bank more auto attempts.
- Research Methods – Complete Research Projects and craft items using fewer resources.
The Industrialist Starfield background sets you on the path of a space age tech CEO with Skills that blend technical knowhow with Persuasion. As well as being able to talk your way through the stars, the Research Methods Skill will help you out at Research Stations, unlocking lots of new items for weapons, outposts, spacesuits, and more.
Starfield Long Hauler background
- Weight Lifting – Increase carrying capacity.
- Piloting – You can use ship thrusters.
- Ballistic Weapon Systems – Improves ballistic weapons on your ship.
You’re no high-tech space fighter pilot, you’re just a humble space trucker hauling their cargo from one system to the next. You get two spaceship-focused Skill – Piloting and Ballistic Weapon Systems – to help you tour the stars and defend yourself. Finally, Weight Lifting will help you carry even more of your all important cargo. Since Starfield encumbrance and carrying capacity are so important, this is a solid background to start with!
Starfield Pilgrim background
- Scavenging – Find extra resources when looting containers.
- Surveying – Increase the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
- Gastronomy – Craft special food and drink, and research additional recipes.
As a Pilgrim, you’re seasoned traveller and survivor. The Scavenging and Gastronomy Skills will help you gather food, materials, and resources, to create essentials and delicious meals. Make good use of your Scanner and the Surverying Skill to leave no stone unturned on each planet you step foot on.
Starfield Professor background
- Astrodynamics – Improve your ship’s grav drive.
- Geology – Get less common inorganic resources from surface objects and more of them.
- Research Methods – Complete Research Projects and craft items using fewer resources.
One thing’s for sure, you’re here to science the hell out of this Starfield. The Professor background means you join the story with a head start in grav drive technology for your ship, planetary geology, and excellent research methods to help you unlock new stuff – you’ll be spending plenty of time examining Starfield research and crafting.
Starfield Ronin background
- Dueling – Deal more melee damage and take less damage while wielding a melee weapon.
- Stealth – Adds a Stealth Meter and makes you harder to detect while sneaking.
- Scavenging – Find extra resources when looting containers.
As a former mercenary of the stars, your expertise lies in melee and Starfield stealth combat thanks to the Dueling and Stealth Skills. When you operate alone in dangerous places, you’ve also got to be able to source what you need in the field, so the Scavenging Skill also comes in handy.
Starfield Sculptor background
- Medicine – Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits heal more and faster.
- Geology – Get less common inorganic resources from surface objects and more of them.
- Persuasion – Increased chance of success when persuading someone.
Possibly one of the stranger Starfield backgrounds the Sculptor sets you up as a person of many talents who blends science and art, best shown through the Medicine and Persuasion Skills. You also get the Geology Skill which is, I guess, to help you source alien materials to sculpt with.
Starfield Soldier background
- Fitness – Increases available O2.
- Ballistics – Ballistic weapons deal more damage.
- Boost Pack Training – Unlocks and enhances boost packs.
With military training, the Starfield Soldier background provides a good range of useful Skills. Fitness and Boost Pack Training allow you to be mobile whenever your boots are on or near the ground – gravity dependent – and what kind of rifle-bearing soldier would you be without the Ballistics Skill?
Starfield Space Scoundrel background
- Pistol certification – Deal more damage with pistols.
- Piloting – You can use ship thrusters.
- Persuasion – Increased chance of success when persuading someone.
Do you always have a blaster at your side? Do you say things like, “never tell me the odds” and “laugh it up, fuzzball”? Then this is the Starfield background for you! Shoot or persuade your way into or out of any situation, then use your piloting expertise to escape in your spaceship.
Starfield Xenobiologist background
- Lasers – Laser weapons deal more damage.
- Surveying – Increase the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
- Fitness – Increases available O2.
With a background in Xenobiology, you’re well-suited to surveying planets for alien life, and running away from anything that proves to be hostile. The Surveying and Fitness Skills will really help you out in the field as you explore. Then make sure you pack a laser weapon if things go wrong.
Starfield FILE NOT FOUND background
- Wellness – Increases maximum health.
- Ballistics – Ballistic weapons deal more damage.
- Piloting – You can use ship thrusters.
File Not Found means you’re an average Joe nobody out in the stars. The reason for this is up to you, but the Skills you get are arguably the most general ones out there. This is a real blank canvas background to start with in Starfield and a good choice if you really don’t want to commit to any of the more specialized Skills just yet.
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