You can join several Starfield factions as you journey through the Settled Systems, unlocking new missions and rewards for your loyalty. There are five main factions you can align with, each offering their own full questlines - from the the explorers of Constellation to the piratical Crimson Fleet, and the corporate world of Ryujin Industries. Some you’ll deal with directly and join as part of the main story of Starfield, while others you might happen upon by accident or must seek them out to get a way in.
There are also a host of smaller factions, corporations, and religions, although they’re not as big in terms of gameplay. All together, these factions are the main way you’ll learn about the worlds of Starfield, earn rewards, and generally make progress as you explore the reaches of space. So, if you're interested in learning about and signing up for these space clubs, I've outlined the Starfield factions below.
All Starfield Factions
These are the main Starfield factions you can join:
- Constellation – An elite space exploration club and the game’s main faction for story purposes.
- Crimson Fleet – Antagonistic space pirates.
- Freestar Collective – A union of separatist systems outside of United Colonies control.
- Ryujin Industries – A tech-based megacorporation headquartered in the city of Neon.
- United Colonies – A powerful, militarized, and bureaucratic republic of settled planets with its own voluntary force known as the Vanguard.
Each offers its own missions and rewards and you can check any faction-related missions in the Factions tab of the Missions menu. There are also several minor factions that you can’t join but will almost certainly deal with as you play the game. Furthermore, there are also three religions you can join thanks to the Starfield traits chosen during character creation. You can choose to be 'Raised Enlightened', 'Raised Universal', or ‘Serpent’s Embrace’, which then makes you a member of the relevant Starfield religion, with each one offering its own benefits.
Can you join all factions in Starfield?
Yes, you can be a member of every Starfield faction. In case it was a concern, choosing any of the faction-related Starfield traits, such as United Colonies Native, will not lock you out of joining the other factions either. Although be aware that your loyalties might be tested quickly when you start getting involved with multiple factions – some of these organizations are tolerant of each other at best or mortal enemies at worst, so you might have some conflicting interests.
Starfield Constellation faction
Constellation is an almost 'mythical' group of space explorers that is collecting a series of artifacts of alien origin that appear to be pieces of a larger whole. Constellation is made up of an eclectic group of characters, including seasoned spacefarer Sarah Morgan, loveable rascal Barrett, grumpy financier Walter Stroud, and the inquisitive scientist Noel. There are many more members, and you can recruit some of them to your ship and outpost crew or keep one nearby as a Starfield companion. Lots of people around the stars also aren’t aware that Constellation still exists, so you’ll find that lots of citizens respond positively when you mention that you work for them.
How to join Constellation: You’ll join Constellation after completing one of the first main story missions, so it’s effectively impossible to not join this faction, unless you totally avoid the main story. Here's the full Starfield Constellation questline if you want a breakdown of what to expect.
Starfield Crimson Fleet faction
The Crimson Fleet is a massive armada of space pirates that prowl the starfield. It’s one of the main antagonistic forces in the game, along with Spacers and Ecliptic, though it’s the only one you can actually join. The Fleet was founded by a man named Jasper Kryx but it’s now led by a fearsome pirate called Delgado.
How to join the Crimson Fleet: The main ways to join the Fleet are to get busted for smuggling or to voluntarily join the UC Vanguard in Jemison. Both ways will then see you work for UC SysDef as an undercover pirate and here's the Starfield Crimson Fleet questline to explain what you'll get up to.
Starfield Freestar Collective faction
The Freestar Collective faction in Starfield is a frontier community that fought for independence from the larger United Colonies in the past. They’re protected by the Freestar Rangers who focus on maintaining law and order in the more untamed regions.
How to join the Freestar Collective and Rangers: Head over to Akila City in the Cheyenne system and you’ll eventually be approached by a Ranger in need of help. Complete the mission they task you with and you’ll be inducted into the Freestar Rangers and start the Starfield Freestar Rangers questline. Choosing the Freestar Collective Settler trait in character creation doesn’t get you into the Rangers off the bat, but it will almost certainly help you out when dealing with any Ranger matters.
Starfield Ryujin Industries faction
Ryujin Industries is a huge corporation that operates across multiple systems but is headquartered in the city of Neon. If you want to experience life in the seedy, cyberpunk-inspired, corporate underbelly of Starfield, this is the faction for you, as lots of their missions involve stealth and corporate espionage.
How to join Ryujin Industries: Wonder around the major Starfield cities and you might hear an announcement coming from a small red Ryujin Industries kiosk about hiring for more jobs. Just hearing this announcement gets you the starter missions called “Back to the Grind” which tasks you with applying for a job at the megacorporation – I picked up this quest while wandering the Commerical District of New Atlantis. Fill in the application using the kiosk to qualify for an interview at Ryujin Tower in Neon and begin the Starfield Ryujin questline.
Starfield United Colonies faction
The United Colonies is a massive political and military force largely based in the capital city of New Atlantis on Jemison. To give you some idea of how important this group is, New Atlantis isn't just the biggest city in Starfield but the biggest city Bethesda has ever made. The United Colonies currently enjoys an uneasy peace with the Freestar Collective after the Colony War, which ended some 20 years before the start of the game.
How to join the United Colonies: Joining the UC requires you to sign up for their the UC Vanguard. You can do this voluntarily very early on the game by visiting the Vanguard representative in the MAST building in New Atlantis, but getting arrested by the UC leads to another way into the organization. Like the Freestar Collective, simply choosing the United Colonies Native trait does not get you into the UC as you’re not a true citizen, so the Vanguard is your main option.
Other Starfield factions
There are a host of other smaller Starfield factions and groups. Some of these smaller affiliations and organisations can be joined simply through selected traits but others might have minor mission threads and things for you to do. These are all the ones we know about:
- Argos Extractors: A mining company that the player starts the game working for.
- Ecliptic Mercenaries: A mercenary organisation that pops up in space and in abandoned facilities from the Colony War.
- Enlightened: Religious organisation opposed to Sanctum Universum. You can align with this religious faction by choosing the Raised Enlightened trait in character creation.
- House Va'ruun: A religious order that worships the Great Serpent and regularly uses grav drives to travel through space. Their ranks consist of fanatical zealots who are pretty dangerous. You can align with this religious faction by choosing the Serpent’s Embrace trait in character creation.
- Sanctum Universum: Religious organisation opposed to the Enlightened. You can align with this religious faction by choosing the Raised Universal trait in character creation.
- Spacers: Spacefaring raiders, separate from the Crimson Fleet, that appear in space and in abandoned facilities from the Colony War.
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