All Starfield traits and what they do

Starfield traits are perks you can pick for a character build that add a balance of pros and cons to certain abilities. You can have three in total with the trick being balancing the advantages and disadvantages they unlock with your play style. There's no point picking a trait that gives you a buff with a companion, and a debuff if you're alone alone and then never taking anyone with you. Or how about an Alien DNA trait that makes you the product of a weird experiments that means you have higher health and endurance but find healing items don't work as well on your altered form. 

Starfield traits are very distinct from the Starfield background and starting skills you use to initially set up your characters, and the Starfield skills then level up to develop them. Traits also seem to be permanent at the moment. That's not to say a respec option is out of the question, although considering how these can tie into things like factions, religions and even home ownership, it seems unlikely you'll be able to change things. 

So Starfield traits have a significant impact on your character and because of that let's take a look at what we know about them in Starfield, what options are available and what thay do. 

All Starfield traits we know about so far

Here's the full list of the 16 Starfield traits we currently know about:

• Alien DNA
• Dream Home (originally Starter Home)
• Empath
• Extrovert
• Freestar Collective Settler
• Hero Worshiped (originally Unwanted Hero)
• Introvert
• Kid Stuff
• Neon Street Rat
• Raised Enlightened
• Raised Universal
• Serpent's Embrace
• Spaced
• Taskmaster
• Terra Firma
• United Colonies Native

Starfield Traits seem to largely function as perks, with each one giving you some sort of buff and debuff combo. Depending on your playstyle, or allegiance to a group. faction or religion, you might be willing to take the downsides for the advantage you get in return. 

It's basically a balancing act will give you a small, usually fairly specific advantage to some small skill or ability, countered by a similarly specific disadvantage. It's up to you to weight up the literal pros and cons. Does starting with a base via the Dream Home make the 50K a week mortgage you have pay off seem worth it? Is Spaced's ability to get extra health in space worth the cost of being weaker on a planet? It all depends on what you think you'll actually be doing. 

Starfield traits and effects explained

Below are the effects of all the Starfield traits we've seen revealed. 

Starfield Alien DNA trait

• Pros: Higher health pool and greater endurance
• Cons: Healing items are less effective

Starfield Dream Home trait (originally Starter Home)

• Pros: You start with a small house on a "peaceful little moon"
• Cons: You have a 50,000 credit mortgage with GalBank (exact payment methods and penalties unknown) 

Starfield Empath trait

• Pros: Performing actions your companion likes creates a temporary increase in combat effectiveness.
• Cons:  Performing actions your companion dislikes creates a temporary decrease in combat effectiveness

Starfield Extrovert trait

Extrovert

• Pros: Exerting yourself using less oxygen adventuring with human companions. 
• Cons: Exerting yourself using more oxygen adventuring alone.

Starfield Freestar Collective Settler trait

• Pros: Access to special Freestar Collective dialogue options and better faction rewards. 
• Cons: Crime bounties towards other factions are greatly increased.

As a Faction Allegiance trait this can't be combined with another Faction Allegiance trait. (See more about Starfield factions here.)

Starfield Hero Worshipped trait (originally Unwanted Hero)

• Pros:  A talkative 'adoring fan' will appear randomly and give you gifts. 
• Cons: A talkative 'adoring fan' will appear randomly.

Starfield Introvert trait

• Pros: Greater endurance when adventuring alone
• Cons: Less endurance when adventuring with other humans
• Notes: Can't be combined with Extrovert trait

Starfield Kid Stuff trait

• Pros: You can visit your parents at their home (exact benefits unknown)
• Cons: 10% of all money you earn is automatically sent to parents

Starfield Neon Street Rat trait

• Pros: Special dialogue options and better rewards from certain missions from Neon
• Cons: Crime bounty by other factions is greatly increased

This is a Faction Allegiance trait, and cannot be combined with another Faction Allegiance trait. Learn about the city of Neon with our Starfield cities guide. 

Starfield Raised Enlightened trait

• Pros: Significant discount at Enlightened organisation store
• Cons: Lose access to Sanctum Universum store

As a Religion trait this cannot be combined with another Religion trait.

Starfield Raised Universal trait

• Pros: Significant discount at Sanctum Universum store
• Cons: Lose access to Enlightened store

Cannot be combined with another Religion trait.

Starfield Serpent's Embrace trait

• Pros: Grav jumping provides a boost to health and endurance
• Cons: Health and endurance are lowered if you don't grav jump regularly.

Religion trait - can't be combined with another Religion trait.

Starfield Spaced trait

• Pros: Health and endurance are increased when in space
• Cons: Health and endurance are lowered when on the surface

Can't be combined with Terra Firma trait