It's safe to say I'm nothing if not a people pleaser when it comes to games that feature companions. I'm always drawn to adventures that put party members by your side that you can get to know and grow close to. Whether it be the ragtag bunch of misfits in The Outer Worlds, the comforting cast of characters in Dragon Age: Origins, the crew aboard the Normandy in the Mass Effect series, or the company you keep in Baldur's Gate 3, I relish the chance to bond with companions and earn their approval in RPGs of all shapes and sizes. It makes perfect sense, then, that I figured the Empath trait in Starfield was the natural choice for me when I was making my character for the first time.
"You are deeply connected to the feelings of others," the trait description reads. "Performing actions your companion likes will result in a temporary increase in combat effectiveness. But, performing actions they don't like will have the precise opposite effect."
If there was ever a feature I could give my character that's perfectly tailored to the way I play, then the Empath trait is exactly that. It essentially rewards me for pleasing my companions, and as a player who's all about that most of the time, what could be better?
Charming company
I have a tendency to spend overly long periods considering all of the options closely and carefully when it comes to character creation, but I've never picked a trait faster here. I first see how being an empath works in Starfield when Sarah, the first companion you meet, approves of a dialogue response I choose during an early story mission. Much like Fallout, a message appears in the top right corner of the screen that reads 'Sarah liked that', which is immediately followed by another: 'You have gained self-esteem'. If only it were this easy in real life, eh? Thanks to my empath trait, I get a little boost of confidence that gives me a temporary buff to my critical hits in combat, and better yet, my chances of passing persuasion speech checks.
So the trait not only directly feeds into my propensity to actively seek the approval of my companions, but it also helps me talk my way out of things – which complements my Starfield background as a diplomat. While I certainly don't need encouragement when it comes to winning over my companions, I've found it all the more rewarding to get an additional bonus whenever I successfully earn their affinity. On the flip side, it also motivates me to make more considered choices depending on who's accompanying me. After all, if a companion disagrees with something I say or do, I'll get the self-doubt debuff. I have enough self-doubt in my own life, I'm not about to inflict it on my own character.
I'm an empathetic person in real life, so being an empath in Starfield definitely speaks to me as someone who's sensitive to the feelings of others. It's why I also think I enjoy the fact that the trait factors into some conversations by presenting you with a unique dialogue option. When I was speaking with Sam Coe, for example, about his daughter, I was able to use an empath response to offer my understanding and regard for his approach to parenting. It even helped me out when I was trying to talk down an errant miner on Mars who held me at gunpoint when I confronted him about his underhanded dealings. Instead of condemning him, my trait allowed me to see his side of the story and convince him to turn himself in to the authorities to avoid any bloodshed.
There are certainly plenty of unusual and rather interesting Starfield traits, from outlandish qualities to ones that are far too close to home. My other picks, for example, have influenced my approach by giving me parents to support and a mortgage to pay off. But none of them are as keenly attuned to my love for companions as the one that allows me to be an empath. So far, it's definitely my favorite trait out of the three I chose, and I'm already looking forward to seeing how it might pop up in conversation or get me out of other tricky situations as I progress further into the adventure.
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