What is the best Starfield background? As you create your character in this massive space game, your origin story is one of the many options you have to pick. Each background has a short bio detailing what kind of person you are and three starting Starfield skills to set you on your way.
It’s time. Read out Starfield review, download Starfield on Game Pass, and prepare yourself for the Starfield character creation, let’s dive into all of the currently revealed Starfield backgrounds and bio entries, as well as which starting Starfield skills each of them has.
What are the best Starfield backgrounds?
Here are the best Starfield backgrounds:
- Combat Medic: If you’re looking to get into a fight, then you’ll have to take some precautions so you don’t end up in a puddle of your own blood in the middle of nowhere. The Combat Medic background will see you right at the beginning of your adventure, with Pistol Certification, Wellness, and Medicine giving you a well-rounded approach to eliminating your enemies, and then patching yourself up afterward.
- Ronin: If you work better alone, can’t stand the sight, or sound, of others, and just really want to experience the emptiness of space alone, a solo build might be the one for you. We assume the Ronin build will allow you to wander the vast unknown alone, powered up, and ready to help whoever might need it.
- Chef: Not only do you like caring for others, supplying delicious meals to you and yours on your ship, but you also know how to handle yourself in a close-quarters combat situation. The Chef background is perfect for those who want to specialize in melee combat – and those who want to make an absolutely banging sandwich.
Because it’s an RPG, you can really go in any direction you like when it comes to creating your character. For those who want to specialize in a specific act, however, there are some skills that are more useful than others.
All Starfield backgrounds
Here is every Starfield background:
- Beast Hunter
- Bouncer
- Bounty Hunter
- Chef
- Combat Medic
- Cyber Runner
- Cyberneticist
- Diplomat
- Explorer
- Gangster
- Homesteader
- Industrialist
- Long Hauler
- Pilgrim
- Professor
- Ronin
- Sculptor
- Soldier
- Space Scoundrel
- Xenobiologist
- [FILE NOT FOUND]
Your Starfield background affects how NPCs see you, from your Starfield companions to each of the many Starfield factions across the star system in this massive open-world game. Some may act friendly towards you or be reassured that a mission will be successful because of your past, while others may be more hostile if they learn about the company you used to keep.
Beast Hunter
From the 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.
Starting skills
- Fitness – In space, the greatest commodity is oxygen, and the increased lung capacity gained by a regular physical fitness regimen is essential to survival.
- Ballistics – Centuries of conflict have proven that when it comes to threat elimination, few things stack up to the reliable power of high-speed projectiles.
- Gastronomy – Access to brand new worlds means access to brand new ingredients, and there is almost no limit to the delicious foods and drinks a talented chef can prepare.
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 one of two ways: a strong right hook, or a more strongly secured door.
Starting skills
- Boxing – Once considered a “sport of kings,” boxing is still practiced as a recreational competitive activity, but its combat applications can’t be denied.
- Security – While the standardized digital locking mechanism is renowned for its security, any code can be broken with the proper training.
- Fitness – In space, the greatest commodity is oxygen, and the increased lung capacity gained by a regular physical fitness regimen is essential to survival.
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.
Starting skills
- Piloting – As more people journey into space, the number of those certified to effectively pilot various types of spacecraft has increased dramatically.
- Targeting Control Systems – Missile weapons are favored because they can lock onto an enemy ship, but an intimate knowledge of tracking systems can make them even more effective.
- Boost Pack Training – Specialized training and innovations in personal mobility systems have allowed for unfettered exploration on alien worlds.
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.
Starting skills
- Gastronomy – Access to brand new worlds means access to brand new ingredients, and there is almost no limit to the delicious Starfield food and drinks a talented chef can prepare.
- Dueling – Considered by many to be a lost art, close attacks with a melee weapon can often be deadlier than ranged combat when carried out by a skilled practitioner.
- Scavenging – There are those who can find just about anything, and their success is usually dependent on knowing how, and where, to look.
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.
Starting skills
- Pistol Certification – Considering the popularity of the personal sidearm in the Settled Systems, familiarity with such weapons is often considered essential.
- Medicine – Only through advancements in medical training and technology has humanity been able to withstand the galaxy’s many dangers.
- Wellness – By embracing an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits, one may improve their overall sense of health, and even gain prolonged life expectancy.
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.
Starting skills
- Stealth – For a combatant who values discretion above all else, the ability to approach a target while undetected and kill with a silenced weapon is as terrifying as it is effective.
- Security – While the standardized digital locking mechanism is renowned for its security, any code can be broken with the proper training.
- Theft – While not entirely honorable, and certainly not legal, it is nonetheless occasionally necessary to discreetly remove property from someone’s person.
Cyberneticist
Robots? Mere toys. Neuroamps? Good for parlor tricks. The Colony War may have made implants and upgrades available to veterans, but you once saw a greater future. Humans and machines, as one.
Starting skills
- Medicine – Only through advancements in medical training and technology has humanity been able to withstand the galaxy’s many dangers.
- Security – While the standardized digital locking mechanism is renowned for its security, any code can be broken with the proper training.
- Lasers – Personal laser weapons are in widespread use across the Settled Systems, and specialized training can greatly increase their effectiveness.
Diplomat
The wars are over. Peace now reigns 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.
Starting skills
- Persuasion – In the Settled Systems, the nuanced ability to listen and discuss can often accomplish far more than simply shooting first and asking questions later.
- Commerce – In the Settled Systems’ free market economy, almost anyone with the right skill set can open and run a successful business.
- Wellness – By embracing an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits, one may improve their overall sense of health, and even gain prolonged life expectancy.
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.
Starting skills
- Lasers – Personal laser weapons are in widespread use across the Settled Systems, and specialized training can greatly increase their effectiveness.
- Astrodynamics – Advanced technology is one thing, but it takes skill patience, and a little bit of love to coax even more capability out of a ship’s grav drive.
- Surveying – Humanity now has access to untold alien worlds, and the ability to decipher all that data while on the ground has become an essential skill set.
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.
Starting skills
- Shotgun Certification – The cornerstone of close-quarters combat, or CQC, the shotgun has proven a simple, deadly weapon for hundreds of years.
- Boxing – Once considered a “sport of kings,” boxing is still practiced as a recreational competitive activity, but its combat applications can’t be denied.
- Theft – While not entirely honorable and certainly not legal, it is nonetheless occasionally necessary to discreetly remove property from someone’s person.
Homesteader
The discovery of the Settled Systems’ 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.
Starting skills
- Geology – Newly discovered minerals mined from alien planets and moons have directly led to some credible technological advancements.
- Surveying – Humanity now has access to untold alien worlds, and the ability to decipher all that data while on the ground has become an essential skill set.
- Weight Lifting – Weight training can significantly increase one’s ability to carry weapons and equipment, both in space and on the ground.
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.
Starting skills
- Persuasion – In the Settled Systems, the nuanced ability to listen and discuss can often accomplish far more than simply shooting first and asking questions later.
- Security – While the standardized digital locking mechanism is renowned for its security, any code can be broken with the proper training.
- Research Methods – By skillfully employing both new and time-tested methods, a researcher may complete projects faster, and even gain unexpected insights.
Long Hauler
Let those other hotheaded pilots obsess over laser weapons and maneuverability. You’re a space trucker, pure and simple. Pack the cargo, get in there fast, get paid, repeat. Life is simple and good.
Starting skills
- Weight Lifting – Weight training can significantly increase one’s ability to carry weapons and equipment, both in space and on the ground.
- Piloting – As more people journey into space, the number of those certified to effectively pilot various types of spacecraft has increased dramatically.
- Ballistic Weapon Systems – While there have been significant advancements in ship-borne weaponry, sometimes the simplest tool is the most effective.
Pilgrim
Wayfarer, wanderer, seeker… transient. You’ve been called many things during your travels, and learned something those others could never understand – the journey IS the destination.
Starting skills
- Scavenging – There are those who can find just about anything, and their success is usually dependent on knowing how, and where, to look.
- Surveying – Humanity now has access to untold alien worlds, and the ability to decipher all that data while on the ground has become an essential skillset.
- Gastronomy – Access to brand new worlds means access to brand new ingredients, and there is almost no limit to the delicious foods and drinks a talented chef can prepare.
Professor
You 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.
Starting skills
- Astrodynamics – Advanced technology is one thing, but it takes skill, patience, and a little bit of love to coax even more capability out of a ship’s grav drive.
- Geology – Newly discovered minerals mined from alien planets and moons have directly led to some incredible technological advancements.
- Research Methods – By skillfully employing both new and time-tested methods, a researcher may complete projects faster, and even gain unexpected insights.
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.
Starting skills
- Dueling – Considered by many to be a lost art, close attacks with a melee weapon can often be deadlier than ranged combat when carried out by a skilled practitioner.
- Stealth – For a combatant who values discretion above all else, the ability to approach a target while undetected and kill them with a silenced weapon is as terrifying as it is effective.
- Scavenging – There are those who can find just about anything, and their success is usually dependent on knowing how, and where, to look.
Sculptor
With your knowledge of anatomy and skilled, steady hands, you could have had a lucrative career as a surgeon. Instead, you followed your heart, and created works of art to amaze and inspire.
Starting skills
- Medicine – Only through advancements in medical training and technology has humanity been able to withstand the galaxy’s many dangers.
- Geology – Newly discovered minerals mined from alien planets and moons have directly led to some incredible technological advancements.
- Persuasion – In the Settled Systems, the nuanced ability to listen and discuss can often accomplish far more than simply shooting first and asking questions later.
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.
Starting skills
- Fitness – In space, the greatest commodity is oxygen, and the increased lung capacity gained by a regular physical fitness regimen is essential to survival.
- Ballistics – Centuries of conflict have proven that when it comes to threat elimination, few things stack up to the reliable power of high-speed projectiles.
- Boost Pack Training – Specialized training and innovations in personal mobility systems have allowed for unfettered exploration of alien worlds.
Space Scoundrel
Good? Bad? Whose right is it to say? If there’s anything you’ve learned while traipsing through the galaxy, it’s this: space may look black, but it’s really one big shade of grey.
Starting skills
- Pistol Certification – Considering the popularity of the personal sidearm in the Settled Systems, familiarity with such weapons is often considered essential.
- Piloting – As more people journey into space, the number of those certified to effectively pilot various types of spacecraft has increased dramatically.
- Persuasion – In the Settled Systems, the nuanced ability to listen and discuss can often accomplish far more than simply shooting first and asking questions later.
Xenobiologist
The Settled Systems is home to untold alien species. And while none of them had yet proven sentient, that never deterred you. So you sought out and studied them for whatever gifts they offered.
Starting skills
- Lasers – Personal laser weapons are in widespread use across the Settled Systems, and specialized training can greatly increase their effectiveness.
- Surveying – Humanity now has access to untold alien worlds, and the ability to decipher all that data while on the ground has become an essential skillset.
- Fitness – In space, the greatest commodity is oxygen, and the increased lung capacity gained by a regular physical fitness regimen is essential to survival.
[FILE NOT FOUND]
Oddly, there is no information on file about your past life. Clerical oversight? Deletion by some powerful known 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…
Starting skills
- Wellness – By embracing an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits, one may improve their overall sense of health, and even gain prolonged life expectancy.
- Ballistics – Centuries of conflict have proven that when it comes to threat elimination, few things stack up to the reliable power of high-speed projectiles.
- Piloting – As more people journey into space, the number of those certified to effectively pilot various types of spacecraft has increased dramatically.
How Starfield backgrounds work
Once you choose your Starfield background, there is no way to change it. It’s a part of your character’s origin story and a good indicator of the person you were before the start of the game. In addition to giving you three skills, there are times when your background affects how a character will interact with you.
One example we saw was a Starfield mission featuring an NPC looking for help to track down a Starfield creature. Beast Hunter is one of the Starfield backgrounds, opening up a unique dialogue option that gives you a chance to earn double the amount of cash if you complete the quest.
And there you have it – everything there is to know about each Starfield background. They’re not the only way you can customize your character, though. You can also pick up to three Starfield traits to give your adventurer unique abilities that may have crucial drawbacks. One thing we hope is that Starfield mods will allow creators to add even more backgrounds and maybe even Starfield weapons, taking inspiration from the very best Skyrim mods and Fallout 4 mods the community has to offer.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.
Additional contributions by Paul Kelly.
