Much like with The Elder Scrolls titles Bethesda has added in a class system to Starfield called backgrounds. During their character creation, players are allowed to select a background to choose from that will give them certain advantages and disadvantages depending on their selection. This decision will also alter some dialogue options, similar to the life path choices in Cyberpunk 2077. Ultimately, a player should consider their preferred playstyles, and the way they want their character to develop as they are selecting a background.
Beast Hunter
For those that enjoy hunting, this background in Starfield gives you skills that enhance your sprinting, increases your damage output with ballistic weapons, and a good knowledge of recipe crafting to make use of whatever game you caught on your journeys.
Skills: Fitness, Ballistics, Gastronomy
Bouncer
This background is for the players that prefer to fight things out instead of trying to talk their way out of confrontation. The skills involved will allow you to punch your way through your problems as well as get into areas you shouldn’t be in.
Skills: Boxing, Security, Fitness
Bounty Hunter
With all the skills here being in the tech category, this background will give you some expertise on your ship and booster pack right out the gate. However, ship combat will still be a challenge.
Skills: Piloting, Targeting Control Systems, Boost Pack Training
Chef
With this background, you will be able to make the most of some of the material you find by throwing it in the kitchen to later consume. You will have a head start in all things hunting and cooking.
Skills: Dueling, Gastronomy, Scavenging
Combat Medic
As the name suggests, combat medics will have a good start on managing their health with their increased maximum health and more efficient med packs to make sure you don’t lose that health too much.
Skills: Medicine, Pistol Certification, Wellness
Cyber Runner
To be the ultimate thief in Starfield, being a cyber runner seems to be the best choice when picking a background. The starting skills will allow you to break through higher level locks and pickpocket while making you harder to spot.
Skills: Stealth, Security, Theft
Cyberneticist
A cyberneticist can make good use of the tools they’ve been given with their skills to be able to heal better, break through tougher locks with the security skill, and do more damage with laser weapons.
Skills: Lasers, Medicine, Security
Diplomat
Your conversational skills will be exceptional with the diplomat background as the skills will allow for a higher probability that tense conversations will end in your favor with the persuasion skill, and you will enjoy spending less credits as all buying options from vendors will cost less.
Skills: Persuasion, Commerce, Wellness
Explorer
The idea behind this background is fairly self-explanatory, but the skills you start off with will lend you a hand in your early space exploration journeys while also giving you a bit of expertise when it comes to using laser weapons for when you need to defend yourself on these travels.
Skills: Astrodynamics, Lasers, Surveying
Gangster
If you desire being an intergalactic criminal, gangsters will be able to usually get their way by taking what they want with a bit of rough-housing and theft.
Skills: Shotgun Certification, Boxing, Theft
Homesteader
Always looking for a place to call home, homesteaders survey different lands in hopes of a new place to settle down with their building supplies ready to go.
Skills: Geology, Surveying, Weight Lifting
Industrialist
An industrialists skillset could lend itself to many different playstyles. However, if you are interested in the building mechanics of the game, then you may want to give this background a try as it allows for better use of the research table to craft different structures when building.
Skills: Persuasion, Security, Research Methods
Long Hauler
Long haulers are prepared to be carrying large amounts of cargo in their ships. They can carry more weight on them than most others, and they are experienced pilots that can adequately defend themselves from any pirates that want their cargo.
Skills: Weight Lifting, Piloting, Ballistic Weapon Systems
Pilgrim
If you are interested in exploring, you may also want to consider the pilgrim background. Pilgrims are all about going on memorable journeys, and making discoveries is made easier with their skillset.
Skills: Scavenging, Surveying, Gastronomy
Professor
Some enjoy a build with good intelligence, and you may want the professor background if that is one of your interests as well. You may get more use out of your research table than most as a professor.
Skills: Astrodynamics, Geology, Research Methods
Ronin
For a good stealth/ninja-like build, look no further than the Ronin background. Ronins will be proficient in stealth as well as their suppressed and melee weapons.
Skills: Dueling, Stealth, Scavenging
Sculptor
A sculptor is what you get when someone with the steady hands of a surgeon changes career paths to focus on geology instead. If you pick this background in Starfield, you will be rewarded with a bonus to your healing abilities as well as scavenging abilities when collecting planetary materials.
Skills: Medicine, Geology, Persuasion
Soldier
Another self-explanatory background, soldiers are able to perform well with ballistic weapons while also having superior stamina and being proficient with their boost packs.
Skills: Fitness, Ballistics, Boost Pack Training
Space Scoundrel
Space Scoundrels usually stay within the morally gray area of the Starfield universe. They are skilled pilots and have a damage bonus for all of their pistols to start off with.
Skills: Pistol Certification, Piloting, Persuasion
Xenobiologist
The xenobiologist background is all about the pursuit of studying sentient life on other planets. The surveying and fitness skills will allow you to make the most of your explorations by allowing you to sprint longer and survey further than most others.
Skills: Lasers, Surveying, Fitness
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The name of this background in Starfield alludes to the fact that those that pick it will have a clean slate as well as extra health, expertise in ballistic weapons, and use of ship thrusters.
Skills: Wellness, Ballistics, Piloting
Starfield is available now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass.
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