Starfield best background: Which is the best to start with?

When you’re rushing around the galaxy trying to sniff out adventure in Starfield, you’re going to want to lean on you past a little bit in order to make the most of your skillset. Whether you’re a sci-fi street rat with a chip on your shoulder and something to choose, or a former master of the culinary arts, jetting around the uncharted universe is mostly forward-looking – but there are elements of your past that you’ll come to rely on.

As well as role-play, your background in Starfield has practical gameplay implications too.

After you complete the opening preamble on the outlying planet of Argos, you’ll be tasked with creating your very own character. Whether you go with something Bethesda has pre-programmed or fully customise your own horrible creation is up to you, but there are a few things you absolutely need to choose for yourself: traits, and a background.

Why Starfield backgrounds are important

No matter which background you choose in Starfield, you will gain access to three starting Starfield skills. These will influence how you play the game (and any in-universe role-playing you might be keen on pursuing) in a few meaningful ways. Whether you want better discounts in shops, want to be more of a silver-tongued charmer, or simply more effective with a pistol? You’re going to want to make sure you choose the right background to back up your lofty dreams.

The choice can be a bit intimidating; there are 21 backgrounds to choose from, and they all come with different skill setups – some good, some great, and some just outright bad. In this guide, we’re going to break downt the best choice, some alternatives, and ones that are probably better designated as ‘for roleplaying only’. Here’s what you need to know.

What is the best Starfield background?

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.”

A lot of what determines a ‘good’ Starfield background is probably subjective, but just look at the Space Scoundrel and dare calling it bad – aside from one of the most pithy descriptions, the skills on offer here are Pistol Certification, Piloting, and Persuasion. These are three core skills you will need early on in the game, and then will continue to use later into your adventure, too.

Pistol Certification gives you damage and handling boosts to small arms (ideal, given the first gun you’re given is a pistol, as are some of the best weapons in Starfield). It’s a 10% buff at first, but as you rack up the kills, you’ll become more deadly with sidearms, unlocking bonuses that further improve your damage output.

Piloting is going to give you an edge in space combat (again, this is something you’ll be introdced to very early on in the game). The higher your Piloting skill, the better command you’ll have over your ship, with level-ups in this skill allowing for increased ship turning rate and maneuverability, and the option to engage thrusters more frequently. In the long term, this skill will let you pilot bigger, better, more durable ships – a good foundation for any explorer… or space pirate.

Persuasion gives you an increased chance of success on speech challenges from the start of the game. Your first major encounter in a little mission to ease you into the world includes a persuasion opportunity, so you’re going to want to have all the cards stacked in your favour before you head into this encounter. As you use persuasion in speech, you will get better and slicker – and soon, you can find yourself with all the skills you need to be a master manipulator, opening up unique dialogue options in key conversations.

What are the other best Starfield backgrounds?

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."

The Cyber Runner background is a great choice for anyone more experienced with Bethesda games, since the skills on offer here will let you better interact with a lot of systems that’ll be familiar to Fallout and Elder Scrolls veterans. On the surface, this background gives you access to a slightly sneakier set of skills; Security (the ability to hack Advanced locks from the start), better thievery skills via Theft (ideal for lifting key items out of NPC pockets), and Stealth (less likely to be detected whilst crouching).

Break into places, rob them blind, then get out without being seen – it really does remind me of pilfering entire settlements in Fallout 3 without being seen. Just remember, if you take this path, there is a bounty system and serious consequences that can catch up with you if you choose to be this immoral.

Diplomat

"The wars are over. Peace now reigns in 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."

Another one for players that have a pretty good idea of how they want to operate in the Starfiled galaxy, Diplomat really plays into the hands of those more interested in trade, commerce, and keeping relationships alive – if you want to focus on faction quests, for example, this Background might be for you. With boosts to Persuasion (detailed above), Commerce (buy low, sell high, with increasing bonuses as you transfer credits back and forth) and Wellness (simply put: more health and oxygen), this is the background of choice for people that want to play it straight and narrow, keep everyone happy, and reap the benefits of a good reputation.

All Starfield backgrounds

If you don’t trust our recommendations, don’t worry, we’re not offended. Here is a full list of all the backgrounds and their attached skills, so you can pick what you need without having to navigate the in-game menus.

Background	Skill 1	Skill 2	Skill 3
Beast Hunter	Fitness: You have 10% more oxygen available	Gastronomy: You can craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.	Ballistics: Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage.
Bouncer	Boxing: Unarmed attacks do 25% more damage. 25% less O2 used when using a power attack.	Fitness: You have 10% more oxygen available	Security: You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts can be banked.
Bounty Hunter	Piloting: You can now utilize ship thrusters.	Target Control Systems: Unlocks ship targeting functionality.	Boost Pack Training: You can now utilize boost packs.
Chef	Gastronomy: You can craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.	Scavenging: There's a chance you'll find extra credits when searching containers.	Dueling: Melee weapons do 25% more damage. Take 10% less damage while wielding a melee weapon.
Cyber Runner	Stealth: Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 5% sneak attack damage.	Theft: Unlock the ability to pickpocket targets.	Security: You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts can be banked.
Cyberneticist	Lasers: Laser weapons do 10% more damage.	Medicine: Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits restore 10% additional Health 10% faster.	Security: You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts can be banked.
Diplomat	Wellness: Increase your maximum health by 10%.	Persuasion: 10% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Commerce: Buy for 5% less and sell for 10% more.
Explorer	Lasers: Laser weapons do 10% more damage.	Astrodynamics: Increase grav jump range of jump drives by 15%.	Surveying: Adds an optional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
Gangster	Boxing: Unarmed attacks do 25% more damage. 25% less O2 used when using a power attack.	Theft: Unlock the ability to pickpocket targets.	Shotgun Certification: Shotguns do 10% more damage.
Homesteader	Weightlifting: Increase total carrying capacity by 10 kilograms.	Geology: Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from surface objects.	Surveying: Adds an optional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
Industrialist	Persuasion: 10% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Research Methods: Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.	Security: You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts can be banked.
Long Hauler	Weightlifting: Increase total carrying capacity by 10 kilograms.	Piloting: You can now utilize ship thrusters.	Ballistic Weapon Systems: Ballistic ship weapons have 10% increased damage and cost 20% less to use in Targeting Mode.
Pilgrim	Scavenging: There's a chance you'll find extra credits when searching containers.	Gastronomy: You can craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.	Surveying: Adds an optional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
Professor	Astrodynamics: Increase grav jump range of jump drives by 15%.	Geology: Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from surface objects.	Research Methods: Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
Ronin	Stealth: Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25% more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 5% sneak attack damage.	Scavenging: There's a chance you'll find extra credits when searching containers.	Dueling: Melee weapons do 25% more damage. Take 10% less damage while wielding a melee weapon.
Sculptor	Persuasion: 10% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Medicine: Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits restore 10% additional Health 10% faster.	Geology: Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from surface objects.
Soldier	Fitness: You have 10% more oxygen available.	Ballistics: Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage.	Boost Pack Training: You can now utilize boost packs.
Space Scoundrel	Persuasion: 10% increased chance of success when persuading someone.	Pistol Certification: Pistols do 10% more damage.	Piloting: You can now utilize ship thrusters.
Xenobiologist	Fitness: You have 10% more oxygen available.	Lasers: Laser weapons do 10% more damage.	Surveying: Adds an optional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
[File Not Found]	Wellness: Increase your maximum health by 10%.	Ballistics: Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage.	Piloting: You can now utilize ship thrusters.

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