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As part of Starfield's robust character creation system, players will be able to choose a Background for their spacefarer, which provides specific starting skills and can also affect some dialogue options and interactions with NPCs.
In this guide, we provide you with the latest information on Starfield Backgrounds, including the three starting skills for each one and an official in-game description of the options available.
Update on 5 September 2023: We've updated the Starfield Backgrounds, descriptions and corresponding starting skills for each one, filling in all the blanks.
Starfield Backgrounds & Starting Skills Listed
From a Bounty Hunter to a Xenobiologist and even a Chef, there are a wide variety of Starfield Backgrounds to choose from when creating your character. Players must pick one Background for their character in Starfield once they've chosen their character's look and Biometric ID.
Bethesda note that the Backgrounds in Starfield help players decide who they want to be in the expansive universe, providing your character with a bit of backstory and starting you out with three (3) basic skills.
Below, you will find all the known Backgrounds in Starfield and the names of the first skills they provide the player character.
| Background | Starfield Skills | Official in-game description |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Homesteader |
|
The discovery of the Settled System's 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. |
| 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. |
| Long Hauler |
|
Let those other hothead pilots obsess over laser weapons and maneuverability. You're a space trucker, pure and simple. Pack the cargo, get it there fast, get paid, repeat. Life is simple and good. |
| 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. |
| Professor |
|
You've 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. |
| 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. |
| Sculptor |
|
With your knowledge of anatomy and skilled, steady hands, you could have become a surgeon. Instead, you followed your heart, and created works of art to amaze and inspire. |
| 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. |
| Space Scoundrel |
|
Good? Bad? Whose right is it to say? If there's anything you've learned traipsing through the galaxy, it's this: space may look black, but it's really one shade of grey. |
| Xenobiologist |
|
The Settled Systems is home to untold alien species. And while none of them have yet proven sentient, that never deterred you. So you sought out and studied them for whatever gifts they offered. |
| [FILE NOT FOUND] |
|
Oddly, there's no information on file about your past life. Clerical oversight? Deletion by some powerful unknown 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. |
We will update the table below as soon as information on more Backgrounds in Starfield become available.
At the time of writing, we know there are still the following Backgrounds that no official details are available on just yet:
- Space Scoundrel
- Soldier
- Sculptor
- Ronin
- Professor
- Pilgrim
- Long Hauler
- Industrialist
- Homesteader
The information in this article comes from the deep dive gameplay video where the developers walked fans through the Starfield character creation process. In case you've been living under some space rock and haven't seen it, you can check out the informative, 45-minute Starfield gameplay video below.
So there you have it, all the Starfield Backgrounds and their starting skills, alongside official in-game descriptions. As soon as more information on the remaining Backgrounds becomes available, we will endeavor to update this article with haste, so stay tuned, spacefarers!
