Starfield Best Backgrounds: All Backgrounds explained

What is the best Starfield background?

If you’ve just started Starfield and you’re building your character, you may want to know what the best Starfield background is, and what each of the Starfield backgrounds actually do.

Well, thankfully this guide explains every single one of the Starfield backgrounds so that you can begin your journey on the right foot.

Starfield Guides:

Starfield New Game Plus | Starfield Contraband | Crimson Fleet quests | Ryujin Industries quests | Freestar Collective quests | Starfield fast XP gain | Starfield boost pack | Starfield console commands

Starfield Best Background: What is a background?

In Starfield, you’ll be asked to select your background as part of the game’s character creation. There are 21 different backgrounds, each of which means that you’ll start the game with a different set of beginner skills. These skills are a part of the Starfield skill tree, which you can learn all about in our Starfield skill tree guide. Here’s the main thing, to remember when picking your best Starfield background, you’ll eventually have access to every skill in the game, so you don’t have to worry about it too much.

Starfield Best Background: All Backgrounds explained

Below we’ve listed every single background in Starfield as well as a brief explanation of what all of the starting skills do.

It’s really worth remembering that within a few hours of starting your Starfield journey, you’ll have leveled up enough times to put as many skill points into other skills as you’d like, so we wouldn’t put too much stock in this choice, other than if you’re really into role-playing a certain character.

Beast Hunter

Skills

• Fitness
  • You have more oxygen available.
• Ballistics
  • Ballistic weapons do more damage.
• Gastronomy
  • You can now craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.

Bouncer

Skills

• Boxing
  • Unarmed attacks do more damage.
• Security
  • You can now attempt to hack advanced locks. Further tiers include more difficult locks.
• Fitness
  • You have more oxygen available.

Bounter Hunter

Skills

• Piloting
  • You can now utilize in-ship thrusters. Further tiers allow you to pilot higher-tier ships.
• Targeting Control Systems
  • You can now use your ship’s targeting functionality.
• Boost Pack Training
  • You can now use the boost pack. Further tiers increase the effectiveness of the packs.

Chef

Skills

• Gastronomy
  • You can now craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.
• Dueling
  • Melee weapons do more damage.
• Scavenging
  • Increased chance to find extra credits when looting.

Combat Medic

Skills

• Pistol Certification
  • Pistols do more damage.
• Medicine
  • Med packs and other medicines are more effective.
• Wellness
  • Your maximum health is increased.

Cyber Runner

Skills

• Stealth
  • Adds a stealth meter.
• Security
  • You can now attempt to hack advanced locks. Further tiers unlock more difficult locks.
• Theft
  • Unlocks the ability to pickpocket targets. Further tiers increase your chance of success.

Cyberneticist

Skills

• Medicine
  • Med packs and other medicines are more effective.
• Security
  • You can now attempt to hack advanced locks. Further tiers unlock more difficult locks.
• Lasers
  • Laser weapons now do more damage.

Diplomat

Skills

• Persuasion
  • You can now use Persuasion options in conversation.
• Commerce
  • Get discounts from vendors, and sell your items for more credits.
• Wellness
  • Your maximum health is increased.

Explorer

Skills

• Lasers
  • Laser weapons now do more damage.
• Astrodynamics
  • You now have increased grav jump range.
• Surveying
  • Adds a zoom to the hand scanner and increases scanning distance.

Gangster

Skills

• Shotgun Certification
  • Shotguns do increased damage.
• Boxing
  • Unarmed attacks do more damage.
• Theft
  • Unlocks the ability to pickpocket targets. Further tiers increase your chance of success.

Homesteader

Skills

• Geology
  • Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from planetary objects.
• Surveying
  • Adds a zoom to the hand scanner and increases scanning distance.
• Weight Lifting
  • Your carry weight is increased.

Industrialist

Skills

• Persuasion
  • Increased chance of success when persuading someone.
• Security
  • You can now attempt to hack advanced locks. Further tiers include more difficult locks.
• Research Methods
  • Resources required to craft are reduced by 10%.

Long Hauler

Skills

• Weight Lifting
  • Your carry weight is increased.
• Piloting
  • You can now utilize in-ship thrusters. Further tiers allow you to pilot higher-tier ships.
• Ballistic Weapon Systems
  • Ballistic weapons do more damage.

Pilgrim

Skills

• Scavenging
  • Increased chance to find extra credits when looting.
• Surveying
  • Adds a zoom to the hand scanner and increases scanning distance.
• Gastronomy
  • You can now craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.

Professor

Skills

• Astrodynamics
  • Increased grav jump range.
• Geology
  • Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from planetary objects.
• Research Methods
  • Resources required to craft are reduced by 10%.

Ronin

Skills

• Dueling
  • Melee weapons do more damage.
• Stealth
  • Adds a Stealth Meter. You are more difficult to detect while sneaking. Suppressed weapons do more damage.
• Scavenging
  • Increased chance to find extra credits when looting.

Sculptor

Skills

• Medicine
  • Med packs and other healing items are more effective.
• Geology
  • Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from planetary objects.
• Persuasion
  • Increased chance of success when persuading someone.

Soldier

Skills

• Fitness
  • You have more oxygen available.
• Ballistics
  • Ballistic weapons do more damage.
• Boost Pack Training
  • You can now use the boost pack. Further tiers increase the effectiveness of the packs.

Space Scoundrel

Skills

• Pistol Certification
  • Pistols do more damage.
• Persuasion
  • Increased chance of success when persuading someone.

Xenobiologist

Skills

• Lasers
  • Laser weapons do more damage.
• Surveying
  • Adds a zoom to the hand scanner and increases scanning distance.
• Fitness
  • You have more oxygen available.

FILE NOT FOUND

Skills

• Wellness
  • Your maximum health is increased.
• Ballistics
  • Ballistic weapons do more damage.
• Piloting
  • You can now utilize in-ship thrusters. Further tiers allow you to pilot higher-tier ships.