How to choose the best background in Starfield for you

a broken spacesuit helmet sitting on a shelf in Starfield
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks

Here are all the backgrounds and their respective skills

Choosing a Starfield background is mandatory as you create your character in the “One Small Step” mission.

Backgrounds are a history for your character that also grants you three predetermined unlocked skills at the start of the game. Worry not, as these won’t be the only skills you get. You’ll get many, many more as you level up and progress.

How important are backgrounds? They will have some sway on dialogue options that randomly become available to you, but based on our experiences, that’s rare enough that you don’t need to base your choice on it. In choosing the best background for you, you should really focus on the three skills you want to start Starfield with.

The best background in Starfield for you

Our list of the best skills can elaborate on what background to choose if you’re uncertain which one you should prioritize. Based on our experiences with various skills in Starfield, though, these are the five best backgrounds for the early game:

  • Industrialist
  • Bounty Hunter
  • Soldier
  • Diplomat
  • Cyber Runner

At the end of the day, the best background is whichever one suits your desired playstyle; you should pick whichever skills you value the most. But based on our collective playtime, here’s why we think these are the five best backgrounds to choose in Starfield.

Industrialist

The bustling city of Neon in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Starting the game with a point each in Security (which helps you pick locks) and Persuasion (which helps you talk your way out of firefights) goes a long way toward playing the early game without conflict. Playing as an Industrialist also opens up helpful dialogue options during UC Vanguard faction quests.

Bounty Hunter

A ship flies through space in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks

Play as a Bounty Hunter and you’ll start out with a skill point in Piloting, which means you’re one step closer to being able to captain B- and C-class ships without having to invest in the skill. Boost Pack Training lets you get more use out of your boostpack. Targeting Control Systems makes ship combat a bit easier — not mandatory for the long haul but helpful in the early game, as you’re getting used to dogfights.

Soldier

An interstellar traveler holds a gun in Starfield. Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Starfield often devolves into combat, especially in the early hours. The Fitness and Ballistics skills give anyone playing as a Soldier an edge — granting more oxygen and increasing gun damage respectively — while Boost Pack Training is just plain fun.

Diplomat

The player persuades their way into Slayton in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

As mentioned, the power of Persuasion cannot be overstated in Starfield, but the Diplomat comes with an additional skill: Commerce, which allows you to buy items for less and sell items for more. The raw percentage amount isn’t huge, per se, but as you’re getting your feet under you, every credit counts!

Cyber Runner

An explorer looks at a red Ryujin Industries kiosk in New Atlantis in Starfield while trying to join a faction. Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Cyber Runner is the closest thing to a stealthy loadout you can get at the start of Starfield. Theft grants you the ability to pickpocket targets, while Stealth (the skill, not the general practice) makes you 25% harder to detect, and adds a detection meter to your HUD. These skills are paramount if you plan on aligning yourself with the Ryujin Industries faction.

Starfield backgrounds list

Below, we’ve listed out all the backgrounds you can choose in Starfield, and the various skills associated with them.

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