Bounty Hunter? Chef? Soldier? Your Starfield background says a lot about your past – here’s how it affects your character’s future.
How Backgrounds Work in Starfield
There are 21 possible starting backgrounds in Starfield. Each Background gives your character Rank 1 in three specific skills, such as Pistol Certification, Medicine, and Wellness for the Combat Medic. These skills are essentially free, giving your character a jump-start into whatever path you choose, so choose wisely! All 21 background options are listed below for reference.
Beast Hunter
Description: 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. Starting skills: Fitness, Ballistics, Gastronomy
Bouncer
Description: 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. Starting skills: Boxing, Security, Fitness
Bounty Hunter
Description: 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. Starting skills: Piloting, Targeting Control Systems, Boost Pack Training
Chef
Description: 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 become true culinary masterpieces. Starting skills: Gastronomy, Dueling, Scavenging
Combat Medic
Description: 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. Starting skills: Pistol Certification, Medicine, Wellness
Cyber Runner
Description: 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. Starting skills: Stealth, Security, Theft
Cyberneticist
Description: 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. Starting skills: Medicine, Security, Lasers
Diplomat
Description: The wars are over. Peace now reigns 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. Starting skills: Persuasion, Commerce, Wellness
Explorer
Description: 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. Starting skills: Lasers, Astrodynamics, Surveying
Gangster
Description: 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. Starting skills: Shotgun Certification, Boxing, Theft
Homesteader
Description: The discovery of the Settled Systems’ 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. Starting skills: Geology, Surveying, Weight Lifting
Industrialist
Description: 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. Starting skills: Persuasion, Security, Research Methods
Long Hauler
Description: Let those other hotheaded 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. Starting skills: Weight Lifting, Piloting, Ballistic Weapon Systems
Pilgrim
Description: 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. Starting skills: Scavenging, Surveying, Gastronomy
Professor
Description: You 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. Starting skills: Astrodynamics, Geology, Research Methods
Ronin
Description: 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. Starting skills: Dueling, Stealth, Scavenging
Sculptor
Description: With your knowledge of anatomy and skilled, steady hands, you could have had a lucrative career as a surgeon. Instead, you followed your heart, and created works of art to amaze and inspire. Starting skills: Medicine, Geology, Persuasion
Soldier
Description: 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. Starting skills: Fitness, Ballistics, Boost Pack Training
Space Scoundrel
Description: 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. Starting skills: Pistol Certification, Piloting, Persuasion
Xenobiologist
Description: 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. Starting skills: Lasers, Surveying, Fitness
[File Not Found]
Description: Oddly, there is 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… Starting skills: Wellness, Ballistics, Piloting
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