Starfield backgrounds: Best backstory to choose and why
You've got a role to play.
Creating your character is your first big mission in Bethesda’s massive new RPG, and you can spend hours doing just that before you even take your first steps in the open world.
One of the most important things to get right is your Starfield background.
Backgrounds are essentially your class in Starfield. Each one comes with its own three starting Novice-level skills, which determine the path your character will take in terms of a base play style.
You can always learn more skills and perks as you progress and level up, but the skills you start with will have a big impact in your opening hours of the game, at least.
Much like with certain races in Skyrim, too, your chosen background can affect dialogue and interactions with NPC characters. If you need help choosing the best background, you’re in the right place.
Read on to find out what the best Starfield backgrounds are and to see the full list of backgrounds and their perks/skills.
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What are the best Starfield backgrounds?
The best Starfield backgrounds will give you an early-game advantage and will prove useful in the opening hours of the title.
Our pick here at RadioTimes.com was Industrialist because it includes the Persuasion skill – a perk that is definitely worth having as it gives you an increased 10% chance of persuading someone.
Some backgrounds are more useful than others in the early hours of the game along with Industrialist, which is a great pick thanks to its Persuasion, Security and Research Methods skills.
File Not Found is a great pick if you want your character to have as open a backstory as possible and its skills – Wellness (increases your maximum health by 10%), Ballistics (increases Ballistic weapon damage by 10%, and Piloting (lets you use ship thrusters) – are fantastic to have throughout the game.
Another great background pick is Bounty Hunter. Not only is being a bounty hunter supremely cool, but its skills are solid options for the early game. Trust us, being able to use ship thrusters and boost packs as soon as possible is a life-saver. That Targeting Control Systems skill is a useful one, too, as it unlocks ship targeting.
Ultimately, thanks to being able to learn new skills as you level up, it doesn’t really matter what background you choose - and the given backstories are there to give your character more of a defined place in the game’s world and some better personalisation for your role-playing.
Read more on Starfield:
- Starfield review - our final verdict
- Starfield missions list - how far are you?
- Starfield tips and tricks - how to get started
- Starfield romance - all potential relationships
- Starfield character creation - all your options explained
- Starfield digipick - how to lockpick
- How long is Starfield? The hours you'll need
- Will Starfield ever come to PS5? Developer comments
- Starfield cast - all voice actors
- Starfield companions - who to recruit
- Starfield soundtrack - how to listen
- Starfield storage guide - don't be overburdened
- Starfield FOV - change your point of view
- Starfield FPS - developers explain 30fps
- Starfield PC requirements - specs needed
- Starfield performance - potential fixes
- Starfield factions - all possible groups
Full list of Starfield backgrounds and their perks
There are 21 backgrounds to choose from when creating your character in Starfield, each with three perks that set up a play style in the early hours of your adventure.
Here is the full list of Starfield backgrounds and their perks/skills:
- Beast Hunter | Fitness, Ballistics, Gastronomy
- Bouncer | Boxing, Security, Fitness
- Bounty Hunter | Piloting, Targeting Control Systems, Boost Pack Training
- Chef | Gastronomy, Dueling, Scavenging
- Combat Medic | Pistol Certification, Medicine, Wellness
- Cyber Runner | Security, Stealth, Theft
- Cyberneticist | Medicine, Lasers, Security
- Diplomat | Commerce, Persuasion, Wellness
- Explorer | Astrodynamics, Lasers, Surveying
- File Not Found | Piloting, Wellness, Ballistics
- Gangster | Theft, Shotgun Certification, Boxing
- Homesteader | Weight Lifting, Geology, Surveying
- Industrialist | Research Methods, Persuasion, Security
- Long Hauler | Ballistic Weapon Systems, Piloting, Weight Lifting
- Pilgrim | Surveying, Scavenging, Gastronomy
- Professor | Geology, Astrodynamics, Research Methods
- Ronin | Stealth, Scavenging, Dueling
- Sculptor | Geology, Medicine, Persuasion
- Soldier | Boost Pack Training, Fitness, Ballistics
- Space Scoundrel | Pistol Certification, Piloting, Persuasion
- Xenobiologist | Fitness, Surveying, Lasers
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Authors
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).
