Starfield Backgrounds: All 21 backgrounds and best to worst tier list

Here our Starfield Backgrounds guide will detail all 21 backgrounds and their skills, and we will also provide a Starfield backgrounds tier list.

Before embarking on your journey through Starfield’s expansive star map, you’ll face some crucial decisions. Who is your character, and what are their skills, traits, and background?

Starfield backgrounds grant you three initial Skills, even before you begin playing. Your choice here holds significance because these three abilities can shape your initial hours in the game. But rest assured, your choice is not set in stone, as backgrounds won’t pigeonhole you into a rigid path or class. Here our Starfield Backgrounds guide will detail all 21 backgrounds and their skills, and we will also provide a Starfield backgrounds tier list.

All Starfield Backgrounds

Starfield backgrounds provide you with three Skills during character creation, and there are 21 to choose from. These backgrounds reflect your character’s past experiences before venturing into the realm of space mining.

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Let’s explore the full list of Starfield backgrounds:

Starfield Beast Hunter Background:

Your forte lies in hunting menacing creatures and surviving extraterrestrial onslaughts. As the Beast Hunter, you receive enhancements to your oxygen levels, akin to your stamina, proficiency in wielding ballistic weapons, and culinary skills – ingeniously using what you hunt.

• Fitness – Increases available O2.
• Ballistics – Enhances damage with ballistic weapons.
• Gastronomy – Allows crafting of special food and drink, and researching additional recipes.

Starfield Bouncer Background:

With a past life as a club bouncer, you’re in remarkable physical shape, making hand-to-hand combat your preferred method. Surprisingly, you also possess Security Skills, focused more on countering security systems through hacking than providing actual security.

• Boxing – Boosts unarmed attack damage and reduces O2 consumption.
• Security – Enables hacking of advanced locks and provides more auto attempts.
• Fitness – Increases available O2.

Starfield Bounty Hunter Background:

As a seasoned spacefarer, you scoured the cosmos for bounties, gaining expertise in piloting your ship and maximizing its weaponry. You’ve even received training in using boost packs for those moments when you’re on foot. Opt for this background if you desire swift and secure traversal across the galaxy.

• Piloting – Proficiency in ship thrusters and access to better ships.
• Targeting Control Systems – Unlocks and enhances ship targeting systems.
• Boost Pack Training – Unlocks and enhances boost packs.

Starfield Chef Background:

Formerly a chef specializing in extraterrestrial cuisine, your skills extend to crafting exotic food and combat prowess with melee weapons. Ingredients can be found across the Settled Systems, and your Scavenging Skill proves invaluable.

• Gastronomy – Enables crafting of special food and drink, and researching additional recipes.
• Dueling – Increases melee damage and reduces damage taken while wielding a melee weapon.
• Scavenging – Provides extra resources when looting containers.

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Starfield Combat Medic Background:

For self-sufficient space exploration, choose the Combat Medic background. It empowers you with proficiency in small arms through Pistol Certification, augmented health, and access to superior healing items.

• Pistol certification – Enhances damage dealt with pistols.
• Medicine – Boosts the effectiveness of Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits.
• Wellness – Increases maximum health.

Starfield Cyber Runner Background:

Embrace clandestine operations and sabotage as a Cyber Runner. Your skills excel in stealth with suppressed weaponry, lock picking, hacking, and covert property acquisition without getting detected.

• Stealth – Adds a Stealth Meter and makes you harder to detect while sneaking.
• Security – Enables hacking of advanced locks and provides more auto attempts.
• Theft – Unlocks and enhances pickpocketing capabilities.

Starfield Cyberneticist Background:

Advocating for the fusion of man and machine, your Cyberneticist background blesses you with advanced healing items, mastery over high-tech locks and terminals, and expertise in wielding laser weapons.

• Medicine – Boosts the effectiveness of Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits.
• Security – Enables hacking of advanced locks and provides more auto attempts.
• Lasers – Increases damage dealt with laser weapons.

Starfield Diplomat Background:

Unsurprisingly, the Diplomat excels in interpersonal skills. Your persuasion abilities are finely tuned, making negotiations smoother, and you enjoy favorable terms with merchants – a valuable asset when interacting with Starfield’s various factions.

• Persuasion – Increases the chance of success when persuading someone.
• Commerce – Reduces the cost of buying items and increases selling prices.
• Wellness – Increases maximum health.

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Starfield Explorer Background:

As a former explorer, you possess profound knowledge of advanced grav drive technology and planet surveying. This background facilitates extensive travel and efficient resource gathering, making it perfect for players focused on exploring Starfield’s diverse planets.

• Lasers – Increases damage dealt with laser weapons.
• Astrodynamics – Improves your ship’s grav drive.
• Surveying – Enhances the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.

Starfield Gangster Background:

With a background as a ruthless mobster, close-quarters combat is your forte, whether through fists or shotguns. The Theft Skill also allows you to seize what you desire once the dust settles.

• Shotgun Certification – Enhances damage dealt with shotguns.
• Boxing – Boosts unarmed attack damage and reduces O2 consumption.
• Theft – Unlocks and enhances pickpocketing capabilities.

Starfield Homesteader Background:

For those seeking to settle on planets, the Homesteader background is ideal. Enhanced surveying skills aid in scouting suitable planets, while Weight Lifting and Geology Skills facilitate resource extraction.

• Geology – Increases the yield of less common inorganic resources from surface objects.
• Surveying – Enhances the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
• Weight Lifting – Increases carrying capacity.

Starfield Industrialist Background:

The Industrialist background propels you into the role of a space-age tech CEO. This blend of technical know-how and persuasion allows you to navigate the stars while the Research Methods Skill aids in crafting weapons, outposts, spacesuits, and more at Research Stations.

• Persuasion – Increases the chance of success when persuading someone.
• Security – Enables hacking of advanced locks and provides more auto attempts.
• Research Methods – Reduces resource requirements for completing Research Projects and crafting items.

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Starfield Long Hauler Background:

You’re not a high-tech space pilot but a humble space trucker, transporting cargo from one system to another. Proficiency in Piloting and Ballistic Weapon Systems ensures smooth interstellar travel and self-defense. Weight Lifting enhances cargo handling.

• Weight Lifting – Increases carrying capacity.
• Piloting – Proficiency in using ship thrusters.
• Ballistic Weapon Systems – Enhances ballistic weapons on your ship.

Starfield Pilgrim Background:

Seasoned in travel and survival, the Pilgrim’s Scavenging and Gastronomy Skills help gather food, materials, and resources for essential sustenance. Utilize your Scanner and Surveying Skill to thoroughly explore every planet you set foot on.

• Scavenging – Provides extra resources when looting containers.
• Surveying – Enhances the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
• Gastronomy – Allows crafting of special food and drink, and researching additional recipes.

Starfield Professor Background:

Your purpose in Starfield is to immerse yourself in science. As a Professor, you possess a head start in grav drive technology for your ship, knowledge of planetary geology, and exceptional research methods to unlock new discoveries.

• Astrodynamics – Improves your ship’s grav drive.
• Geology – Increases the yield of less common inorganic resources from surface objects.
• Research Methods – Reduces resource requirements for completing Research Projects and crafting items.

Starfield Ronin Background:

A former mercenary of the stars, your expertise lies in melee combat and stealth. The Dueling and Stealth Skills are your allies, and the Scavenging Skill proves invaluable when sourcing necessities in the field.

• Dueling – Increases melee damage and reduces damage taken while wielding a melee weapon.
• Stealth – Adds a Stealth Meter and makes you harder to detect while sneaking.
• Scavenging – Provides extra resources when looting containers.

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Starfield Sculptor Background:

The Sculptor, with a unique background, blends science and artistry. Proficiency in Medicine and Persuasion is your forte. You also gain expertise in Geology, aiding you in sourcing alien materials for sculpting.

• Medicine – Boosts the effectiveness of Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits.
• Geology – Increases the yield of less common inorganic resources from surface objects.
• Persuasion – Increases the chance of success when persuading someone.

Starfield Soldier Background:

With military training, the Starfield Soldier background equips you with useful skills. Fitness and Boost Pack Training ensure mobility on or near the ground, while the Ballistics Skill ensures your proficiency with rifles.

• Fitness – Increases available O2.
• Ballistics – Enhances damage with ballistic weapons.
• Boost Pack Training – Unlocks and enhances boost packs.

Starfield Space Scoundrel Background:

If you always have a blaster at your side and relish lines like “Never tell me the odds,” then the Space Scoundrel background is for you. Navigate situations through persuasion or firepower and rely on your piloting prowess to escape into your spaceship.

• Pistol certification – Enhances damage dealt with pistols.
• Piloting – Proficiency in using ship thrusters.
• Persuasion – Increases the chance of success when persuading someone.

Starfield Xenobiologist Background:

Grounded in Xenobiology, you excel in planet surveying for alien life and evading hostile entities. The Surveying and Fitness Skills greatly assist during field exploration, and carrying a laser weapon ensures you’re prepared for unforeseen threats.

• Lasers – Increases damage dealt with laser weapons.
• Surveying – Enhances the range and zoom level of your hand scanner.
• Fitness – Increases available O2.

Starfield File Not Found Background:

A “File Not Found” background signifies you’re an ordinary individual amidst the stars. This blank canvas allows you to shape your character without committing to specialized Skills, making it a versatile choice.

• Wellness – Increases maximum health.
• Ballistics – Enhances damage with ballistic weapons.
• Piloting – Proficiency in using ship thrusters.

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Starfield Backgrounds Tier List

Now that you have the basic idea of each background, check out the Starfield backgrounds tier list, ranking all 21 Starfield backgrounds from worst to greatest.

• Professor
• Pilgrim
• Cyberneticist
• Explorer
• Gangster
• Xenobiologist
• Industrialist
• Sculptor
• Chef
• Ronin
• Bouncer
• Homesteader
• Diplomat
• Bounty Hunter
• Space Scoundrel
• Combat Medic
• Soldier
• Cyber Runner
• Long Hauler
• Beast Hunter
• [File Not Found]

The worst-ranked background is “Professor,” criticized for offering skills like Geology and Research Notes that don’t provide immediate benefits. Similarly, “Pilgrim” is deemed lackluster due to its focus on food crafting, and “Cyberneticist” is criticized for starting with a useless skill. “Explorer” is ranked low for its emphasis on Laser skill and Astrodynamics, which don’t offer substantial early-game advantages. “Gangster” is considered too specialized, with an emphasis on shotguns and Boxing, which isn’t ideal for the early game.

As the rankings progress, backgrounds like “Diplomat” and “Bounty Hunter” are commended for their valuable starting skills, and “Combat Medic” is praised for offering both survivability and pistol specialization. “Long Hauler” is recognized for its Weight Lifting and Ballistic Weapon Systems skills, making it a well-rounded choice. “Beast Hunter” earns high marks for its Ballistics and Fitness skills, but “File Not Found” is ranked at the top for its balanced combination of Ballistics, Wellness, and Piloting skills.

How do you select Starfield backgrounds?

After you launch Starfield, a brief introductory scene will play and you’ll get to create your character and choose three optional traits and a background. These backgrounds can influence NPC dialogues and provide three starting skills, each offering unique benefits. Remember, your choice isn’t binding; you can freely choose and upgrade other skills as you progress in the game.

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