This article is part of a directory: Starfield: Com🐈plete Guide And Walkthrough

If you're thinking of picking up , or you've even grabbed it already, but you've not had time to boot it up, you might be wondering about the game's background options. This important aspect of character creation has been heavily touted by Bethesda as one of its most flexible features, and having given a few of them a shot, we don't disagree.

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Behold, here's a list of every available character background, and what exactly you're signing up for when you pick one!

Every Character Background In Starfield

Starfield cyberneticist background

In addition to listing the names of each background and the skills you'll start off with for each, we'll explain what exactly you're getting from each skill. Skills come in four ranks, and if you start out with one, you only begin with the first rank unlocked, so we'll talk exclusively about those initial bonuses here.

Background

Skill Boosts

Explanation

Beast Hunter
  1. Fitness
  2. Ballistics
  3. Gastronomy

  1. You have ten percent more oxygen available.
  2. Ballistics weapons do ten percent more damage.
  3. You can craft basic additional food and drinks, and research additional recipes.

Bouncer
  1. Boxing
  2. Security
  3. Fitness

  1. Unarmed attacks do 25 percent more damage. 25 percent less O2 used when using a power attack.
  2. You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and two auto attempts can be banked.
  3. You have ten percent more oxygen available.

Bounty Hunter
  1. Piloting
  2. Targeting Control Systems
  3. Boost Pack Training

  1. You can utilize ship thrusters.
  2. Unlocks ship targeting functionality.
  3. You can now utilize boost packs.

Chef
  1. Gastronomy
  2. Dueling
  3. Scavenging

  1. You can craft basic additional food and drinks, and research additional recipes.
  2. Melee weapons do 25 percent more damage. Take ten percent less damage while wielding a melee weapon.
  3. There's a chance you'll find extra credits when searching containers.

Combat Medic
  1. Pistol Certification
  2. Medicine
  3. Wellness

  1. Pistols do ten percent more damage.
  2. Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits restore ten percent additional health, ten percent faster.
  3. Increases your maximum health by ten percent.

Cyber Runner
  1. Stealth
  2. Security
  3. Theft

  1. Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25 percent more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do five percent more damage.
  2. You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and two auto attempts can be banked.
  3. Unlocks the ability to pickpocket targets.

Cyberneticist
  1. Medicine
  2. Security
  3. Lasers

  1. Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits restore ten percent additional health, ten percent faster.
  2. You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and two auto attempts can be banked.
  3. Laser weapons do ten percent more damage.

Diplomat
  1. Persuasion
  2. Commerce
  3. Wellness

  1. Ten percent increased chance of success when persuading someone.
  2. Buy for five percent less and sell for ten percent more.
  3. Increases your maximum health by ten percent.

Explorer
  1. Lasers
  2. Astrodynamics
  3. Surveying

  1. Laser weapons do ten percent more damage.
  2. Increases grav jump range of jump drives by 15 percent.
  3. Adds an additional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.

Gangster
  1. Shotgun Certification
  2. Boxing
  3. Theft

  1. Shotguns do ten percent more damage.
  2. Unarmed attacks do 25 percent more damage. 25 percent less O2 used when using a power attack.
  3. Unlocks the ability to pickpocket targets.

Homesteader
  1. Geology
  2. Surveying
  3. Weight Lifting

  1. Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from surface objects.
  2. Adds an additional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
  3. Increases total carrying capacity by ten kilograms.

Industrialist
  1. Persuasion
  2. Security
  3. Research Methods

  1. Ten percent increased chance of success when persuading someone.
  2. You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and two auto attempts can be banked.
  3. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by ten percent.

Long Hauler
  1. Weight Lifting
  2. Piloting
  3. Ballistic Weapons System

  1. Increases total carrying capacity by ten kilograms.
  2. You can utilize ship thrusters.
  3. Ballistic ship weapons have ten percent increased damage and cost 25 percent less to use in targeting mode.

Pilgrim
  1. Scavenging
  2. Surveying
  3. Gastronomy

  1. There's a chance you'll find extra credits when searching containers.
  2. Adds an additional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
  3. You can craft basic additional food and drinks, and research additional recipes.

Professor
  1. Astrodynamics
  2. Geology
  3. Research Methods

  1. Increases grav jump range of jump drives by 15 percent.
  2. Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from surface objects.
  3. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by ten percent.

Ronin
  1. Dueling
  2. Stealth
  3. Scavenging

  1. Melee weapons do 25 percent more damage. Take ten percent less damage while wielding a melee weapon.
  2. Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25 percent more difficult to detect when sneaking. Suppressed weapons do five percent more damage.
  3. There's a chance you'll find extra credits when searching containers.

Sculptor
  1. Medicine
  2. Geology
  3. Persuasion

  1. Med Packs, Trauma Packs, and Emergency Kits restore ten percent additional health, ten percent faster.
  2. Get more common and uncommon inorganic resources from surface objects.
  3. Ten percent increased chance of success when persuading someone.

Soldier
  1. Fitness
  2. Ballistics
  3. Boost Pack Training

  1. You have ten percent more oxygen available.
  2. Ballistics weapons do ten percent more damage.
  3. You can now utilize boost packs.

Space Scoundrel
  1. Pistol Certification
  2. Piloting
  3. Persuasion

  1. Pistols do ten percent more damage.
  2. You can utilize ship thrusters.
  3. Ten percent increased chance of success when persuading someone.

Xenobiologist
  1. Lasers
  2. Surveying
  3. Fitness

  1. Laser weapons do ten percent more damage.
  2. Adds an additional zoom to the hand scanner, and scan distance is increased to 20 meters.
  3. You have ten percent more oxygen available.

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  1. Your choice
  2. Your choice
  3. Your choice

Ideal if you know exactly what you want!

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