Backgrounds will be chosen during Character Creation in Starfield, and will set up a baseline for your character's starting abilities and what they will be proficient at early on in the game. Sometimes these choices will also affect gameplay in other ways, such as unlocking special dialogue options in some situations.
Below we have listed the Backgrounds that we currently know about, along with their effect. Please keep in mind that this information comes from pre-release footage or Starfield, so it may have changed come release.
Starfield Backgrounds List
There are 16 different backgrounds in Starfield. However at the moment we only have information about six of them. This information is listed in the table below:
Background Name | Description | Starting Skills |
Chef | 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 became true culinary masterpieces. | Gastronomy, Dueling, Scavenging |
Combat Medic | 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. | Pistol Certification, Medicine, Wellness |
Cyber Runner | 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. | Stealth, Security, Theft |
Cyberneticist | 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. | Medicine, Security, Lasers |
Diplomat | The wars are over. Peace now reigns in 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. | Persuasion, Commerce, Wellness |
Explorer | 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. | Lasers, Astrodynamics, Surveying |
There are ten other Backgrounds that we don't have any specific information about yet. These are:
- Beast Hunter
- Bouncer
- Bounty Hunter
- Gangster
- Homesteader
- Industrialist
- Long Hauler
- Pilgrim
- Professor
- Ronin