{"id":36401,"date":"2023-09-01T13:59:18","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T11:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1882834"},"modified":"2023-09-02T04:02:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T02:02:05","slug":"starfield-character-creation-best-traits-backgrounds-explained","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/starfield-character-creation-best-traits-backgrounds-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Starfield character creation: Best traits & backgrounds explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

All of the options to get your space voyager looking ship-shape. <\/p>

By Matt Poskitt\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 01 September 2023 at 11:59 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Starfield character creation offers many different options and design choices to help make your astronaut stand out among the numerous humanoids found across the galaxy.<\/p>\n

Bethesda games like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls are known for their extensive options when it comes to character creation, and Starfield<\/a> only builds on that further.<\/p>\n

Everything from your body to your background to your Biometric ID can be customised. That\u2019s a lot to break down. And a lot of time that can easily get lost designing your character.<\/p>\n

To help make this a little bit simpler, we\u2019ve interrogated all of Starfield\u2019s character customisation options, including the main differences and how this can affect gameplay.<\/p>\n

If you do fancy a bit more time to get your character customisation in order, it might be worth jumping in ASAP via Starfield early access<\/a>. Anyone who does can start playing from 1st September 2023. Now then, onto the question at hand.<\/p>\n

Starfield character creation explained<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the earliest decisions in Starfield surrounds your character\u2019s customisation. Should I have short hair? Should I have long hair? How about a purple beard? These are the choices that are thrust upon you in the opening hour.<\/p>\n

There are five character customisation options: Biometric ID, Body, Face, Background and Traits.<\/p>\n

The good news is that Starfield doesn\u2019t force you to stick with your character design for the entirety of the game, if you don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n

There are several Enhance stores located across the Settled Systems, with one even found on New Atlantis on Jemison \u2013 near to where you first land.<\/p>\n

It costs 500 credits and lets you redo your appearance altogether, except for your Background and Traits. Those two directly impact gameplay and cannot be changed once selected at the start.<\/p>\n

Biometric ID<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Starfield\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Starfield character customisation: Biometric ID.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bethesda<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Biometric ID is the first option presented in Starfield. This is essentially the character\u2019s template, with 40 preset options to pick from, hopefully giving you an idea of where to begin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start your character journey as though you\u2019re cycling through employee records,\u201d said Bethesda lead animator Rick Vicens as part of the Starfield Direct<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the best way to think of it, with the rest of the options used to add originality to your character.<\/p>

Body<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Starfield\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Starfield character customisation: Body.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bethesda<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The second character customisation is Body. This is split into four sections: Body Shape, Body Type, Walk Style and Skin Tone. There are upwards of 100 different options to choose from, with Muscular, Thin and Heavy represented as the three main key traits.<\/p>\n

Face<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Starfield\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Starfield character customisation: Face.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bethesda<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Face setting has over 30 individual options to choose from. This is the final section that determines your Starfield character\u2019s appearance. See below for the full list:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Skin Tone<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Head Shapes<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Hair<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Hair Colour<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Facial Hair<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Facial Hair Colour<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Eyes<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Eye Colour<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Teeth<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Jaw<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Chin<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Neck<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Nose<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Ears<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Cheeks<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Mouth<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Jewellery<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Jewellery Colour<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Dermaesthetic<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \"Starfield\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
    Starfield character customisation: Background.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bethesda<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

    Background is a little different, with three separate skills assigned depending on which one you pick.<\/p>\n

    For instance, the Cyber Runner has Stealth, Security and Theft, whereas the Long Hauler has Weight Lifting, Piloting and Ballistic Weapon Systems.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s only a starting point, as every skill can be unlocked in Starfield regardless of which background you choose, but it does give some more personalised conversations with NPCs.\u00a0 The full list of background choices is as below:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Beast Hunter<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Bouncer<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Bounty Hunter<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Chef<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Combat Medic<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Cyber Runner<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Cyberneticist<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Diplomat<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Explorer<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Gangster<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Homesteader<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Industrialist<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Long Hauler<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Pilgrim<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Professor<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Ronin<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Traits<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \"Starfield\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
      Starfield character customisation: Alien DNA.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bethesda<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

      The final customisation option is Traits, granting you two passive effects: one positive and one negative.<\/p>\n

      Three different Traits can be selected, or none at all; they\u2019re completely optional. It can help bring up additional dialogue options, influencing the story in small ways. See below for the full list of Traits:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Alien DNA<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Dream Home<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Empath<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Extrovert<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Freestar Collective Settler<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Hero Worshipped<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Introvert<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Kid Stuff<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Neon Street Rat<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Raised Enlightened<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Raised Universal<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Serpent\u2019s Embrace<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Spaced<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Taskmaster<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Terra Firma<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • United Colonies Native<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Unwanted Hero<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Wanted<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>