Starfield's best properties: which one should you choose and why?

Starfield, Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG, is all about creating a character and having an adventure exploring a vast universe. However, before starting your journey, the game requires you to choose a background and assign characteristics to your character. In classic Bethesda RPG fashion, Starfield lets you choose from multiple available traits. The game is currently available in early access, and we’ve compiled a list of Starfield’s traits, so read it before you start roleplaying in space. Additionally, we have also written out Starfield’s Starfield characteristics, making it perfect for starter gameplay.

What are the characteristics of Starfield?

As touted by game director Todd Howard on Starfield Deep Dive, the game’s properties are the most flexible of any Bethesda title to date. These options add unique positive and negative modifiers to your character and change the way you experience the game.

The game allows you to choose up to three traits . If you want to play the game, you can choose the characteristics you like or choose none at all. Depending on your choices, your journey will be slightly different from other users in terms of exploration. However, please note that you cannot select a specific trait if you select other specific traits.

For example, if you choose to be an introvert, you cannot (obviously) be an extrovert at the same time. Similarly, aligning yourself with one religion does not allow you to choose another.

The best starfield properties you should choose

Given that there are so many options available in front of you, some may wonder which trait to choose. After all, each trait has its own advantages and disadvantages (more on that below). It’s a good idea to choose the best character you have in mind and create it. Traits do not affect the game in a broad sense. But they serve as flavor for the characters and add even more fun to the RPG. Having said that, we believe that the following characteristics should be selected to give the gameplay even a slight advantage:

• empath
• extroverted
• terra firma

Choosing the three starfield properties listed above is the preferred choice for several reasons. You’ll often be exploring the world of Starfield with companions, and that’s taken into account when choosing the Empath and Extrovert traits. Extroversion reduces oxygen consumption when with a party, and Empath increases combat efficiency when making favorable decisions in line with allies. Both traits therefore give you a boost during gunfights and hostile encounters.

For the third trait, you must choose Terra Firma (instead of the Spaced trait). Terra Firma is great for exploration as it allows you to use less oxygen on the surface of the planet where you will be spending more time in the game. This means less oxygen is needed to run around the planet, which takes a backseat during hostile encounters.

If you wish to trade any of these traits, we recommend choosing either faction-based or religion-based traits for roleplaying. Depending on your motivations, you can choose one of three colony-based roleplay traits or one of three religion-based roleplay traits. Neither offers any advantages in hostile situations, but they do offer additional roleplay content and free rewards.

For example, choosing to become a Street Rat, Freestar Collective Settler, or UC Settler opens up a number of new interaction options with NPCs belonging to your faction. In some cases, you can also receive better rewards and unique side quests . Similarly, if you choose to become Enlightened or Universal, you will receive some special items from the buildings of each religion. So if you care about these things, you can choose one of the RPG lore traits.

Explain all 17 characteristics of Starfield

Below are all the confirmed traits for Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG Starfield, but you can only choose three when building your character in-game.

• alien dna
• dream home
• empath
• extroverted
• Free Star Collective Settlers
• a revered hero
• introvert
• things for kids
• neon street rat
• enlightened
• raised universal
• Snake’s Embrace
• at intervals
• task master
• terra firma
• united colonies native
• Currently recruiting

1. Alien DNA

• Pros: Increased health and oxygen
• Disadvantages: Reduced amount of recovery from recovery items and food

Have you ever wanted to play a character who goes through clinical trials to become unique? With the Alien DNA perk, you can do just that. According to the official description, selecting this trait permanently increases your health and oxygen stats. However, to balance things out, consuming food and healing items will restore less health and oxygen.

2. Dream Home

• Advantage: owns a luxurious home
• Cons: Requires weekly mortgage payments of 125,000 credits.

Everyone wants to own a luxurious home at least once in their life, and at Starfield you can make that dream come true. However, just like in real life, living in Starfield requires climbing a ladder.

Luckily, one of the traits, Dream House, allows you to own a shelter in Starfield by default. However, you will have to worry about paying off your mortgage early in the game. That too every week.

3. Empath

• Advantages: Performing actions preferred by your allies will temporarily improve your combat efficiency.
• Cons: Doing the opposite will reduce combat efficiency.

One of the few roleplaying traits, an empath can treat everyone in the game fairly and kindly. This allows not only you but also your allies in Starfield to gain temporary combat effects. However, if you do anything slightly anti-social or undesirable, your overall combat effectiveness will decrease.

4.Extroverted

• Pros: Adventures in a group consume less oxygen
• Cons: Venturing alone consumes more oxygen
• incompatible with introversion

Extroverts are the driving force behind all relationships. Naturally, Starfield also increases your stamina, energy, and lung capacity. Extroverted adventurers consume less oxygen when adventuring with companions. But whenever you go out alone, you start consuming more oxygen. Maybe you hyperventilate when you’re alone for too long?

5. Free Star Collective Settler

• Pros: Access unique conversations and get better rewards in faction missions
• Cons: Increases bounty for crimes against other factions
• Not compatible with Neon Street Rat and United Colonies Native

The Free Star Collective was one of the Starfield factions that united and occupied certain planets across the universe. Therefore, you can roleplay as a citizen of this particular faction . If you meet a fellow Freestar Collective colonist, you will have unique conversation options. These are separate from the standard dialogue choices and provide a special part of the story.

You can also earn better rewards by helping your faction with certain tasks. However, if you go against the Freestar Collective, the bounty will be even higher. As a result, powerful enemies will come to get you.

6. Worshiped Hero

• Pros: Gain a companion of enthusiasts who will give you gifts.
• Cons: Acquire Adoring Fan Companion

Remember Adoring Fan from The Elder Scrolls 4? Well, he found his way into the Starfield. Selecting the Hero Worship trait will randomly spawn fans to worship you. Since he is your admirer, he will also give you gifts.

The only downside to this trait is that NPCs can become annoying. Also, if he’s anything like The Elder Scrolls 4, Adoring fans will be completely useless during gunfights.

7. Introvert

• Pros: Adventures alone consume less oxygen
• Cons: Adventures with a team consume more oxygen
• incompatible with extroversion

Extroverts are the center of society, while introverts are the opposite. They are more laid back and prefer to be in their own zone. This particular trait attempts to encapsulate that emotion. In the game, introverts consume less oxygen when running around and doing chores. However, forming a party will increase oxygen consumption.

8. Something for kids

• Pros: I have living parents who I can visit and interact with.
• Cons: Requires at least 2% of credit to be sent home

Typically, most RPGs force you to be a lonely wanderer without a family. However, you can meet the parents in Starfield through the Kids Staff trait. Selecting this will add your character’s parents to the game, allowing them to visit you at any time. However, having a family means taking care of them, and choosing this benefit means that at least 2% of your income will be sent to your family.

9. Neon Street Rat

• Pros: Access unique conversation options and get better rewards in Neon’s missions.
• Cons: Increases crime bounties from other factions.
• Not compatible with Freestar Collective Settler and United Colonies Native

Neon is a city on one of the settled planets of Starfield and is part of the Freestar Collective. On a planet filled with poverty and contrasting class status, you can roleplay as a street urchin, or neon street rat as it’s officially called. Selecting this trait will give you access to unique conversations specific to Street Rats. Higher mission rewards are also offered, but only in neon. However, crime bounties from other factions will increase.

10. Enlightened

• Pros: Provides access to special items in the House of Enlightened in New Atlantis
• Cons: Loss of access to Sanctum Universum items.
• Not compatible with Raised Universal and Serpent’s Embrace

One of the two religions in Starfield, the Raised Enlightened, allows you to access a chest located in the House of Enlightened in New Atlantes, Starfield. This chest contains special items that you can use throughout your playthrough.

There is no real downside to choosing Raised Enlightened, other than the fact that you lose access to special items elsewhere in New Atlantis.

11. Raised Universal

• Pros: Access to special items in the Sanctum Universe in New Atlantis
• Cons: House of Enlightened items no longer accessible.
• Not compatible with Raised Enlightened and Serpent’s Embrace

Raised Universal is the second religion in the game. Selecting this trait will give you access to the treasure chest located in the Sanctum Universe in Starfield’s New Atlantis. Similar to the previous trait, this chest contains unique items that will help you through your playthrough. However, if you choose Raised Universal, you will no longer have access to the House of Enlightened chest.

12. Snake’s Embrace

• Pros: Grav Jumping provides temporary health and increased oxygen.
• Cons: If you don’t jump regularly, your health and oxygen will decrease
• Raised Enlightened and Raised Universal are not compatible

Serpent’s Embrace is a cult that worships a serpent god located in the Starfield. Therefore, selecting this trait will give you certain benefits. As a member of Serpent’s Embrace, you will temporarily gain more health and oxygen with each grab jump. This can be very useful in certain situations. However, it also makes you addicted to jumping as you need to grab jump from time to time. Otherwise, health and oxygen will decrease.

13. Space out

• Pros: Being in space increases your health and oxygen
• Disadvantages: Being on the surface reduces your health and oxygen.
• Not compatible with Terrafirma.

The Spaced trait allows you to become a true star explorer in Straffield – someone who lived in space. This improves lung capacity and increases health and oxygen uptake in space. However, your health and oxygen will decrease when you land on the ground.

14. Taskmaster

• Advantages: If you have a crew trained in a ship’s systems, those systems will automatically repair themselves if less than 50% damage occurs.
• Cons: Costs twice as much to hire a full crew

Starfield has multiple companions with specific perk skills and traits. Therefore, taskmaster skills are useful if you plan to fill a specific job role. If a ship system has a trained crew, they will automatically repair that particular ship system once the damage is mitigated.

The downside to this trait is that it increases the cost of hiring companions. However, keep in mind that Starfield is not a multiplayer or cooperative game, so you can only rely on NPCs, not real-life friends.

15. Terra Firma

• Pros: Increases health and oxygen while on the ground
• Cons: Being in space reduces health and oxygen.
• Not compatible with spaces

Terra Firma lets you roleplay as a novice space explorer who has lived his life on Earth. So, landing on the water surface and walking on it will increase your health and oxygen. However, when you go to space, your physical strength and oxygen levels decrease.

16. United Colony Natives

• Pros: You can access unique dialogues in United Colonies and receive better rewards.
• Cons: Increases crime bounties from other factions.
• Not compatible with Freestar Collective Settler and Neon Street Rat

The United Colonies is another faction looking to colonize newly discovered planets. So you can roleplay as a University of California graduate living on one of the colonized planets. Selecting this trait will allow you to use unique UC-specific dialogue when speaking to your fellow settlers. However, bounties for crimes received from other factions will also increase.

17. Recruiting

• Advantages: Deals additional damage when health is low.
• Cons: Armed mercenaries will randomly appear and kill you.

Finally, let’s say you want to roleplay as a ruthless space pirate in a starfield with unique characteristics. And the whole space wants to compete to beat you. The Wanted property makes that possible. It makes you a scary person and allows you to deal more damage when your health is low. However, the downside is that mercenaries will occasionally appear randomly trying to claim your bounty.