Traits in Starfield give out different perks that can change the way players experience the game and the way how their characters interact with their environment. Picking these traits is purely optional, so it is up to the player whether they want a bit more color in their character. Read ahead as we talk more about the available traits in Starfield as well as which ones are the best ones to go for in certain play styles.
Starfield Traits Explained
There are a total of 17 different traits that can be chosen from in Starfield. Players can choose up to three traits at the start of the game, or they can choose none as they are purely optional. Most Traits have upsides and downsides that can slightly affect different parts of a character’s gameplay, although they are not too consequential.
Traits can only be added during character creation, but they can be removed later on, and the method of removal will differ depending on the trait itself. Trait removal is permanent and so it cannot be reversed.
There are traits that are mutually exclusive to one another, meaning that they can’t coexist and only one or the other/s can be chosen for a character.
- Alien DNA
- Dream Home
- Empath
- Extrovert
- Freestar Collective Settler
- Hero Worshipped
- Introvert
- Kid Stuff
- Neon Street Rat
- Raised Enlightened
- Raised Universal
- Serpent’s Embrace
- Spaced
- Taskmaster
- Terra Firma
- United Colonies Native
- Wanted
There was another trait known as Unwanted Hero that was shown in an earlier build. However, its effects were not known and it was also unknown whether it was fully removed, renamed (to Wanted), or if it will be added back as part of a future expansion.
Alien DNA
“You volunteered for a controversial experiment that combines alien and human DNA. As a result, you start with increased health and oxygen, but healing and food items aren’t as effective.”
Alien DNA provides increased Health and Oxygen, but you’ll get reduced healing and reduced effects from food items. This trait is still worth a try, just make sure to augment yourself to compensate for the reduced healing. Chefs may want to stay clear from this trait.
Dream Home
“You own a luxurious, customizable house on a peaceful planet! Unfortunately it comes with a 125,000 credit mortgage with GalBank that has to be paid weekly.”
Dream Home immediately provides you with a house at the start of the game, but you will have to pay 125,000 credits for its mortgage. Credits will be easy to come by as you follow through the main campaign plus some side quests, and you only need to pay 500 credits to get to use your home for a week. Additionally, houses are hard to come by and having a house right at the start of the game where you can use as your stash is worth the price.
Empath
“You are deeply connected to the feelings of others. Performing actions your companion likes will result in a temporary increase in combat effectiveness. But, performing actions they don’t like will have the precise opposite effect.”
Empath can give your companions a buff or debuff depending on whether they like your actions or not. As the description suggests, this trait only works if you decide to play with a companion and not solo. Additionally, it will also require you to learn more about your companions to know what perks them up. A great trait if you want to add more dynamic with your companion interactions.
Extrovert / Introvert
Extrovert: “You’re a people person. Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring with human companions, but more when adventuring alone.”
Introvert: “You really need your alone time. Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring alone, but more when adventuring with other human companions.”
Extrovert and Introvert are two mutually exclusive traits, so you can only choose one over the other. Choosing either one will depend on whether you want to play solo or with companions as it will give you an increased or decreased oxygen consumption. There’s no Ambivert trait, but you can simply choose neither traits instead.
Freestar Collective Settler / Neon Street Rat / United Colonies Native
Freestar Collective Settler: “You gain access to special Freestar Collective dialogue options, and better rewards from some missions given by the faction. But, crime bounty towards other factions is greatly increased.”
Neon Street Rat: “You grew up on the mean streets of Neon. You gain access to special dialogue options, and better rewards from some missions on Neon. Crime bounty by other factions is greatly increased.”
United Colonies Native: “You gain access to special United Colonies dialogue options, and better rewards from some missions given by the faction. However, crime bounty by other factions is greatly increased.“
Freestar Collective Settler, Neon Street Rat, and United Colonies Native are three different factions and are also mutually exclusive to one another. Choosing to side with one of them will give you better faction rewards from their faction-specific missions, and you also get to do special dialogues with them. The downside is that you will gain a higher bounty from crimes against the other factions.
Hero Worshipped
“You’ve earned the attention of an annoying “Adoring Fan” who will show up randomly and jabber at you incessantly. On the plus side, he’ll join your ship’s crew and give you gifts…”
Hero Worshipped will grant you the Adoring Fan which is an NPC that is overly enthusiastic about your feats. He can be recruited as an early companion, you can get gifts from him from time to time, and there are almost no downsides other than him being a pesky character sometimes.
Kid Stuff
“Your parents are alive and well, and you can visit them at their home. But you will automatically send 2% of your credits home to them every week.“
Kid Stuff will allow your character to have actual parents that you can visit in the game; something that’s not as common to have for a protagonist in most games. The downside to having this trait is that 2% of your total credits will be sent to them every week as parent tax.
Raised Enlightened / Raised Universal / Serpent’s Embrace
Raised Enlightened: “You grew up as a member of the Enlightened. You gain access to a special chest full of items in the House of the Enlightened in New Atlantis, but lose access to the Sanctum Universum chest.”
Raised Universal: “You grew up as a member of the Sanctum Universum. You gain access to a special chest full of items in the Sanctum Universum in New Atlantis, but lose access to the House of the Enlightened chest.”
Serpent’s Embrace: “You grew up worshiping the Great Serpent. Grav jumping provides a temporary boost to health and oxygen, but health and oxygen are lowered if you don’t continue jumping regularly – like an addiction.”
Raised Enlightened, Raised Universal, and Serpent’s Embrace are three different religious traits that are mutually exclusive to one another. All of them will give you special dialogues to fellow followers, with the exception of those that worship the Great Serpent who get a temporary boost to health and oxygen when jumping. Followers of the Enlightened and Sanctum Universum provides access to their respective special chests.
Spaced / Terra Firma
Spaced: “Your body has become acclimated to space. Health and oxygen are increased when in space, but decreased when on the surface.”
Terra Firma: “You’ve never acclimated to space. Health and oxygen are increased when on the surface, but decreased when you’re in space.”
Spaced and Terra Firma are two mutually exclusive traits that affect the ways your character’s body reacts to the presence of atmosphere and gravity, providing a buff or debuff on Health and Oxygen depending on what you choose and where you are. Should you wish to stay neutral, you can simply not choose either of the traits.
Taskmaster
“Occasionally, if you have crew trained in a certain ship system, that system will automatically repair itself to full health whenever it is damaged below 50%. However, all crew cost twice as much to hire.”
Taskmaster allows a trained crewmate to perform a full ship repair when its damaged below 50% at the cost of a higher hire price. It’s a good trait to have as some sort of a safety net, provided that you can afford the steep hiring price.
Wanted
“Someone put a price on your head, and word has spread. Occasionally, armed mercenaries will show up and try to kill you, but being cornered gives you an edge – when your health is low, you do extra damage.”
Wanted gives your character an immediate bounty on its head, attracting bounty hunters wherever you go. If you don’t mind getting interrupted from time to time, this trait is actually a good one to get as the mercenaries will be a good source of XP and ammo.
Best Traits to pick in Starfield
Picking traits is solely based on how you would want your experience to go in the game, so mileage may vary from player to player. But if you need some help in deciding which ones will help you in your play style, then check out these recommendations:
High Roller Traits – These traits put you at a high risk for some high rewards and high payouts:
- Wanted
- Dream Home
Space Fam Traits – These traits work best if you want to play with a companion or two and take on missions as a squad:
- Empath
- Extrovert
- Taskmaster
Oxygen Included Traits – These traits makes sure that oxygen and health can be crossed out from the things to worry about:
- Alien DNA
- Extrovert
- Spaced