Starfield makes players choose a Background at the beginning of the game, but with 21 to pick from, it’s hard to know which is the best one for you.
While Backgrounds are perfect for roleplaying purposes, they also give you a leg up with certain skills. If you’re more interested in picking the right skills for you, then choosing a Background can be tough.
Fortunately, we’ve compiled the best Backgrounds for each playstyle, so you know exactly which one to pick before you start.
Starfield Best Background
Best All Round Background
The best balanced Background in Starfield is [File Not Found]. It is perfect for newcomers, as it offers a boost to health, combat, and piloting skills.
With the [File Not Found] Background, players will start with the following skills:
- Wellness – Gain 30 points of health
- Ballistics – Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage
- Piloting – You can now utilize ship thrusters
The [File Not Found] description mentions how “there’s no information on file about your past life,” making it the perfect Background for players who want to forge their own identities.
Best Combat Background
If you’re looking for a combat-focused Background, then the best one is the Soldier. It improves gun damage and your proficiency with the boost pack.
With the Soldier Background, players will start with the following skills:
- Fitness – You have 10% more oxygen available
- Ballistics – Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage
- Boost Pack Training – You can now utilize boost packs
The Soldier description focuses on your skills as a, you guessed it, soldier, stating, “if there’s one thing armed conflict relies on its trained warriors with guns and guts. You had both.”
Best Speech Background
By far, the best Background to pick for a Speech-focused playthrough is Diplomat. It focuses on improving your persuasion and bartering skills.
With the Diplomat Background, players will start with the following skills:
- Persuasion – 10% increased chance of success when persuading someone
- Commerce – Buy for 5% less and sell for 10% more
- Wellness – Gain 30 points of health
The Diplomat Background description remarks on how your skills of persuasion have changed the galaxy. It reads: “Because of you, agreements were signed, words were heeded… lives were spared.”
Best Stealth Background
Finally, if you’re considering a stealth run, then you’ll want to pick the Cyber Runner Background. It’s all about pickpocketing, lockpicking, and, of course, sneaking.
With the Cyber Runner Background, players will start with the following skills:
- Stealth – Adds a Stealth Meter. You are 25% more difficult to detect when
sneaking. Suppressed weapons do an additional 5% sneak attack
damage - Security – You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts
can be banked - Theft – Unlock the ability to pickpocket targets
The Cyber Runner Background description is all about having your eye on the prize, stating, “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.”
Best Starfield Background for Each PlayStyle
While the above Backgrounds are the best in Starfield, the following all suit different playstyles.
So, if you’re not sure about the ones above, here’s what playstyle each of the remaining 17 Backgrounds suits:
- Beast Hunter – Combat playstyle
- Bouncer – Unarmed playstyle
- Bounty Hunter – Spaceship combat playstyle
- Chef – Resource gathering playstyle
- Combat Medic – Combat playstyle
- Cyberneticist – Stealth playstyle
- Explorer – Exploration playstyle
- Gangster – Up close and personal playstyle
- Homesteader – Resource gathering playstyle
- Industrialist – Crafting playstyle
- Long Hauler – Spaceship combat playstyle
- Pilgrim – Resource gathering playstyle
- Professor – Crafting playstyle
- Ronin – Melee-weapon-stealth playstyle
- Sculptor – Speech playstyle
- Space Scoundrel – Speech-space-combat playstyle
- Xenobiologist – Exploration playstyle
