All the best Starfield Traits

What are the best traits in Starfield? Traits in Starfield are one of the main ways of customising your character's abilities - and your whole playthrough. During character creation you get to pick up to 3 traits, each one with a positive and a negative effect, so you can truly make your character unique.

There's a total of 17 traits to choose between in Starfield's full release, and the benefits are widespread, as are the drawbacks. In this guide, we've broken down all 17 Starfield traits and their effects to determine which are the best Starfield traits in the game.

All Starfield Traits

Here are all 17 Starfield traits to choose from:

• 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

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Best Starfield Traits

For our money, the best traits to select when creating a character in Starfield are Kid Stuff, Dream Home, and Alien DNA. Selecting these three traits will give you a well-rounded character who is ready for anything the Settled Systems throws at them.

When it comes to ranking traits in Starfield, there are two schools of thought about how to pick the best ones. The first is: which provides you with the biggest gameplay benefit and the smallest downside? The second is: which trait gives you the most interesting Starfield experience? We've done our best to answer these questions, both with our top three and with our comprehensive list of the very best traits you can pick in Starfield. The list you can find below includes traits that didn't quite make the cut for our main trio of picks.

Here are the best Starfield traits:

• Kid Stuff - This trait is the only one that allows you to visit your parents at their home in New Atlantis, and while it does mean you earn slightly less money overall, the difference is so slight that you likely won't even notice it in your playthrough.
• Dream Home - Yes, the mortgage payments are annoying. But the ability to store all your stuff (including Starfield contraband) safely in a luxurious, customisable home from extremely early on in the game makes the Dream Home trait very much worthwhile.
• Alien DNA - Alien DNA is a strong trait choice for new players, giving you a decent boost to your max health and oxygen. The drawback is that healing items are less effective, but you can counteract this by spending points in certain healing skills like Medicine and Rejuvenation.
• Wanted - The ability to deal more damage while at low health can really help out in clutch situations, particularly on higher difficulty levels. But the real benefit of this trait is in fact its downside. Who doesn't want bounty hunters showing up to kill you every now and then?
• Hero Worshipped - The jury is still out as to whether the Adoring Fan's occasional free gifts are worth his terminally annoying presence on your ship, but let's be honest. We'll all be missing out if we don't pick Hero Worshipped.
• Raised Enlightened - While the contents of the chests are by no means amazing, both of the "Raised" traits give you no downside. The only "downside" is that you don't get the benefits of the other "Raised" trait, because they're mutually exclusive. In other words, you just get a free chest of goodies.
• Raised Universal - Just like the Raised Enlightened trait, the Raised Universal trait is essentially a trait with no drawback, making it an ideal choice for a player who doesn't want to hinder their character too much in any particular area.

If you want to mix things up at a later date, don't forget to also check out our dedicated guide on how to remove Starfield traits!

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Alien DNA

Pros: Start with increased max health and oxygen.
Cons: Healing items are less effective.
How to remove: Pay 10,000 credits at a surgery centre.

Alien DNA is a decent opening trait as it makes you more immediately survivable, but it may be that the trait's usefulness falls off after a while because the health and oxygen boost is a flat amount rather than a percentage increase, so at later levels you'll feel the benefits far less. But even so, you can always get rid of the trait later on!

Dream Home

Pros: You own a luxurious house on a peaceful planet.
Cons: You must pay off a 125,000 credit mortgage with weekly payments.
How to remove: Talk to the mortgage holder at Galbank and allow them to foreclose on the house.

The Dream Home trait gives you the unique privilege of starting your Starfield journey as a homeowner - of a fairly spacious house, no less. It's certainly a useful boon to have a cosy place where you can relax, store items, and take stock of everything. It's not necessary, to be clear, but it is nice. The downside is the weekly payments, which are hardest to deal with early on, but they shouldn't make life too difficult.

For more information on where to find the house and whether it's worth taking the trait, check out our dedicated Starfield Dream Home guide.

Empath

Pros: Performing actions your companion likes temporarily buffs combat effectiveness.
Cons: Performing actions your companion dislikes temporarily nerfs combat effectiveness.
How to remove: Pay 10,000 credits at a surgery centre.

The Empath trait allows your relationships with your Starfield companions to spill into the game's combat system by providing either a buff or a nerf to "combat effectiveness" depending on whether you've recently pleased or displeased your companion(s). If you're a player who'll never miss an opportunity to please your comrades, then this is a solid trait to pick. Of course, if you're planning on a lone wolf run then Empath will more or less be a waste of a Trait slot!

Extrovert

Pros: Use less Oxygen while adventuring with human companions.
Cons: Use more Oxygen while adventuring alone.
Note: Incompatible with Introvert trait.
How to remove: Speak to Andy Signh in the Church of the Enlightened in The Well, New Atlantis.

Extroverts benefit from adventuring as part of a larger group of human companions, and suffer a penalty to oxygen depletion if you exert yourself when travelling solo. So depending on your playstyle, there's either no reason or every reason why you'd want to pick this trait. But if you're a player who often uses lots of oxygen-draining actions, then this may be a trait to seriously consider, as, depending on your playstyle, it may have no downsides for you.

Freestar Collective Settler

Pros: Access to special Freestar Collective dialogue options and faction rewards.
Cons: Greatly increased crime bounty towards other factions.
Note: Incompatible with Neon Street Rat and United Colonies Native traits.
How to remove: Talk to the Mayor in Akila City.

The Freestar Collective Settler trait, as you might imagine, immediately makes you tight with the libertarian cowboy-esque Freestar Collective faction. During the Colony War of 2310 (20 years before the events of Starfield), the Freestar Collective fought against the United Colonies. Nowadays they're at peace, but there's still a lot of tension between the two factions. So be prepared for this tension to manifest in your playthrough by picking this trait.

Hero Worshipped

Pros: An "Adoring Fan" will join your ship's crew and give you gifts.
Cons: The "Adoring Fan" is very annoying.
How to remove: Talk to the Adoring Fan and either tell him to leave you, or attack and kill him.

The already-famous Hero Worshipped trait inflicts upon you a character called the "Adoring Fan", who dotes upon the player character and wants nothing more than to be near them. It's a great thought, making the negative aspect of the trait just having to be around the annoying character themselves and put up with their relentless fawning. Still, the free gifts can make him worth the annoyance. And let's face it - you've already decided whether you want the Annoying Fan with you or not on your first playthrough.

Just make sure you've got our guide on how to get rid of the Adoring Fan in your back pocket in case you need it.

Introvert

Pros: Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring alone.
Cons: Exerting yourself uses more oxygen while adventuring with other human companions.
Note: Incompatible with Extrovert trait.
How to remove: Speak to Andy Signh in the Church of the Enlightened in The Well, New Atlantis.

Being an Introvert in Starfield means exerting yourself uses less oxygen while you're travelling solo (i.e. no companions around to help you fight). So if you're a lone wolf style RPG player, then Introvert sounds like a fantastic trait to pick up at the start of the game. Again, the benefits of this trait depends entirely on whether you think you'll be surrounding yourself with companions during missions or not. Introvert pairs great with the Isolation Starfield skill for true lone wolf runs. It's also worth noting the "human companions" stipulation. So Introverts will be just fine with VASCO as a companion!

Kid Stuff

Pros: Your parents are alive and well, and you can visit them at their home.
Cons: You send 2% of your credits home to them every week.
How to remove: Speak to your parents and tell them you can't afford to pay them anymore, forcing them to move far away to a cheaper home.

Kid Stuff gives you the unique privilege of being able to visit your parents at their home in New Atlantis. Pick this trait and there'll be some unique conversations and interactions to be had with both your parents, but it's unclear whether bigger opportunities (such as whole quests) will blossom from this trait choice. Still, 2% is a fairly small price to pay for the opportunity, even if the amount does (obviously) increase as you get more wealthy.

Neon Street Rat

Pros: Access to special Neon dialogue options and faction rewards.
Cons: Greatly increased crime bounty towards other factions.
Note: Incompatible with Freestar Collective Settler and United Colonies Native traits.
How to remove: Speak to the bartender of Madam Sauvage in Ebbside, Neon City.

The Neon Street Rat trait acts as one of the various faction traits in Starfield (alongside Freestar Collective Settler and United Colonies Native), but while the latter two are very clearly organizations, Neon is a place - a major city on the planet Volii Alpha. Neon is, however, the home of Ryujin Industries, one of the major factions in Starfield, so you're likely to end up getting an easy "in" with them by picking this trait.

Raised Enlightened

Pros: Gain access to a special chest full of items from the House of the Enlightened.
Cons: Lose access to the Sanctum Universum chest.
Note: Incompatible with Raised Universal and Serpent's Embrace traits.
How to remove: Speak to Andy Signh in the Church of the Enlightened in The Well, New Atlantis, and tell them you no longer wish to follow the House of the Enlightened.

The Raised Enlightened trait immediately aligns you with the Enlightened, one of the three dominant religions in Starfield. The Enlightened are a religion which put a great deal of emphasis on science and the pursuit of knowledge, and as such is at odds with the Sanctum Universum, a much more mysticist-oriented form of religion. By picking this trait, you'll gain access to a special chest of items in New Atlantis. Either of the "Raised" traits is a fantastic choice for new players, because no matter what, the effect is net positive.

Raised Universal

Pros: Gain access to a special chest full of items from the Sanctum Universum.
Cons: Lose access to the Enlightened chest.
Note: Incompatible with Raised Enlightened and Serpent's Embrace traits.
How to remove: Speak to Keeper Aquilis in New Atlantis and tell them you no longer wish to follow the Sanctum Universum.

The Raised Universal trait puts you in the good books of the Sanctum Universum religion. The Sanctum Universum are one of the most prominent religions in the galaxy (perhaps the most populous of the three dominant religions), and has a great trading presence across the Settled Systems. Their mysticism-esque teachings make them a near-opposite of the Enlightened religion. Either of the "Raised" traits is a fantastic choice for new players, because no matter what, the effect is net positive.

Serpent's Embrace

Pros: Grav jumping provides a temporary boost to health and oxygen.
Cons: Health and oxygen are lowered if you don't grav jump regularly.
Note: Incompatible with Raised Enlightened and Raised Universal traits.
How to remove: Speak to Mir'za in the UC Security Office in New Atlantis.

Serpent's Embrace indicates that you are a follower of The Great Serpent, a mysterious religion notably worshipped by the House Of Va'ruun faction. This trait rewards frequent traversal between different star systems, and penalises you if you stay in one place for too long without engaging your ship's grav jump. It depends on your playstyle whether this trait is worth picking, and you may also get the odd unique dialogue choice or interaction based on your commitment to this shadowy religion.

Spaced

Pros: Increased health and oxygen while in space.
Cons: Decreased health and oxygen while on the surface.
Note: Incompatible with Terra Firma trait.
How to remove: Pay 10,000 credits at a surgery centre.

Picking the Spaced trait means you're most comfortable out in space rather than on the surface of a planet, moon, or other celestial body. As long as you're in space, you'll gain increased health and oxygen (stamina). But the moment you set foot on a planet or moon, your max health and endurance are decreased. A lot of your late-game missions will take place on giant spaceships, so broadly speaking it's a question of whether you want to be more powerful in the early-game or late-game.

Taskmaster

Pros: Crew will occasionally auto-repair a damaged (50% HP or less) ship system they're trained in for free.
Cons: All crew cost twice as much to hire.
How to remove: Speak to Andy Signh in the Church of the Enlightened in The Well, New Atlantis.

Taskmaster is an interesting trait which gives your crew members the ability to spontaneously repair a ship system that's lower than 50% HP, as long as they're trained in that system. Unfortunately, this boon comes at the cost of doubling the price to hire any crew member, and overall it just doesn't seem worth the steep cost for a benefit that is based upon random chance. While it is nice when it happens at an opportune moment, I would say that this is one of the weakest traits in the game overall.

Terra Firma

Pros: Increased health and oxygen while on the surface.
Cons: Decreased health and oxygen while in space.
Note: Incompatible with Spaced trait.
How to remove: Pay 10,000 credits at a surgery centre.

The effect of the Terra Firma trait is the exact opposite of the Spacer trait (which makes sense given that the two traits are mutually exclusive). Terra Firma will give you a max health and endurance boost while on the surface of a planet or moon, while decreasing your health and endurance while you're in outer space. Most players will spend more time on a planet or moon's surface than in space in the early-game, although later on you may end up spending a lot of time on large spaceships. It's a tricky trade-off either way.

United Colonies Native

Pros: Access to special United Colonies dialogue options and faction rewards.
Cons: Greatly increased crime bounty towards other factions.
Note: Incompatible with Freestar Collective Settler and Neon Street Rat traits.
How to remove: Speak to Administrator Rookes in the Colonial Health and Human Resources office in MAST District, New Atlantis.

United Colonies Native is the final one of the faction-based Starfield traits, and puts you in tight with the United Colonies. The United Colonies hold the largest military of all the factions though, so you may not need to worry quite as much about comeuppance from the other factions based on this choice. But the choice is entirely yours to make. Starfield's a role-playing game, so it's not all about picking the most gameplay-effective options every time.

Wanted

Pros: Increased damage while your health is low.
Cons: Bounty hunters will randomly appear and try to kill you.
How to remove: Speak to one of the Bounty Hunters in New Atlantis or The Well and pay 3,000 credits to remove your bounty.

The Wanted trait is, unusually, a trait that I reckon a lot of players will pick because of the downside rather than the positive effect. Gaining increased damage while at low health is nice, and if it can be turned into a focused build then that could be very fun. But come on. We all want to be randomly attacked by bounty hunters. That's such a cool idea.

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If you're itching to get stuck into character creation the moment Starfield comes out, we're right there with you. But you'd best check first whether your PC will run the game using our Starfield requirements guide. You can also check out answers to other questions you might have regarding the prospect of Starfield multiplayer and your Starfield romance options. If you need more help with Starfield, then we've also got handy guides on the Starfield console commands and cheats as well as the best Starfield mods.