Starfield traits

A full breakdown of all 17 Starfield traits which bring some extra flair to your playthrough, but at a price.

After completing the Starfield opening and reaching the Starfield character creator, you’ll be given the option to pick up to three of 17 Starfield traits. Each trait offers a unique benefit for your playthrough, but also comes with a penalty.

The best traits provide unique Starfield NPC interactions or give you bonus rewards from several Starfield factions. Traits are completely optional, and you always have the ability to remove a trait if you find it unrewarding or uninteresting. Of course, you can always add a trait back in later or take more than three traits if you’re willing to use Starfield console commands. Fortunately, we’ve rounded up the best traits in Starfield to help you better prepare yourself for the Settled Systems.

Table of contents:

Best Starfield traits
Every trait in Starfield
How to change your Starfield traits
What are the best Starfield traits for my build?

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All Starfield traits:

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Name	Summary
Alien DNA	Gain more health, but heal less with food and drink items.
Dream Home	You have a luxury house, but a 50,000 Credits mortgage.
Empath	Gain bonuses by pleasing companions, but incur penalties for angering them.
Extrovert	Use less oxygen when adventuring with companions, but use more if going it alone.
Freestar Collective Settler	Gain special dialog options with the FC, but receive higher bounties from other factions.
Hero Worshipped	The Adoring Fan gives you gifts, but he won’t stop talking.
Introvert	Use less oxygen when adventuring alone, but use more when travelling with companions.
Kid Stuff	You can visit your parents, but you pay for their upkeep.
Neon Street Rat	Gain special dialog options in Neon, but receive higher bounties from other factions.
Raised Enlightened	Get a discount at the Enlightened store, but lose access to other religious stores.
Raised Universal	Get a discount at the Sanctum Universum store, but lose access to other religious stores.
Serpent’s Embrace	Gain more health and oxygen by grav jumping frequently, but suffer penalties if you don’t jump enough.
Spaced	Gain more health in space, but less when on a planet’s surface.
Taskmaster	All crew cost twice as much, but can auto repair ship systems.
Terra Firma	Gain more health and O2 on planets, but have less in space.
United Colonies Native	Gain special dialog options with the UC, but receive higher bounties from other factions.
Wanted	Do extra damage at low health, but bounty hunters are after your head.

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Best Starfield traits

The best traits in Starfield will either have benefits that far exceed the negatives, or give you some truly unique encounters while exploring the Settled Systems. However, some traits go way beyond that and offer an additional element to your playstyle. Our top picks offer not just additional dialogue options, but entire encounters that brought a smile to our faces.

Here are our best Starfield traits:

Kid Stuff – The Kid Stuff trait introduces two NPCs to your playthrough: Mom and Dad. These two NPCs live in New Atlantis, and will provide unique dialogue options, experiences (keep an eye out for them on holiday as you travel to other planets), and even offer free items. The only downside? You’ll have to pay for their upkeep on a weekly basis, which amounts to a measly 500 Credits per in-game week. Should you no longer want to pay for your parent’s living, you can simply tell them you won’t support them anymore. Note: these NPCs give you free items including some of the best early-game armor, the Wanderwell ship, and even a unique Starfield weapon, so maybe don’t disown your parents until after you have these items in hand (however cruel that decision seems).
Wanted – Damage boosts while at low health are a welcome addition no matter the situation. The “downside” of this perk, according to one Bethesda developer, is that you’ll be hunted down by bounty hunters at regular intervals. While that might sound like a negative, it’s actually not. Rephrased, what you have is a loot crate that delivers itself to you at regular intervals. Plus, you’ll occasionally see the [Wanted] dialogue option, making numerous encounters much easier to navigate.
Hero Worshipped – Not only is this a great trait that offers you plenty of free equipment during your playthrough, the Hero Worshipped trait also serves as one of many Starfield Easter Eggs by bringing back the Adoring Fan from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Sure, it’s annoying when the Adoring Fan turns up during a high-intensity quest like High Price to Pay or Deep Cover, but the benefits mainly outweigh the negatives when taking into account how much this NPC can save you, but he also happens to be one of the best written companions in the game.

The best Starfield traits ranked

Some traits give you a distinct advantage regardless of the situation, or introduce content that’s absolutely worth seeing. Other traits, however, aren’t as useful, and only shine in either rare or disadvantageous situations where a better trait would work.

S tier – Kid Stuff, Hero Worshipped, Wanted.
A tier – Taskmaster, Alien DNA, Extrovert
B tier – Terra Firma, Neon Street Rat, Freestar Collective Settler, United Colonies Native
C tier – Raised Enlightened, Raised Universal, Spaced, Dream Home, Empath
D tier – Serpent’s Embrace, Introvert

If our best Starfield traits don’t suit you, we have a full list of Starfield traits just below.

Every trait in Starfield

There are 17 traits in Starfield, and you can use our database to get the full details on all of them, including how to remove them, or add them using a Starfield console command.

How to change your Starfield traits

There are two ways to change your initial Starfield traits. As of Starfield update 1.11.33, players can reselect their traits upon reaching The Unity and passing through to the Starfield New Game Plus mode. You will still be limited to three traits, but you will be able to deselect any previously chosen traits and then replace them with anything else you fancy trying on your next playthrough. This is a great option for players who picked recurring traits such as the Kid Stuff and Hero Worshipped traits.

Screenshot of the Starfield traits screen wherein the player has reached the game's ending, and can change their previously selected traits.

The second method is to use Starfield console commands to add or remove traits. The advantage of this is that you don’t have to wait until the Starfield ending to change your traits, and you can give yourself traits over the three trait limit. However, doing so will disable Starfield achievements, on account of your decision to use a console command to modify the game.

What are the best Starfield traits for my build?

If you’re trying to create specific Starfield build, certain traits can help you out on your way. Of course, you can also get rid of traits through certain means, like removing the Neon Street Rat trait by talking to Madame Sauvage in Neon, but getting it right from the start is always the goal.

Stealth builds – If you’re putting together a stealth build, your best options are to go for Terra Firma, Wanted, and Introvert skills. This is essentially the only build that turns Introvert into a useful trait, as you’re going often to be leaving companions behind so they don’t blow your cover.

Social builds – There aren’t really any specific traits that work towards putting together a speech and social build, but opting for one of the faction options like Freestar Collective Settler or United Colonies Native offers unique dialogue options that can carry you through conversations quicker.

Melee builds – Extrovert is a great choice of skill for melee builds as it offers extra oxygen when traveling with a companion, and you’re going to be relying on companions like Sam Coe and Andreja for covering fire while you run around finishing the job off with the Barrow Knife.

Samurai build – You’re going to need all the health you can get if you’re putting together a samurai build, so the best call here is the Alien DNA trait.

There you have it, our guide to the best Starfield traits. Now you’ve got your Spacefarer ready for action, get out into the stars with our Starfield map hub, including interactive versions of the Starfield New Atlantis map, Starfield Akila City map, Starfield Cydonia map, Starfield Neon map, and more.