Starfield Traits are optional ways to role-play as your custom character, offering positive and negative bonuses to give your gameplay a little more variety.
With Traits, every playthrough will be different in Starfield. And while the choice to have up to three Traits is completely optional, they’re a surefire way to enhance the RPG – so long as you pick the right ones!
Here’s everything you need to know about Starfield’s Trait system:
How Do Traits Work in Starfield?
Starfield players get a choice of up to three optional Traits to choose from when creating their character at the beginning of the game. Each Trait will come with both a positive and negative effect.
Traits are optional – you don’t need to add any if you don’t want to.
If you do, your chosen Traits will impact your gameplay in a variety of ways. They can affect your interactions with the various Starfield Factions, and will even change up combat out in the field.
There are some restrictions, as some Traits are incompatible with each other and can’t be used at the same time.
Additionally, Bethesda confirms that players will have ways to permanently remove unwanted Traits, if they so wish.
All Traits in Starfield
There are 17 Traits to choose from in Starfield, each with its own effect:
| Trait: | Pro: | Con: | Incompatible With: |
| Alien DNA | Start with a higher health pool and greater endurance | Healing items aren’t as effective | |
| Dream Home | Own a luxurious house on a ‘peaceful planet’ | House comes with a 125,000 credit mortgage with GalBank that has to be paid weekly | |
| Empath | Performing actions your companion likes temporarily increases combat effectiveness | Performing actions your companion dislikes temporarily decreases combat effectiveness | |
| Extrovert | Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring with human companions | Exerting yourself uses more oxygen when adventuring alone | Introvert |
| Freestar Collective Settler | Gain access to special Freestar Collective dialogue options and better Faction rewards | Crime bounty towards other factions is greatly increased | Neon Street Rat United Colonies Native |
| Hero Worshipped | An ‘adoring fan’ will show up randomly and give you gifts | The ‘adoring fan’ will talk incessantly (and likely be annoying) | |
| Introvert | Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring alone | Exerting yourself uses more oxygen when adventuring with human companions | Extrovert |
| Kid Stuff | You can visit your parents at their home | 2% of all the credits you earn are sent to your parents each week | |
| Neon Street Rat | Gain access to special Neon Street Rat dialogue options and better Faction rewards | Crime bounty towards other factions is greatly increased | Freestar Collective Settler United Colonies Native |
| Raised Enlightened | Gain access to a special chest full of items in the House of the Enlightened in New Atlantis | Lose access to the Sanctum Universum chest | Raised Universal Serpent’s Embrace |
| Raised Universal | Gain access to a special chest full of items in the Sanctum Universum in New Atlantis | Lose access to the House of Enlightened chest | Raised Enlightened Serpent’s Embrace |
| Serpent’s Embrace | Grav jumping provides a temporary boost to health and Oxygen | Health and Oxygen are lowered if you don’t continue jumping regularly | Raised Enlightened Raised Universal |
| Spaced | Health and Oxygen are increased when in space | Health and Oxygen are decreased when on the surface | Terra Firma |
| Taskmaster | 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%. | All crew cost twice as much to hire | |
| Terra Firma | Health and Oxygen are increased when on the surface | Health and Oxygen are decreased when in space | Spaced |
| United Colonies Native | Gain access to special United Colonies dialogue options and better Faction rewards | Crime bounty towards other factions is greatly increased | Freestar Collective Settler Neon Street Rat |
| Wanted | Receive a damage buff when your health is low | Mercenaries will randomly appear and attack you |
