Starfield marks the initial introduction of a fresh cosmos in more than a quarter-century by Bethesda Game Studios, the renowned developers behind The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. Character creation in Starfield has also been introduced, allowing you to create your character and explore with unprecedented freedom, embarking on an extraordinary journey to uncover humanity’s greatest mystery.
What is Character Creation in Starfield?
In line with Bethesda’s other action RPGs, Starfield features an extensive character customization tool that you can use to differentiate yourself from other players. Character creation in Starfield enables you to fashion your protagonist, covering aspects such as their appearance, physique, facial characteristics, and a predefined background and traits that will hold significance throughout the course of the game.
Felipe Nogueira, the lead tech artist at Bethesda, explained that they executed a significant overhaul within their character generation system to improve the character creation in Starfield compared to other games. It entailed the extensive scanning of faces across different age ranges and ethnicities. The acquired data was meticulously mixed and matched to produce characters with remarkable detail and diversity. This innovative system was also utilized to construct all the characters and NPCs present within the game. In addition to the visual aspect, it’s essential to factor in your character’s Starfield traits, which play a role in bestowing them with individuality and a range of distinct skills.
Different Options for Character Creation in Starfield
At the outset of Starfield, your character finds themselves entangled in an accident that erases their memory and sense of self. Representatives from a company named Argos Extractors approach you, urging you to confirm your identity using a record locator. This juncture offers you the opportunity to choose a preset option, initiating the process of character creation in Starfield.
Commencing your character creation in Starfield involves embarking on a journey wherein you navigate through a collection of nearly 40 presets within the game as though you’re looking through employees’ records. Once you’ve selected a suitable preset, you’re given the opportunity to customize numerous elements, such as body type, skin tone, walking animations, facial features, hair, and eyes, as well as piercings and jewelry, among various others.
Biometric ID
The Biometric ID functions as the initial step for players to commence the personalization of their character creation in Starfield. Each model is associated with a distinct personnel record number, and Bethesda has officially acknowledged the presence of 40 presets for players to select from. Once a preset is chosen, you have the ability to refine it further using subsequent tabs. Should your initial selection not completely satisfy you as you embark on your gameplay journey, the option to make modifications will be available at an in-game genetics facility.
Body
After settling on a preset from the menu above, you can switch to the Body character creation menu. Here, players are presented with a circular grid system consisting of three main categories—muscular, heavy, and thin—to help them select their desired physique. Within this grid, there are over 100 different options, each striking a balance between these characteristics. Furthermore, there are three extra modifiers that allow adjustments to the model’s body type, walking style, and skin tone. The inclusion of this in character creation in Starfield makes it more unique and exciting.
Face
The facial customization section provides numerous choices for altering your character’s look. It is likely to be the point where players will spend considerable time fine-tuning their desired appearance. Within this section, you’ll have the opportunity to customize various facets of your character’s face, including Skin Tone, Head Shapes, Hair, Hair Color, Facial Hair, Eyes, Eye Color, Nose, Cheeks, Mouth, Jaw, Chin, Teeth, Neck, and many others. This feature is poised to represent one of the most advanced tools of character creation in Starfield ever presented by Bethesda, with a remarkable array of options that surpass those found in their previous titles.
Background
Character creation in Starfield involves more than just your appearance; it’s where you begin shaping your identity. These backgrounds provide a blueprint for the type of story your character brings to the adventure. While they don’t necessarily dictate your actions, they offer a strong foundation. This becomes particularly important when your background becomes relevant within quests or story arcs. In these cases, a relevant background could potentially unlock extra rewards or dialogue choices pertinent to the current plot.
Upon choosing a Background, you acquire a set of Starting skills. These skills can grant you notable advantages over other players. It’s crucial to pick a background that offers Starting skills in harmony with your preferred style of play. Below are the different background and their starting skills in the character creation in Starfield.
| Background | Starting Skills |
| Beast Hunter | TBA |
| Bouncer | TBA |
| Bounty Hunter | TBA |
| Chef | Gastronomy – Dueling – Scavenging |
| Combat Medic | Pistol Certification – Medicine – Wellness |
| Cyber Runner | Stealth – Security – Theft |
| Cyberneticist | Medicine – Security – Lasers |
| Diplomat | Persuasion – Commerce – Wellness |
| Explorer | Lasers – Astrodynamics – Surveying |
| Gangster | TBA |
| Homesteader | TBA |
| Industrialist | TBA |
| Long Hauler | TBA |
| Pilgrim | TBA |
| Professor | TBA |
| Ronin | TBA |
Traits
After settling on your Background, you’ll also have the chance to decide on up to three Traits that can impact how you engage with the game. You can choose a maximum of three traits, but it’s important to remember that they are optional and come with their own pros and cons. Additionally, it’s worth noting that certain traits cannot be used together. These traits introduce intriguing twists and turns to your experience in Starfield, adding an extra layer of complexity to your playthrough.
Below are the different Traits and their bonuses in the character creation in Starfield
| Traits | Bonuses |
| Alien DNA | TBA |
| Dream home | TBA |
| Empath | TBA |
| Extrovert | TBA |
| Freestar Collective Settler | TBA |
| Hero Worshiped | You’ve drawn the attention of an obnoxious “Adoring Fan” who will appear at random and go on about you nonstop. He will, however, become a member of your ship’s crew and present you with gifts. |
| Introvert | You truly need some time to yourself. When you go on adventures by yourself, you consume less oxygen than when you go on adventures with other people. (Can’t be combined with Extrovert) |
| Kid Stuff | You are welcome to see your parents at their house; they are still alive and healthy. However, you will automatically give them 2% of your credits each week. |
| Neon Street Rat | You were raised in Neon’s rough streets. Some missions on Neon provide you access to unique chat choices and greater prizes. Other factions have considerably upped their crime reward. (Can’t be combined with other faction allegiance traits) |
| Raised Enlightened | You were raised as an Enlightened person. In the House of the Enlightened in New Atlantis, you get access to a unique chest with a variety of treasures but lose access to the Sanctum Universum Chest. (Can’t be combined with any other religion trait) |
| Raised Universal | You were raised as a Sanctum Universum citizen. In the Sanctum Universum in New Atlantis, you get access to a unique chest with lots of goods but lose access to the House of the Enlightened Chest. (Can’t be combined with any other religion trait) |
| Serpent’s Embrace | You learned to revere the Great Serpent as a child. Health and endurance are temporarily improved by gravitational leaping, but if you stop doing it on a regular basis, your health and endurance will decline—much like an addiction. (Can’t be combined with any other religious traits) |
| Spaced | Your body has adjusted to being in space. In space, health and endurance are higher; on Earth, they are lower. (Can’t be combined with Terra Firma) |
| Taskmaster | TBA |
| Terra Firma | TBA |
| United Colonies Native | TBA |
| Wanted | At low health, you deliver more damage, but occasionally Bounty Hunters may surprise you and strike. |
Conclusion
With that, we’ve covered all the details we currently possess regarding character creation in Starfield. As the game is set for release on September 6th, we will keep this guide updated to provide you with all the relevant information about the game.
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