Best Starfield Traits to Get (& the Worst for Masochists)

With a total of 17 different traits to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down your top three picks to start off your journey with in Starfield. That’s where we come in, though. Here are our picks for the best traits to get in Starfield, as well as the absolute worst ones to avoid… unless you’re in it for the pain.

Best Traits to Get in Starfield

Most of the traits in Starfield come with some sort of downside or disadvantage, so our goal here is to pick the ones with the least damaging disadvantages, or the ones that are at least more manageable than the rest.

Hero Worshipped

“You’ve earned the attention of an annoying Adoring Fan who will show up randomly and jabber at you incessantly. On the plus side, he’ll join your ship’s crew and give you gifts…”

We’re starting off with a bit of a controversial pick here. Everyone I’ve spoken to so far seems to absolutely hate the Adoring Fan in Starfield, but look, he’s really not that bad. I mean, yes, his voice acting is obnoxious and every time you’re in his vicinity, he actually worships the ground you walk on and actively fantasizes about you. It’s actually a bit creepy.

But! He also makes for a pretty good early game companion that you can take along with you, will never disagree with anything you say or do, and he even gives you random gifts on occasion. My take is that if you can put up with his rambling — which isn’t even all that bad, in my opinion — the Adoring Fan is a decent companion to have around.

Kid Stuff

“Your parents are alive and well, and you can visit them at their home. But you will automatically send 2% of your credits home to them every week.”

Having to give credits to your parents every week is a bit of a bummer, especially given money can be hard to come by in Starfield. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that 2% is really not that much, and as you continue playing, you’ll barely even notice you’re missing any money.

Not only that, being able to visit your parents also gives you access to a new pistol that’s great for the early game, and you also get more story content as the game progresses. Every now and then, your parents will send a message to Constellation at the Lodge asking you to go visit them, and it’s just nice and comfy checking in with them in-between mission.

Introvert/Extrovert

“You really need your alone time. Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring alone, but more when adventuring with other human companions.” or “You’re a people person. Exerting yourself uses less oxygen when adventuring with human companions, but more when adventuring alone.”

The choice between the Introvert and Extrovert traits in Starfield really comes down to your preferred play style. If you like having companions with you, definitely go with Extrovert. There’s no reason not to.

And if you want to be a lone wolf, go with Introvert. The benefits for both are equal, and there’s virtually no downside because you’re picking the trait that best suits your preferences.

Empath

“You are deeply connected to the feelings of others. Performing actions your companion likes will result in a temporary increase in combat effectiveness. But, performing actions they don’t like will have the opposite effect.”

The companions in Starfield are very predictable and somewhat trope-y, and the downside to the Empath trait is really quite negligible. For instance, Sam Coe is an upstanding and honorable Freestar Ranger, so it really isn’t difficult to determine which dialogue options will make him happy and which will upset him. Picking the honorable choice will always put him in a good mood, and improve his performance in combat.

Even if you do mess up on occasion, it’s not like they’ll completely sandbag you in combat either, so this is a pretty good trait to go with.

Worst Traits to Get in Starfield

Now we’re getting to the fun stuff. These traits are for players who want to give them the worst possible start in the game. We’d recommend going with these on a second playthrough, but hey, you do you.

Dream Home

“You own a luxurious, customizable house on a peaceful planet! Unfortunately it comes with a 125,000 credit mortgage with GalBank that has to be paid weekly.”

This is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, yes, you get a nice house, but 125,000 credits is insane. 40 hours into the game, and I can barely afford a 235,000 credit penthouse, and you’re telling me I need to start repaying a cool $125k mortgage each week? No thank you.

Taskmaster

“Occasionally, 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%. However, all crew cost twice as much to hire.”

The Taskmaster trait could make for a pretty good challenge run in Starfield, but this is pretty punishing. It forces you to be a lot more conscientious with who you’re hiring (and the regular hiring rates can already get rather pricey), and the benefits just aren’t worth it when it’s so easy to just land on a planet where you can repair your ship for 1,000 credits.

Wanted

“Somehow put a price on your head, and word has spread. Occasionally, armed mercenaries will show up and try to kill you, but being cornered gives you an edge — when your health is low, you do extra damage.”

This is just unnecessary stress. Combat can get intense enough when you’re just doing quests and minding your own business, but having to constantly worry about mercenaries randomly showing up can make things even more difficult for you.

And those are our picks for both the best and worst traits to get in Starfield. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game.