Traits are bonuses that you can choose in the process of making your character. Each trait offers different positive and negative effects that will affect your playthrough as you progress.
One important thing to note is that you can only have 3 traits in total - trying to remove them might prove difficult, as you’ll have to either surgically remove them for 10,000 credits or talk to NPCs capable of removing them.
10. Wanted
Dead or alive?
This trait makes you a target for mercenaries, the most common reason why players pick this trait is because of the thrill and extra resources - there’s a high probability that you’re gonna exterminate them and pick their stuff, plus Starfield tends to get boring after a while, so getting chased by some pricks is always exciting. Furthermore, you also deal more damage as your health decreases.
Pick this trait IF:
- You like an extra challenge
- Getting shot at from all angles is your cup of tea
- You’re obsessed with dealing damage, even when you’re 1 HP
You can remove this trait by talking to the Bounty Hunters in New Atlantis at the cost of 3,000 credits.
9. Kid stuff
Parents in a Bethesda game?
That’s right, this trait allows you to have parents. Since you’re a loving son and all that, you have to pay 2% of your salary to your mommy and daddy, of course, they don’t just leech it off of you, they will spoil you with gifts and other nice things.
Pick this trait will get you:
- Sir Livingstone's Pistol - an above-average pistol that performs well in combat
- Highschool Backpack - it increases your inventory capacity
- Gran-Gran's Spacesuit
- Gran-Gran's Helmet
- And a ship from your parents - in case you got bored of your old Betsy
You can remove this trait by talking with your dad directly.
8. Dream Home
You thought that it was for free?
Well, no. You have to pay a 125,000 credit mortgage, with a weekly payment. On the brighter side, your house is located on a peaceful planet, so you don’t have to worry about some aliens trying to break into your house.
The house is extremely spacious and most players get overwhelmed because of the payments, although as you progress into the game, you’ll realize that you can make money extremely fast in this game, with time you’ll pay it off.
Pick this trait IF:
- You want to store your goods in a safe place
- If you’re good at interior design, you can make this place looks like a castle
- You’re great at paying off debts.
You can remove this trait if you talk to the banker at Galbank, after which he’s going to stop demanding weekly payments from you and kick you out of the house.
7. Alien DNA
*The Thing theme intensifies*
Unfortunately, it’s not like that. This trait gives you an HP and oxygen boost, at the cost of your items healing you for less. This seems like an attractive trait, although it falls off pretty hard in the later stages of the game, since putting points into the Wellness perk will already give you plenty of HP.
Pick this trait IF:
- You want to have a relatively easy start to your playthrough
- You don’t care too much about collecting food and other items that heal you
- Obvious bonus to health&oxygen
You can remove it at a surgery center for 10,000 credits.
6. Hero Worshipped
BY AZURA!
You might have seen this guy in TES: Oblivion, he’s that annoying prick that will follow you around and constantly compliment you. If you’re a narcissist, you’ll love this guy, although after a while you’ll probably get tired of him and kill him.
The positive of having this guy around is the fact that he can gift you random items and join your crew, assisting you during combat.
Get this trait IF:
- You want a legendary, yet annoying character on your ship
- There’s also a possibility of the Adoring Fan rewarding you with gifts
- It’s also easy to remove this trait.
You can get rid of the Adoring Fan by shooting him in the head.
5. Spaced
Space-enjoyer.
This trait increases your health and oxygen while in space and it does the exact opposite while being on a planet - they’re decreased if you’re on the surface. The late game will offer you many missions on massive ships, thus picking this trait might be useful in the long term.
Why this trait is awesome:
- You prefer staying in space than lurking around on some boring planet
- It’s also useful for hijacking enemy or neutral ships
- Pays off in late-game
4. Taskmaster
Useful crew!
Thanks to this trait your crew will be able to sometimes repair your ship(if the ship is 50% or below). The negative outcome of this trait is the fact that your crew will cost two times more to hire. The effect itself is random, you never know when it’s gonna happen and while it’s nice, this is more of a trait for opportunistic players.
Get this trait IF:
- You don’t mind the high costs for crews
- Getting your ship fixed at a lower cost is your cup of tea
- Makes you more combat-happy
If you want to remove this trait, speak to Andy Singh in The Well, New Atlantis.
3. Extrovert
A social flower!
You waste less oxygen by being around other people - your crew. This means that you have to be constantly around your companion for this trait to work.
If you choose to be alone, then this trait will do the exact opposite - you’ll waste more oxygen by spending time alone. This trait depends on your playstyle, I personally don’t like Bethesda’s NPC AI, so I play alone.
Pick this trait IF:
- You don’t mind your companions following you around
- You’re capable of putting up with your companions getting into your line of sight
- Also, this trait synergizes well with the Empath trait
Can be removed at a surgery center for 10,000 credits.
2. Empath
People-pleaser.
Performing actions that your companions approve of will improve their combat effectiveness. If you do something that they don’t approve of, you’re gonna end up with demoralized companions that will underperform in combat. It’s pretty simple, although you might not always agree with your companion’s moral code.
Pick this trait IF:
- You’re more of a player that hangs around with companions
- You want to bother yourself with your companion’s moral code
- One big plus is the synergy between the Empath&Extrovert traits
Can be removed at a surgery center for 10,000 credits.
1. Raised Enlightened
You are enlightened now.
This trait automatically aligns you with the Enlightened, which gives you access to a chest of exclusive items. The Enlightened is one of the most powerful factions in Starfield, these guys are obsessed with science and gathering wisdom about space and bla, bla, bla…
Probably the best trait I have picked, thanks to this I got plenty of useful items super early into the game and have negative effects placed on you.
Pick this trait IF:
- You want to be automatically aligned with the Enlightened
- Gain easy access to a chest filled with useful, early-game items
- You don’t care about the Sanctum Universum chest(you won’t be able to access it)
Speak to Andy Singh in The Well, and tell him that you no longer want to be a part of the House of the Enlightened.
