In Starfield, character creation is set to be a big part of the game.
As with any open-world Bethesda RPG, you won't be playing a stock protagonist, rather, you'll be crafting your protagonist from the ground up, choosing their appearance, background, and skillset from a wide variety of options. This variation and scope for customization is part of what makes Bethesda's previous titles, like Skyrim and Fallout 4 some of the Best RPGs to date; allowing you to create an avatar who is truly your own.
We already know that Starfield will have a seriously ambitious scale, boasting the biggest cities that Bethesda has ever made. However, as satisfying as it is to explore great environments, Starfield places equal emphasis on who it is doing the exploring. Fortunately, as revealed in E3 2023's 45-minute-long Starfield Direct, Bethesda doesn't plan to skimp on character creation. Here's every nugget of information we could glean from the preview.
Starfield character creation: Appearance
As you make your way through Starfield's sprawling game world, you'll need to make sure that you're doing so with a character who best reflects what you want out of the game.
As important as Skills and Perks are, it's equally crucial to make sure that your character looks exactly how you'd like them to. Here's what you can expect from Starfield's character creator when it comes to appearance:
Body options
The first major element that you'll be able to customize is your character's body type. So far, we know you can choose between a variety of physiques, walk styles and skin tones. You can also use the radial wheel to adjust your character's thinness, stockiness, or muscularity.
Face options
As you might expect from a Bethesda title, there is plenty of scope to customize your character's face, too. The usual options of skin tone, head shape, hair, hair color and eyes all seem to be available as you decide exactly what kind of face your character will present to the world.
In addition, Starfield allows you to blend facial morphs together, allowing you to give your character a totally bespoke facial structure. There is also a range of dermasthetic and makeup options
Starfield character creation: Background
Reminiscent of the classic Bethesda RPG Fallout 3, Starfield will allow you to select a background that will come with three skills, giving your character an edge in their chosen fields. There seems to be a wide range of different backstories to choose from, ranging from Diplomat to Gangster.
At first glance, it's clear that Skills offer advantages that can significantly change how your character plays. For instance, the Chef background gives you access to 'Gastronomy', allowing you to craft specialty food and drinks. Conversely, the Cyber Runner background gives you the 'Security' skill, which seriously buffs your hacking abilities – particularly exciting if you want to channel some of that Cyberpunk 2077 energy into your playthrough.
On top of that, your choice of background gives you access to extra dialogue options based on your talents. The Starfield Direct that aired in June showed off a unique piece of dialogue for a character with the Beast Hunter background, who was able to impress a diner at a restaurant with their specialized hunting knowledge.
Starfield character creation: Traits
The final aspect of Starfield's character creation is Traits. These seem to function very similarly to traits from Fallout New Vegas by adding nifty tweaks and quirks to your character. Sometimes they can be as much help as a hindrance, but they never fail to add flavor to a playthrough. At the start of the game, you can select three of these.
'Introvert', for instance, buffs your Starfield character's endurance when adventuring alone, but debuffs it when you're working alongside other human companions. Meanwhile, 'Kid Stuff' means that you have NPC parents that you can visit, but who demand 10% of your income. In a loving homage to Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, you can select the "Hero Worshipped" trait, which will give you a follower in the form of an incessantly annoying NPC.
Traits can also impact how NPCs react to your character in the world. For instance, those with the "Seprent's Embrace" trait will find allies instead of enemies when interacting with those who share your character's faith.
Now you know exactly what to expect from character creation in Starfield. If you're planning on pre-purchasing Starfield, it may be worth having a look at the Starfield pre-order editions that have just been revealed, so you can know exactly what bang you'll get for your buck.
