Following the Xbox Games Showcase, Bethesda dove into Starfield like never before, showing off gameplay, the different planets, its biggest city yet, and the new character creator, which Bethesda describes as its simplest and most in-depth one yet.
It also claims that every NPC was made with its character creator, meaning that anyone you see can be replicated. If you really want to have a doppelganger out in the wild or roleplay as some bizarro evil clone, you can. The character creator also scanned a diverse range of people of all ethnicities to make it Bethesda's most realistic yet. It's certainly a far cry from the days of Oblivion's potato faces.
To show off how in-depth Starfield's character creator is, you can not only toy with the typical options like your nose, ears, cheeks, and mouth, you can even modify your teeth. But going beyond the cosmetic, Starfield has baked in background options and traits to the character creator, letting you make each and every character unique. One example given was that if you select a certain religion, running into zealots that would otherwise attack you on sight might offer unique dialogue options that let you diplomatically get by.
We got to see most of the traits in the showcase. You can see them listed below.
- Alien DNA
- Dream Home
- Empath
- Extrovert
- Freestar Collective Settler
- Hero Worshipped
- Introvert
- Kid Stuff
- Neon Street Right
- Raised Enlightened
- Raised Universal
- Serpent's Embrace
- Space
- Taskmaster (not to be confused with the Spider-Man villain or British game show)
- Terra Firma
- United Colonies Native
You can select three of these traits before playing, but they're also entirely optional. Each one gives you unique bonuses and interactions - the Kid Stuff description reads, "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."
As for your background, we saw most of them in the showcase as well. You can select one from the following list:
- Beast Hunter
- Bouncer
- Bounty Hunter
- Chef
- Combat Medic
- Cyber Runner
- Cyberneticist
- Diplomat
- Explorer
- Gangster
- Homesteader
- Industrialist
- Long Hauler
- Pilgrim
- Professor
- Ronin
Each gives you unique starting skills, with the Explorer boasting a boost in lasers, astrodynamics, and surveying.
And of course, we finally got a look at Starfield's Adoring Fan, a callback to Oblivion's own. They're a beloved, yet also infamous and hated, character who follow you around and worship the ground you walk on after you beat the arena storyline. You can have them pop up by picking the Hero Worshipped trait.