Should you join the United Colonies (UC) in Starfield?

There are several Factions you have the opportunity to join right out of the gate in Starfield. However, none are more prominent than the United Colonies, which is the governmental body that runs the city of New Atlantis.

The United Colonies are essentially what’s left of life on Earth, and New Atlantis is an extension of humanity’s previous life. You are immediately greeted with large UC logos and signs as soon as you step foot in New Atlantis, and you may be wondering how to be a part of this vast organization. Before you start making any decisions, though, I have some insights on exactly what comes with joining the United Colonies in Starfield.

Joining the United Colonies in Starfield

First and foremost, joining the United Colonies doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t join other Factions down the line. However, there may come a point in Starfield where you might need to pick one Faction over the other, especially if two particular Factions are enemies of one another.

I found the United Colonies was a fairly safe Faction to join, though, so you should be able to complete its various quests with no problems, even if you join other Factions.

Of course, just because you can join the UC doesn’t mean you should. It comes down to the Traits you selected during the character creator. If you chose the Trait “United Colonies Native,” then you most definitely want to join. This gives you special dialogue with the UC and helps round out your character’s background.

Related: All Factions in Starfield, Listed

If you selected something like Freestar Collective Settler or Neon Street Rat, you might not want to join the UC. Freestar Collective in particular is a Faction that has warred with the UC in the past. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from joining even with the Freestar Collective Trait, so if that’s the road you want to go down, feel free to do so.

The perks of joining the United Colonies

If you do want to join the United Colonies faction in your Starfield playthrough, you will first have to go through the Vanguard training, which is the UC’s primary enlistment group. After some work as a Vanguard, you can eventually become a UC citizen, which allows you to purchase property on New Atlantis.

If you’re quite fond of the city, I highly recommend following through with the UC’s questline and attaining citizenship. You can make New Atlantis one of your home bases with a cushy apartment.

In the end, it’s up to you and how you want to build out your character. If you’re not super attached to your background, then I suggest joining every Faction to give yourself more content. However, if you want to keep to a strict character background, then joining the UC as a Freestar Collective Settler or Neon Street Rat might not be the best idea.