The best builds in Starfield based on your playstyle, explained

Starfield is a vast RPG that allows you to customize and build your character any way you want. When it comes to character progression, there are 100 levels and several perks divided into five different trees that you can use to build your character around. Depending on the perks you choose, you can end up with several different playstyles or just a hybrid mix of a few.

Starfield gives you access to 82 different perks with four levels of progression each. This can lead to many possibilities when you create your own build but also a lot of confusion. If you’re not sure where to start, we have a list of the best builds in Starfield that you can choose from based on your playstyle.

Best builds in Starfield

When you first create your character, you get to select your background and a handful of perks based on your chosen background. From that point on, the game gives you free rein to level up your perks any way you want. While you can theoretically make every build viable, some builds just outperform others if they specialize in one type of playstyle.

Maybe you like fighting in close combat? Maybe you enjoy using rifles and fighting from a distance? Or maybe you prefer to fight as little as possible and talk your way out of situations? You can do all of that and more in Starfield if you choose any of the builds below that match your playstyle.

The Assassin

• Weapons: Silenced weapons
• Background: Cyber Runner
• Perks: Stealth, Concealment, Gymnastics, Security, Theft, Boost Pack Training

One of the more popular ways to play Starfield, and other RPGs in general, is by using stealth. The Assassin build revolves around remaining unseen and taking out your enemies from the shadows before they have time to respond. Because of the quieter approach, Stealth and Concealment are must-have perks that this build cannot function without.

If you’re going to be stealthy, might as well make the most of being hidden. Security helps when you have to lockpick doors and chests (and that is quite often) while Theft will allow you to make a good living if you know who to pickpocket. Gymnastics and Boost Pack Training just work in any build to give you more mobility and ways to get around the worlds.

There are also some optional additions to this build. If you want to use a melee weapon to be even stealthier, pick up Dueling. If you prefer maximum stealth and not get detected, you will want to go at it alone, for which Isolation is a great choice.

The Brawler

• Weapons: Unarmed
• Background: Bouncer
• Perks: Boxing, Martial Arts, Neurostrikes, Fitness, Wellness, Pain Tolerance, Gymnastics, Boost Pack Training

The Brawler prefers to settle things with their fists instead of words. This close combat build forgoes all other conventional weapons and relies on the most conventional weapon: their fists. Since you’ll be unarmed for this build, picking up Boxing is a no-brainer. Starting with the Bouncer background will give you access to the perk immediately, so you can start off punching your enemies right away.

To enhance this build further, we choose Martial Arts and Neurostrikes to make the most out of our fists. On the defensive front, since you’re going to be up close and personal with your enemies, Pain Tolerance is essential so you can soak up damage. Fitness and Wellness round off this build by giving you additional health and oxygen to survive through most long fights.

As with the build before, investing in Gymnastics and Boost Pack Training early on will benefit you in the long run. For best results, max both the perks out while you can. Throw in Rejuvenation as well and the build should be complete.

The Commander

• Weapons: Shotguns, Rifles
• Background: Diplomat
• Perks: Persuasion, Diplomacy, Leadership, Fitness, Wellness

The Commander is a natural-born leader who can take charge of their companions as well as tackle difficult situations on their own. As such, putting points into Persuasion and Diplomacy should let you be able to resolve most situations peacefully before they get out of hand. If they do get out of control, however, putting points into a weapon of your choice (Shotguns or Rifles) will help.

If it does come down to combat, Fitness and Wellness will ensure you stand strong throughout most battles. Shotgun Certification or Rifle Certification will help you pump out additional damage depending on your weapon of choice. And finally, Leadership makes your followers a lot stronger, allowing them to occasionally heal you and pick themselves up if they get downed in battle.

One final tip that makes this build strong is picking up the Extrovert trait. Combined with Leadership, this trait will make the most of your companion in tougher situations where you have to fight it out.

The Engineer

• Weapons: Whatever you mod
• Background: Professor
• Perks: Research Methods, Spacesuit Design, Weapon Engineering, Chemistry, Special Projects

The Engineer focuses more on their own creations rather than conversation or combat. Whatever they lack in finesse, they make up for with their inventions. Weapon Engineering and Spacesuit Design allows you to create any kind of gear while Research Methods makes sure you spend less to do so.

Since you don’t have too many points in survival skills, keeping yourself topped up with the best chems using Chemistry is essential. To push this build to its absolute limit, maxing out Special Projects allows you to create some unique experimental items that you can’t otherwise acquire.

Because the build is so resource-intensive, it would be wise to invest points in Geology, Botany, and Scavenging to ensure you get the most resources possible as you explore the settled systems. Finally, Outpost Management will ensure you get the most out of automating your resource generation.

The Marksman

• Weapons: Rifles, Snipers, Pistols
• Background: Combat Medic
• Perks: Ballistics, Pistol Certification, Rifle Certification, Sniper Certification, Marksmanship, Armor Penetration, Sharpshooting, Targeting

As the name implies, the Marksman build focuses on making the best out of your weaponry. In most cases, you will want to keep your distance from your enemies because this build will turn you into a glass cannon. Because of this, our weapons of choice will be Rifles and Snipers for the most part.

Depending on the weapon you want to use, max out Rifle Certification or Sniper Certification first. Pistol Certification helps with a secondary weapon when you want to kill closer targets or are just low on ammo on your main weapons. Ballistics is a no-brainer because it increases the damage of all your Ballistic weapons, which are all of them in this build.

To supplement this build, we pick up Marksmanship to increase critical damage along with Armor Penetration to pierce the targets’ armor. Since precision is the name of the game, picking up Sharpshooting will grant you bonus damage on headshots while Targeting increases your accuracy when you aren’t aiming your weapon.

The Schemer

• Weapons: Pistols, Shotguns
• Background: Diplomat
• Perks: Persuasion, Intimidation, Negotiation, Diplomacy, Instigation, Manipulation, Xenosociology

For all of you who want to feel like a master manipulator, the Schemer build showcases what a truly charismatic personality can do. Starting off as a Diplomat allows you to access Persuasion right off the bat, which makes a lot of speech checks way easier early in the game. Negotiation takes Persuasion a step further by utilizing your credits to bribe, so having Commerce as a Diplomat helps financially.

As a Diplomat, having Diplomacy is a given. You can end conflicts without needing to engage yourself in them personally while opening up additional speech checks. Intimidation allows you to avoid fights entirely by forcing enemies to back off while Instigation will turn them against each other, which means you will never get your hands dirty with these two perks.

And finally, Manipulation is the bread and butter of the Schemer. Even though you will get it after spending 12 points in the Social tree, it is well worth the investment. Manipulation allows you to make your target do anything you want, which involves hacking terminals and opening locked doors, giving you way more options in combat and non-combat situations.

The Warlord

• Weapons: Swords
• Background: Ronin
• Perks: Dueling, Boxing, Martial Arts, Gymnastics, Stealth, Concealment, Boost Pack Training, Weapon Engineering

The final build on our list is for players who want to tear through their enemies while speedrunning through hostile areas to get to their goal. The Warlord build utilizes melee weapons, so they have to get up close and personal with their enemies to make short work of them. Dueling is the key skill here, allowing you to deal more damage with melee weapons.

If you don’t have access to a weapon, having Boxing and Martial Arts gives you an alternate way to play the Warlord. Mix that up with Stealth and Concealment and you can utilize some of the Assassin’s kit as a secondary playstyle. Gymnastics and Boost Pack Training allow for better traversal and make it harder for enemies to hit you.

As a Warlord, you will need the weapon you use to be in top condition, which is why Weapon Engineering is the final core perk of this build. The amount and type of mods you can add to your weapons increases, giving you more avenues to play around.

While these builds make your game a lot easier and streamlined, Starfield grants you full freedom to make your own hybrid builds so don’t be afraid to experiment if you find certain perks you like. Every perk has its own benefits so make sure you are using your skills to their strengths.