Starting skills, traits, and more |

What could be cooler than playing a Bounty Hunter in Starfield? If you choose this background, you’ve likely traveled across the stars, picking up marks and collecting rewards on them. However, there’s more to it than simply having a fancy title. You have to consider important traits, skills, and equipment to make sure that you’re successful in your endeavors. Bounty Hunters need a blend of good combat skills and defensive options to make sure that fights don’t suddenly go wrong.

We’ll go over what Bounty Hunters start with and what useful options you should pick up along the way. As with all builds, the ones in Starfield are subjective. You might prioritize other styles of gameplay, and that’s perfectly fine. This is just our suggestion of what to do in Bethesda’s latest epic Role-Playing Game.

Starfield Bounty Hunter class starting skills

These are the skills you begin with using this background (Image via Bethesda)

Starting skills

Piloting: Unlocks ship thrusters and better ship acquisition
Targeting Control Systems: Unlocks and improves overall ship targeting
Boost Pack Training: Unlocks the jetpack for your character

Interestingly enough, this background doesn't start with combat skills. Instead, they are efficient at getting around. Piloting and Targeting Control Systems both aid your travel from planet to planet. They also improve your ability to keep up with targeted starships. After all, you may sometimes need to disable an enemy ship and board it for your prey.

Finally, you get to live the Boba Fett lifestyle and begin the game with a jetpack. It’s a great way to get around and can make for some very flashy maneuvers in combat. Fly over the top of someone and rain down destruction to throw them off as a Bounty Hunter. It's one of the many reasons this class is great to play.

Best Traits for Bounty Hunter class in Starfield

You don't have to use traits, but these could spice things up (Image via Bethesda)

Traits are optional in Starfield. However, you can choose up to three of them during character creation. Each has a pro and a con to be aware of. You can even get them removed later if that’s something you wish to do. After going through the list, these are my favorites.

Trait:	Pro:	Con:
Alien DNA	Increased max health/oxygen	Healing items are less effective
Neon Street Rat	Access to special "Neon" dialogue options/rewards	Greatly increases crime bounty for other factions
Wanted	Increased damage while your health is low	Bounty Hunters randomly show up to kill you

Alien DNA is useful to increase your overall max health and oxygen. Sadly, it decreases your health item recovery. You can combine this with Wanted, which increases your damage while you’re at low health. Its downside isn’t really that bad, either - occasionally, Bounty Hunters will show up to try and kill you. This makes the game more exciting, and you could pick up some fantastic loot as a result of defeating them.

You also have Neon Street Rat, which gives you special faction rewards and unique dialogue options. As another option, Serpent’s Embrace could be a fun pick - if you want to Grav Jump at any rate.

I prefer Neon Street Rat, though. It gives you access to great faction-based rewards early in the game. It does make other factions dislike you, but what's life without a little risk as a Bounty Hunter?

Best skills to unlock first for Bounty Hunter class in Starfield

Bounty Hunters are a tech-based class, so you'll spend plenty of time here (Image via Bethesda)

Skills to focus on

Ballistic Weapon Systems
Lasers
Medicine
Boost Assault Training
Missile Weapon Systems
Piloting
Rifle Certification
Targeting Control Systems
Wellness

You already start with decent starting skills in this class. However, you lack combat skills right out of the gate - so you must improve that. Focus on whatever weapons you prefer first, whether they’re lasers, rifles, or perhaps pistols.

Boost Assault Training allows you to do way more with the boost pack you already have access to. You will be able to do things like deal damage when you boost, and you’ll have a chance to knock foes down when you boost. You can even eventually hover in place while aiming down the sites while in the air.

You also need to improve your piloting skills since you can, and should, board enemy starships to claim marks. Ballistic Weapon Systems and Missile Weapon Systems can surely help that.

Best weapons for Bounty Hunter class in Starfield

You can go for a melee build, but firing laser rifles from afar is more satisfying - and safer (Image via Bethesda)

The best weapons for this background in Starfield are certainly Rifles and any Laser Weapons you come across. You won't be mixing it up in melee very often. High-powered, long-range weapons are going to be your friend.

Pistols and shotguns are okay in a pinch, but you will want to put all the focus on Rifles and Laser Weapons throughout your time in the game. If you're going to seek out particular weapons, Equinox (Laser Rifle), Novablast Disruptor (Electromag Rifle), and Beowulf (Rifle) are solid options.

Bounty Hunter is one of the best classes in Starfield. There are few things more fun than traveling through space and scooping up criminals for a reward. Discover more about all Starfield Traits and find the best Starfield Traits to suit your gameplay.

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Starting skills, traits, and more