Starfield Starborn explained: What are the Starborn?

The Starborn are an essential part of the narrative in Starfield, but you might need a bit of an explainer if you've just encountered them - and we've got a rundown of what role they play in the game and the universe at large.

Starfield is chock-full of plenty of things to discover throughout its expansive galaxy, with plenty of companions to romance and different character builds to explore.  

The Starborn are just another facet of everything on offer in Starfield. They're very significant in the events of the game, so here's a rundown of what you need to know.

However, if you've not encountered them yet, proceed with caution, as they don't appear until later in the main story.

What are the Starborn in Starfield?

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The Starborn are a group you'll encounter in the Starfield story. You'll first meet the Starborn after the mission on Neon with Walter Stroud, but they appear again soon after that and things get pretty crazy.

But who are they, or what are they? In short, they are humans who have ascended by entering the Unity, becoming a new, more powerful version of themselves. Examples include the Hunter and the Emissary, who both feel differently about the Unity and what it should be used for.

The Unity is a mysterious power that allows humans to pass through and become Starborn. This can only be done by collecting all Artifacts and completing the Armillary, and you can become Starborn yourself by doing exactly that in the game.

When you pass through, you will become Starborn - just like the other Starborn characters have done before you. Some have even been through countless times, entering a new universe each time they do so.

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What happens when you become Starborn in Starfield?

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When you pass through the Unity to become Starborn in Starfield, it's essentially like entering a new game - with a twist.

You will gain a new ship and a spacesuit exclusive to the Starborn, but all your relationships, quests, outposts, inventory, credits and more will be lost forever. You will have to earn back everything you had before, complete quests again and so on. 

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You get to keep any powers you've collected though, and you can obtain more after entering the Unity. But when you become Starborn you are essentially entering a new universe where none of your previous relationships, activities or discoveries happened.

You'll have to do everything all over again, but with newfound powers and the knowledge you gained by doing them the first time. Some quests may play out differently on your second run, and you still get to do all the content you might have missed on your first time through Starfield.

For more on everything relating to the Settled Systems, check out our Starfield homepage to see more guides, or check out the best mods to download in Starfield or how to buy a house in Starfield.