A staple of all Bethesda games is the many factions you can join. These are often some of the most exciting questlines for players — think the horrible secrets of New Vegas’ White Glove Society or the eerie saga of The Dark Brotherhood, Cicero, and the Night Mother in Skyrim. With Bethesda’s newest title, Starfield, there are even more factions and groups to help, join, or destroy. But what are all of the major factions in Starfield?
What factions are in Starfield?
In Starfield, there are five major factions you can interact with. Each has a different ideology about how to lead spacefaring into the future. Whether you like to approach the future frontier as a businessperson or a scientist, it’s up to you who you want to support. You can join every single one of Starfield’s factions if you want to, however, as the game progresses these factions may come into conflict, so you’ll have to decide where your loyalties lie before the end of the game.
Constellation
When you start Starfield, your player character is already a member of Constellation. Constellation is a group of explorers and scientists trying to unearth the secrets of the universe. One of their main focuses is finding and deciphering Artifacts — possibly alien relics that give people cryptic visions. Regardless of the complex political system around it, Constellation prioritizes knowledge over all else.
Crimson Fleet
If you prefer a little more anarchy, the Crimson Fleet are the space pirates of your dreams. They sail the cosmic skies in their spaceships to take what’s theirs. Or at least, the things they decide should be theirs. You join them at first as a double agent for another faction. However, it’s up to you if you help or hurt these starry privateers.
Freestar Collective
The Freestar Collective is one of Starfield’s major players in an interplanetary civil war. They are a pseudo-government group trying to lead humanity’s spread across space. Freestar Collective prefers a more loose, expansionist ideal of space life. This group has a higher regard for personal freedoms but has a worse record of respecting and executing laws.
Ryujin Industries
Who needs government when you can have a business? If you want to make the most money out of outer space, Ryujin Industries will delight you. They are a tech-heavy megacorp that aims to be the most influential conglomerate among the stars.
United Colonies Vanguard
United Colonies (UC) and their Vanguard are the other half of the major interplanetary civil war. In direct opposition to Freestar Collective, UC is a militaristic and lawful governing body, well-known for its well-armed Vanguard. UC keeps a more rigid order and safety between spaceships and the cosmos, but this group also greatly restricts individual liberties. As a government, UC works towards a safer space community, not a freer one.
Are there minor factions in Starfield?
Like other Bethesda games, there are more minor players that don’t fight for control of the interplanetary frontier. They tend to have less lofty goals. However, they are still groups you can interact with, do missions for, and in some cases, join. These factions include:
- Ecliptic Mercenaries
- House of The Enlightened
- House of Va’Ruun Zealots
- Sanctum Universum
- Spacers
- Trackers
- The Trade Authority
