Starfield: Which religion should you choose?

❘ Published: 2023-09-11T15:05:06

Bethesda

To progress to New Game Plus, players will need to jump into Unity.

There are a range of religions you can dedicate yourself to in Starfield, but which faith should you choose? Here’s a breakdown of each religion in Starfield and how to join it.

As is often the case in vast open-world Bethesda games, Starfield has a variety of religions you can choose to join on your quest. Each one comes with its own perks, however, each one also has its limitations and enemies. Should you join a religion in Starfield, its battles become your battles, although, you’ll also have other devotees to rely on.

The religion you choose to follow in Starfield also influences the choices you make throughout your galaxy-spanning quest. This can impact various things, including the ending you receive. Below, we’ll break down every major religion in Starfield, explain how to join, then weigh up the pros and cons of each.

Starfield religions explained
How to join a religion in Starfield
Are there real-life religions in Starfield?
Does religion matter in Starfield?

Multiple religions are based in New Atlantis.

Starfield religions explained

The three main religions in Starfield are The Enlightened, The Sanctum Universum, and The House of Va’runn. Here’s what each one believes and how it impacts you.

The Enlightened

In truth, The Enlightened isn’t really a religion, it’s more like a way of life devoted to secular humanism, science, and charity, combining themes we’ve seen in many real-world religions like Buddhism and Christianity, but without any divine figures. However, to those not included in The Enlightened ranks, the group looks and feels a lot like organized religion, and therefore, those keen to live a truly atheistic life are likely to avoid The Enlightened just as they’d avoid one of the other groups. However, they are technically a group of atheists and free-thinkers, despite their ways appearing rather fundamental at times.

They are located in the House of the Enlightened in New Atlantis and joining them gives you access to the Inclement Weather Outfit. Joining them won’t bring you into conflict with any of the other groups, but they won’t respond well to you joining forces with those who adhere to more superstitious belief systems.

The Sanctum Universum

The Sanctum Universum could be considered a futuristic version of one of today’s major religions. However, this group believes that God is a living, yet divine, entity that exists somewhere in the universe and is guiding humanity to reach him, figuratively and literally. They believe that the existence of the Grav Drive is proof that God intended humans to start exploring the stars.

While the Sanctum Universum has a lot in common with some of the religions of today, apart from all the space travel stuff, they’re actually a rather new faith that has grown rapidly in recent years and they’re also based in New Atlantis. Joining the group gives you access to the Neocity Urbanwear outfit which is very helpful in the early hours of Starfield. Joining the group is likely to raise the eyebrows of The Enlightened and The House of Va’runn.

The House Va’runn

The House of Va’runn is the most cult-like and secretive religion in Starfield. They’re also the most conservative, pious, and extreme. They believe in the Great Serpent, a giant Lovecraftian space snake that will one day consume the whole universe, kill all nonbelievers, and offer salvation to its followers only. To make their faith a reality, the House of Va’runn once declared the Serpent’s Crusade, a Holy War in which they either killed or converted many people before being defeated.

In Starfield, the more modern House of Va’runnis trying to make amends for their previous fundamentalism and now preaches a more liberal, tolerant, and less violent version of their doctrine. As is to be expected though, they are highly mistrusted by most people in Starfield. Joining them offers some amazing tidbits of lore and they also offer the Serpent’s Embrace, a buff that grants players more HP and oxygen.

The Serpent is the symbol of the House of Var’unn.

How to join a religion in Starfield

Joining the ranks of a religion in Starfield is actually rather simple, all you need to do is select the corresponding trait when creating your character. For example:

The Enlightened – Raised Enlightened trait
Sanctum Universum – Raised Universal trait
House Va’ruun – Serpent’s Embrace trait

You can also leave a religion at any time by speaking to the head of the house of worship and ending your association with them. You can then go and join another religion if you like. Or you can live a truly secular life and not join any.

Are there real-life religions in Starfield?

Yes, various real-life religions exist in Starfield, you can’t formally join them, but you’ll spot clues showing that some NPCs still follow certain faiths.

You can role-play as them and reject each of the in-game faiths if you wish. This is the closest way to follow your own religion in Starfield and not join any of the others.

Does religion matter in Starfield?

Your religion in Starfield is mostly just a way to flesh out your backstory and character. It will offer you some perks and dialog options at times, but it won’t have major ramifications on the setting.

However, it is designed to help your character choose a path, following a philosophy that could guide their choices, therefore impacting the ending of the game. How much you lean into this is up to you though, you can simply choose to ignore it altogether and blaze your own trail.

So that’s how to unlock every ending in Starfield. For more Starfield content, check out some of the below guides: