Starfield Factions: How to Join Every Faction

Starfield is the latest RPG by Bethesda, and while the game lets players explore the vastness of space, Starfield also sticks close to Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls and Fallout roots. No, we don’t just mean that once again you can let the world’s most annoying NPC follow you around.

As with other Bethesda RPGs, Starfield is full of factions players can interact with. Technically speaking, the main character starts as a member of the mining company Argos Extractors, but that’s more of a flavor group to help players learn the ropes. As players explore the worlds of Starfield, they will encounter many groups, such as Spacers and House Va’ruun, but nobody can really join them per se. Only five major factions are looking for recruits: Constellation, the Crimson Fleet, the Freestar Collective, Ryujin Industries, and the United Colonies. Here’s how you join each one.

Starfield: Can You Join Every Faction?

Yes, you can join every faction in Starfield. There is no reputation system in this game that prevents you from joining one faction just because you worked for their rivals at some point or upset them too much through your other actions. Actually, it’s highly recommended that you join every faction as soon as possible.

However, you may eventually perform some faction-specific quests that will prevent you from being able to progress with other factions (most notably, the United Colonies and Crimson Fleet). While you can join those opposing factions to start their questlines, you may have to choose which questline you’d eventually like to finish. While we won’t spoil those events here, the game makes it fairly obvious when you’re about to hit a possible faction progression wall. – MB

Starfield: How to Join Constellation

While not a “major” power in the in-universe cosmos of Starfield, Constellation is technically the game’s main faction since it’s the reason players get to leave their mining job and join the main adventure.

Constellation consists of explorers who want to explore the unknown, but the group is so small that you can count the number of members on two hands. Unlike every other faction in the game, joining Constellation is mandatory since you can’t continue the main story otherwise. Just follow the map markers in the mission “One Small Step,” which should take you to The Lodge in New Atlantis. Talk to Sarah Morgan, and you’re Constellation’s newest member. – AG

Starfield: How to Join United Colonies 

The United Colonies is one of the largest forces in Starfield. This faction is the political and military force behind the city of New Atlantis. Heck, the United Colonies is New Atlantis, and because of that, players can sign up for the United Colonies (their Vanguard forces to be precise )right after they land in the area.

To join the United Colonies armed forces, visit their MAST Headquarters (the big building near the transit station) and talk to Commander John Tuala. Tell him you’re interested in working for them. Commander Tuala will then send you to participate in several tests, including a flight exam. Complete as many tiers as you can, and as long as you clear three of them, you’re officially welcomed into the United Colonies Vanguard. – AG

Starfield: How to Join Freestar Collective 

Every highly bureaucratic organization like the United Colonies needs a counterpart that yearns for freedom and independence. The Freestar Collective fills that niche, and if you want to join the ranks of their armed militia, the Rangers, you’ll need to prove yourself.

Even though the Freestar Collective has an embassy in New Atlantis, you can’t join their faction until you reach Akila City, housed on Akila within the Cheyenne system. After landing, you will be drawn to the GalBank building, which seems to have a nasty case of bank robbers and hostages. Whether you see the commotion for yourself or just hear about it via gossip, the game will start the quest “Job Gone Wrong,” which tasks you with clearing up the situation.

Converse with Marshall Blake outside of the bank and offer to solve the problem. You can either talk the robbers down or let your sci-fi shooting iron do the talking. No matter which solution you choose, Blake will direct you towards the Freestar Collective Rangers’ HQ, The Rock. In there, find and talk to Emma Wilcox. Tell her you are interested in joining the Rangers. Complete a few missions for her via the nearby mission board, and you’ll be deputized into the Freestar Collective faction. – AG

Starfield: How to Join Crimson Fleet

Shortly after players obtain the alien relic that starts them on their journey, their mining colony is attacked by a group of space pirates known as the Crimson Fleet. In fact, players can’t even visit New Atlantis until they wipe out all Crimson Fleet raiders in the surrounding system. Turns out these pirates are the forgiving kind and will let you join them.

To join the Crimson Fleet, you have several options. First, you can progress through the United Colonies story missions until you reach the quest “Deep Cover,” or you commit a crime on Jemison, (preferably by smuggling contraband, stealing something, attacking someone.” Either choice will bring you face-to-face with the United Colonies SysDef and Commander Ikande.

If you went the long way around, Ikande will ask you to infiltrate the Crimson Fleet. If you went the expedited crime route, Ikande let you pay off your crime by infiltrating the Crimson Fleet. Should you accept, Starfield will open up a series of quests where you are technically a member of both the Crimson Fleet and the United Colonies, but whether you permanently ally yourself with the former hinges on ignoring Ikande’s orders. Journeying down the Crimson Fleet’s path eventually brings you to their base of operation, the star station known as The Key, which orbits Suvorov in the Kryx system. While there, talk to the big boss of the Crimson Fleet, Delgado, and he will officially welcome you to his band of not-so-merry pirates. – AG

Starfield: How to Join Ryujin Industries

Every sci-fi setting needs a megacorporation that may or may not be on the up and up. In Starfield, look no further than Ryujin Industries. This company has its fingers in virtually every economic sector within Starfield, and it didn’t become a major player throughout the galaxy by playing fair. Corporate espionage is as much a key feature of Ryujin Industries as quality manufacturing, and you can help the company do both by signing up.

While you can’t join Ryujin Industries until later on in Starfield, you can start your journey as early as New Atlantis. Just visit the Commercial District and head towards the GalBank building. You should find a red kiosk. Just interact with it, fill out the job application form (your answers don’t matter), and you’ve taken your first step. If you miss this kiosk, don’t worry since you can find identical booths in every major city in Starfield.

Once you have filled out the appropriate paperwork, the game provides the mission “Back to the Grind.” To continue, land in Neon, which is on Volii Alpha in the Volii system. Enter Ryujin Tower and begin your interview. You’ll get the job no matter what, but before you are officially hired full-time, you have to fetch your evaluator some coffee. Were you expecting anything else? Well, you probably won’t expect someone to pull a gun on you during that coffee run, or at least you will now that we’ve told you about it. Still, after dealing with the gunman and delivering the mission-relevant caffeine, you are officially part of the Ryujin Industries family. – AG

Starfield: Other Notable Groups

Finally, there are various other factions that you’ll encounter in Starfield depending on how you play the game. While you can interact with these factions in various ways (even if it’s just fighting them), they don’t offer the same expanded questline and benefits that the factions listed above offer. As such, they’re considered to be closer to groups rather than proper factions.

However, here’s a few things you need to know about those various groups:

Argos Extractors – A mining group you work for at the start of the game and occasionally interact with in quests.

The Enlightened, House Va’ruun, and Sanctum Universum – Three “religious” groups found throughout Starfield’s galaxy. You can pick Traits that allow you to join each at the start of the game. Those Traits offer various rewards and unique interactions, but none of these groups offer a unique questline.

Spacers – Raiders and rebels that you’ll encounter in the open world and during various quests.

Ecliptic Mercenaries – Freelance operatives who will pop up throughout the world and during various quests.

Xenofresh Corporation – A shady Neon-based corporation with ties to the city’s underground. Though you can technically join them as part of a questline, they do not otherwise seem to offer unique quests or other benefits.

Starborn – A very special group that plays a major role in Starfield’s story. Though there are unique ways to interact with them throughout the game, we will not spoil those here. For what it’s worth, this faction is not structured like the major factions noted above and are very much their own thing.

– MB