Starfield: All Major Factions + How To Join

Here are my top picks for the best faction after spending more than 230 hours in Starfield.

There are five major factions that you can join, and each has a huge impact on your playstyle, which is why you should choose the best faction in Starfield carefully, especially during the early game. Thankfully, you can join any faction that you want after completing the tutorial missions.

Key Takeaways
  • There are five major factions that you can join in Starfield.
  • These include Ryujin Industries, Constellation, Crimson Fleet, United Colonies, and Freestar Collective.
  • Joining a faction can really change how you play and can have a huge impact on your playthrough.
  • Some factions are also really important to the main plot and story.
  • Specific factions require you to play as an evil guy, but others want you to be as good as possible.
  • There are also various benefits to joining each major faction, as some provide more money while others provide more XP through missions.
  • Each faction also has specific faction missions, and you can even choose a faction trait during character creation.
Important: There are a plethora of factions in Starfield, but only five make up the major factions and can actually be joined additionally.

The Best Factions In Starfield

Here is an overview of all of the Best major factions that you can join in Starfield:

Major FactionDescriptionbest for
Ryujin IndustriesThe Ryujin Industries is the best faction as it provides amazing rewards and you can use its influence to persuade people.Best For Profit.
ConstellationIt is the first major faction that you join and it realy helps you understand the basic mechanics and even provides great early game upgrades.Best Side Missions.
Crimson FleetThe Crimson Fleet allows you to play as a space pirate and you can plunder for loot by robbing various spaceships in Starfield.Best Rogue Faction.
United ColoniesThis is basically the biggest faction and a military force in Starfield which can be joined to have an easier time in your playthrough.Best Faction For Fast Playthroughs.
Freestar CollectiveThe Freestar Collective faction provides minimal rewards when compared with other major factions but the faction missions are really good from a narrative standpoint.Best Narrative Missions.

1. Ryujin Industries

Best For Profit.
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Joining The Ryujin Industries In Starfield (Image Captured by Me)
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I believe that the Ryujin Industries faction is undoubtedly the Starfield best faction, as it comes with the best monetary benefits and some amazing missions. You can also join this faction in the early game after getting through the tutorial missions and getting your hands on your own spaceship.

Aside from the monetary benefits, you can even use the name of Ryujin Insutries to persuade various NPCs in conversations, as the faction holds a lot of influence.

How To Join

  • You’ll have to make your way to Neon, which is located on planet Volii Alpha.
  • Explore the main area of Neon, and you’ll receive the quest Back to the Grind.
  • That quest will lead you to a Ryujin Industries Kiosk, where you can fill out a form to join the faction.
  • After filling out the form, you’ll be called for an interview at the headquarters.
  • Keep following the quest, and you’ll end up becoming an employee or member of the faction.
  • Highest potential for money.
  • Great set of missions.
  • Aesthetic look.

 

  • The stealth quests might be too easy.

 

  • It is one of the most profitable factions that you can join. It also offers a great set of missions, and my favorite, the aesthetics.

2. Constellation

Best For Side Missions.
starfield best faction
Joining The Constellation In Starfield (Image Captured by eXputer)
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The Constellation faction is definitely the best faction for your early game. It not only helps you to understand the world of Starfield in the first few missions but there are also certain upgrades that you can only unlock by doing the faction quests of Constellation. This faction also plays a major role in the main plot, but you should at least stick with it for the first few hours of your playthrough.

How To Join

  • Just go through the tutorial mission of Starfield.
  • Accept Barrett’s proposition to join the Constellation during that mission.
  • In the end, you’ll make your way toward New Atlantis.
  • You will meet Sarah Morgan here, who will help you join the Constellation.
  • Has great rewards for early game.
  • Unique upgrades.

 

  • Not suited for players who don’t prefer exploration.

 

  • It is the best faction that you can join during early game. You will be able to understand the world of Starfield much more easily with this faction’s missions.

3. Crimson Fleet

Best Rogue Faction.
starfield best faction
Joining The Crimson Fleet In Starfield (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)
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If you want to become a space pirate and steal money and weapons, then the Crimson is probably the best choice for you. You’ll have to sacrifice your reputation since you are joining the bad guys who only steal. But there is a huge benefit to joining the Crimson Fleet faction as well, which includes earning good money and getting your hands on some of the finest stolen weapons.

How To Join

  • Following the quests of the Constellation faction will also lead you to the Crimson Fleet.
  • However, there is another quicker method of joining the faction.
  • You’ll have to commit crimes in areas that are specifically under the authority of the United Colonies faction.
  • Once the United Colonies faction has caught you, they will send you to the location of the Crimson Fleet.
  • You can now become a space pirate after finding the Crimson Fleet and doing some errands for them in Cydonia.
  • Freedom to do whatever you desire.
  • Very high monetary gain.

 

  • Stealing is not everyone’s cup of tea.

 

  • I joined them because I wanted freedom in my playthrough. They also offer a lot of other benefits like unique weapons and great profit.

4. United Colonies

Best Faction For Fast Playthroughs.
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Joining The United Colonies In Starfield (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
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The United Colonies is probably the largest faction in terms of sheer scale, as its reach extends to various planets in Starfield. It basically consists of a military, and you can have an easier experience by joining this faction. You’ll make your playthrough much more straightforward by joining the good guys. But the rewards that you get for completing United Colonies faction missions aren’t that worth it.

How To Join

  • Again, joining the Constellation faction is key in order to get to the United Colonies quickly.
  • One Small Step is the first main mission, and you’ll come across John Tuala during the mission.
  • You can simply join the faction by talking with John, and he will also direct you to the main headquarters.
  • Great choice for players looking to quickly finish the story.
  • Little to no political corruption.

 

  • Restricted exploration.
  • Must follow all the rules.

 

  • This faction is great to join if you want to quickly get through the initial playthrough so that you can start exploring on your own. It’s also an easy way to make extra credits.
My Suggestion: I also recommend players looking for exclusive rewards to join the United Colonies. During my Starfield playthrough, just doing a single questline from the United Colonies got me 250,000 credits and permission to buy the United Colonies Vanguard ship parts.

5. Freestar Collective

Best For Narrative Missions.
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Joining The Freestar Collective In Starfield (Image Captured by Us)
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Lastly, the Freestar Collective is definitely a great faction if you’re looking for rewards. This faction does not have much to offer in that category. But the Freestar Collective is probably the most unique faction that you’ll come across. The faction basically consists of space cowboys, and you’ll be able to become one yourself.

How To Join

  • You’ll need to make your way to Akila City, located on planet Akila in Starfield.
  • You will come across a hostage situation in the bank that you need to solve.
  • After solving the situation, find The Rock’s location within the city and talk to Emma Wilcox inside.
  • After speaking with her, you’ll need to complete some errands before you can become a full-fledged member of the Freestar Collective.
  • Unique experience with space cowboys.
  • Narratively driven missions.

 

  • A lot of corruption.

 

  • It offers amazing missions that are narratively driven. The best side missions I’ve played were with this faction.

The Best Faction Traits

You can pick three specific traits for your character during character creation in Starfield. Additionally, there are three faction traits that are related to the three major factions. You can actually start your playthrough with the bonus of having contacts with your favorite faction.

The best faction trait really comes down to the fact that it depends on which faction is your favorite and with which faction you’ll be spending most of your gameplay time.

Faction Trait Description
Freestar Collective Settler Receive special dialogue options for the Freestar Collective faction and better rewards from the faction missions.
United Colonies Native Get higher rewards from United Colonies faction missions and unlock special dialogues for that faction additionally.
Neon Street Rat Gain bonus rewards from completing missions on Neon City and also receive special dialogue options.

Keep in mind that you can only pick a single faction trait. Also, choosing a faction trait for your favorite faction will increase the rewards for that faction, but it will also increase your bounty among the other factions.

My Opinion

I prefer to go with the Crimson Fleet, simply because of the freedom I get from the faction. The rest of the rewards are just bonuses from there. However, I’ve seen players who were not fans of the Crimson Fleet due to their personality, which is understandable. 

Starfield is the latest and greatest entry from Bethesda Game Studios. It is definitely one of the best RPGs released this year, which allows you to explore space with your favorite companion. You can customize your build using the skill tree, and there are new powers as well. The Boost Pack also helps a lot in making exploration easier and more fun.

This concludes my guide on the best major faction in Starfield, which includes the best options not only for the early game but also for the late game. I have also described the method of joining each of these factions in complete detail. I hope that the guide was helpful in learning about the best factions. Let me know what you think about Starfield in the comments below!


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Community Feedback
sara

Constellation is easily the best. Not is the first one we can join , the benefits are huge for a starter facion

fanumTaz

Just started playing Starfield with Game Pass and so glad I found this article

feedfront

these screenshots are so good

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Daniyal is a Guides Writer and Editor at eXputer with over one year of experience in content writing. He's had a passion for tech and gaming for more than 15 years. Ever since his first console, the PS2, he's constantly branching off to different genres, and his go-to at the moment is the Souls experience pioneered by FromSoftware, which is evident by his 1,500+ hours of game time on Elden Ring. You can learn some more about Daniyal's gaming journey on his Steam & Xbox profiles.

Experience: 1+ Years || Mainly Covers Guides || Education: Bachelors in Computer Sciences.

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