What are the Starfield religions? Starfield has a lot of different groups of people that you can interact with. There are a number of Starfield factions and within those factions, there are religions that you can join or either ignore or actively be in conflict with. But, what are the Starfield religions that Bethesda Games Studios have discussed so far?
The various religions you can find and join during the character creation process – when deciding on the Starfield backgrounds and traits – aren’t given much of an introduction. As a result, many of these groups are shrouded in secrecy, though they do offer rewards and interesting lore if you seek them out. However, the religions aren’t as large of a feature as the Starfield factions, though they are certainly still worth understanding.
Starfield religions
The three Starfield religions are:
- The Enlightened
- Sanctum Universum
- House Va’ruun
However, real-life religions also exist in the universe Bethesda has created, though these aren’t a prominent feature. As such, this guide will largely focus on the three fiction Starfield religions above.
Most of these religions were first revealed as traits during Starfield character creation, leading many avid fans to posit whether you could join religions or not, similar to factions.
This is in fact the case, with religions being minor factions. However, you can only join them through picking the relevant trait during character creation, and they don’t have quests like factions do.
Rather, joining a religion in Starfield will offer your character new dialogue options and a chest of loot in the main area of the religion. As a result, picking a religion is Starfield isn’t all that important, as it only has a limited impact on gameplay. It’s certainly not a fast-track way of getting the best Starfield weapons, like the factions are.
The Enlightened
The Enlightened, also known as the House of the Enlightened, is an atheist organization. As such, they don’t believe in a higher power. Rather, they teach humans to take care of each other following principles of humanism. To do this, they take part in numerous humanitarian outreach programs across the Settled Systems.
They seemingly won’t trade with Sanctum Universum, despite wanting to take care of other humans. This is likely due to the fact that these two religions have opposing views of the universe and divinity.
Nevertheless, the main theme of this religion – humanism – is a central focus of the main Starfield missions, with the player ultimately having to navigate issues of divinity, humanity, and who has power. This makes this quite an interesting religion to join and ponder, even if the choice has a relatively limited consequence.
The Enlightened religion can be found in the Starfield New Atlantis map in The Well area.
Sanctum Universum
Sanctum Universum members, called “Universals”, believe that God exists somewhere out there in the universe and that a higher power is guiding everyone within it. They believe that humanity’s ability to traverse the stars is God’s way of saying “come find me”, with the Grav Drive being the prime piece of evidence.
The Sanctum Universum is also one of the newest religions to form, having only sprung up over the last 20 years. In this short time though, Sanctum Universum has gained support rapidly.
Like The Enlightened, Sanctum Universum’s core themes tie directly in the main story of the game, with ideas of godliness, divinity, and humanity’s place within the universe. If you’re looking for some extra roleplaying potential, this is a good religion to choose.
Sanctum Universum can also be found in New Atlantis. Head to the MAST District to find this religion near the top of the ramp.
House Va’ruun
House Va’ruun is a cult of fanatical religious zealots and arguably one of the most mysterious Starfield religions in the universe.
According to the lore, House Va’ruun began aboard a colony ship that vanished in 2190 while heading to its destination. While many thought it had been destroyed, it reappeared in 2230 with one of the colonists claimed they had communed with the Great Serpent, an enigmatic being.
Shortly after, House Va’ruun was officially formed by Jinan Va’ruun, who quickly began spreading its ideology. However, while this began relatively peacefully, Jinan eventually declared war on non-believers in 2240, which kickstarted the Serpent’s Crusade.
After Jinan died in 2263, his son, Jarek Va’ruun, took over. Since then, the religion has almost disappeared again, though they remain hostile to anyone they come across.
Whether there is truth to the claims of House Va’ruun is yet to be seen, though it’s likely they are just a band of religious zealots. Nevertheless, there’s potential for this religion to feature in a Starfield DLC, as they have the most developed lore out of all the Starfield religions, despite them not featuring all that prominently.
Other religions
In the Starfield Q&A with the developers, the team confirmed that some existing religions from real life can be found in-game, however, they’re not focused on compared to the fictitious religions above.
So, you’ll likely meet some other religious people that follow beliefs found in the real world. But what’s the point of immersing yourself in the universe of Starfield if you’re just going to learn about religions we already have knowledge of? This is likely why the fictitious Starfield religions have much more prominent roles in the game, and can be joined for specific rewards.
How to join the Starfield religions
To join a religion in Starfield, you must pick the relevant trait during character creation. These are:
- The Enlightened – Raised Enlightened
- Sanctum Universum – Raised Universal
- House Va’ruun – Serpent’s Embrace
It is unfortunate that you can’t join the various Starfield religions more naturally while exploring the game, as many players simply won’t know what these groups are when it comes to creating their character at the start of the game.
Where to find the House of the Enlightened chest
The House of the Enlightened chest from the Raised Enlightened trait can be found in the religions’ headquarters in The Well, New Atlantis, on Jemison.
Here, players will find various religious books, medical supplies, and a standard outfit. While nothing special, these can be useful items if you’re just starting out.
Where to find the Sanctum Universum chest
The Sanctum Universum chest from the Raised Universal trait can be found in the MAST Distract, New Atlantis, on Jemison. Simply head up the ramp from the NAT train to find the circular yellow Sanctum Universum building to your left.
In this chest, players will find several religious books, medical supplies, and a standard outfit. Much like the Enlightened chest, these aren’t great rewards but they can be useful at the very start of your journey.
Nevertheless, this does mean that joining a religion in Starfield is very easy to do, since all you have to do is pick a trait dictating where your character came from.
Does your religion in Starfield matter?
No, your choice of Starfield religion does not have any substantial impact on the gameplay experience, so you can either pick one of the religions or none at all.
While Raised Enlightened and Raised Universal lead with the promise of a valuable chest only accessible to those belonging to its respective religion, there is little of value in these chests. With that said, the bonus dialogue options can occasionally be helpful, or at least insightful.
Serpent’s Embrace, the trait making you a former member of House Va’ruun, on the other hand, is much more interesting. With this trait, Grav jumping will provide a temporary boost to health and oxygen. However, these stats will be lowered if you don’t Grav jump regularly. This can have a much more impactful effect on your Starfield builds, though it can be a pain if you just want to kick back and explore.
Overall though, the Starfield religions don’t matter all too much, especially as they are only minor factions in both the story and the universe as a whole. The fully-fledged joinable factions are much more significant, with quests, characters, and rewards differentiating them.
That covers all the Starfield religions and their beliefs so you know what each one is about, how to join them, and whether it’s worth it. Alongside your choice or religion at the beginning of the game, you can make a number of other decisions, including which Starfield traits to assign to your character which can give you extra bonuses alongside the Starfield skills you unlock.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.