Should You Choose File Not Found Background in Starfield?

Much like any grandiose Bethesda RPG for those just starting out, Starfield can throw a lot at its players as they venture out to explore its vast starmap. But before charting such a path, the usual character creation ritual must first ensue, with a surprisingly enriching experience waiting depending on what players may choose, often reflecting one's play style, character interactions, and raw utilitarian potential. In Starfield, one of the fundamental traits every player must choose is their Background, with [File Not Found] being its most intriguing by design.

Featuring a similarly alluring, mysterious appeal as that of the Deprived starting class from Dark Souls, Starfield's spin on the blank slate is more than a corresponding set of stats, revealing little to the player when called upon to choose this as their Background. Fortunately, years later, players know well just how beneficial it can be for starting players as well as virtually anybody looking for a well-rounded start suited for the game's mixture of ground combat, survivability, and spacecraft maneuverability.

What Does The [File Not Found] Background Do?

Dialogue And Skill Changes Enrich A Mysterious Origin

Selecting the [File Not Found] background option will result in minor dialogue changes throughout the campaign and determine the custom character's starting skills. However, these shifts in character interactions won't have any major narrative implications for the campaign. In fact, in many ways, selecting the [File Not Found] background in Starfield is seemingly like starting with a clean slate.

While other backgrounds like Cyber Runner or Diplomat may provide additional dialogue options in the campaign, the [File Not Found] background doesn't seem to have much overall impact on most scenarios. This is reflective of the background's theme, which sets your character as a mysterious stranger rather than someone with a definitive history. In many ways, [File Not Found] is meant to be a mysterious origin, without any real explanation or embellishment.

Perhaps the biggest impact of the [File Not Found] background in Starfield is the character's staring skills. Selecting [File Not Found] will provide the skills Wellness, Ballistics, and Piloting. Wellness increases maximum health by 10%, Ballistics increases pistol damage by 10%, and piloting enables the character to utilize ship thrusters.

Regarding gameplay, the [File Not Found] background gives you many different traits for a "jack-of-all-trades" start rather than a specialized skill set. This is perfect for players who have decision paralysis around some of the other background options, or for those who don't want alternate pasts impacting their story too much. That being said, there are some additional facts about this background that are worth delving into.

Some Skill And Trait Combinations Don't Make Sense

According to the game's description, choosing the [File Not Found] background means there is no information about the created character's past life. However, the direct reason for this is kept a secret. Options range from a simple clerical oversight to deletion from a powerful organization. Starfield, however, makes it a point to mention that "Whatever the reason, your past is known only to you," which means the character is not a person suffering from memory loss, but indeed has a past that they are aware of.

One thing that makes the File Not Found background make less sense is when it's coupled with the Kid's Stuff trait. The reason it makes little sense is because, in Starfield, the character can meet their parents, where there is clearly a history and dialogue tree that can be engaged in. This gives more background information on the character, despite what the [File Not Found] background is trying to set up.

Other traits also make little sense, including the Hero Worshipped trait, as the character's notoriety would make no sense coupled with the [File Not Found] background. Indeed, though it is just one small detail, it's one that Bethesda didn't seem to design to intentionally interact with other aspects, including important traits in Starfield, tied to the player-created character.

Should Your Character Pick The [File Not Found] Background?

Fine For First-Time Playthroughs, But Not For Veterans

Ultimately, it may be worth it to select the [File Not Found] background for a first playthrough, but it could get boring fast. For one, it'll be hard to determine the dialogue differences by picking a different background if it's the first time playing. Furthermore, the main differences in picking the background and the skills may not be the best for the most fulfilling playthrough.

As characters gain a skill point every time they reach enough XP to level, choosing the [File Not Found] option is a bit less appealing than others. Mainly because the character will likely quickly level up, enabling skill point allocation to any tree. While certain skills might make an impact on the first one or two missions, starting skills become less important very early on in the game.

As there is no limit to the skills that one can get, it makes the background feel somewhat inconsequential. On the other hand, other backgrounds that might give the character unique expertise in a specific field, like Persuasion, may be more useful during the early game. That being said, the starting skills of Wellness, Ballistics, and Piloting aren't actually all that terrible, so, from a pure combat and gameplay perspective, it is certainly a viable option.

Out of the innumerable things that can be done in Starfield's expansive universe, knowing how everything interacts can be nearly impossible initially. As Starfield is one of the largest open-world games in existence and Bethesda's largest game ever, there's no shortage of things to investigate and discover. That being said, the [File Not Found] background in Starfield is not an element of the game with deep narrative impact, with too few changes to make a substancial impact on your experience.