Starfield: Enlightened vs Universal – Which should you choose?

There are three religions in Starfield and you can join them by selecting one as a starting Trait or joining one later. The three religions are Enlightened, Universal, and House Va’ruun, but House Va’ruun (AKA the Serpent’s Embrace Trait) is arguably the worst Trait in the game (although they have the coolest religion). With House Va’ruun off the table, should you join Enlightened or Universal in Starfield?

Note: If you’re still deciding what the best Traits are in Starfield, I recommend you check out our tier list guide to help you make the best decision.

Should you pick Raised Enlightened or Raised Universal Trait in Starfield?

Screenshot: PC Invasion

One issue I ran into immediately in Starfield is that the beliefs of each religion aren’t explained well enough in the character creator to confidently pick one over the others.

Since there are a lot of other great Traits, my real answer is to pick neither Raised Enlightened or Raised Universal and go for any other Trait. But if you really wanna go the religious route (which there are three cool options), then here’s what you need to know.

What do the Enlightened believe in Starfield?

The Enlightened are a religious organization of atheists. They reject the idea of a supreme being and embrace the idea of humanism. They are charitable, believe in community, and try their best to help humanity explore the stars. Their headquarters are located in The Well in New Atlantis.

What do the Universal believe in Starfield?

Screenshot: PC Invasion

The Universal is officially called Sanctum Universum and they believe that God exists somewhere in the universe. They are a young religion at just around 20 years old, but they have many followers. Universals believe that the grav drive is proof that God wants to be discovered among the stars. Their headquarters are located in New Atlantis in the MAST District.

What is the best religion in Starfield?

Personally, I think Universal is a better religion to join in Starfield because Mateus is in Universal and the main campaign has a few major tie-ins with the Universal religion. However, being part of a religion or not doesn’t impact the story at all — pick whichever option you want as you’re the author of your own story.

Besides dialogue options, being part of Enlightened or Universal grants you access to their chests. You can find these chests in their respective headquarters (Enlightened in the MAST District of New Atlantis and Universal in The Well of New Atlantis).

• Enlightened
  • x5 Med Packs
  • x2 Penicillin
  • Water Drink Pack
  • Settler Poncho
  • Charity in a Godless Universe, Part I
  • Charity in a Godless Universe, Part II
  • Charity in a Godless Universe, Part III
  • Charity in a Godless Universe, Part IV
• Universal
  • x5 Med Packs
  • x2 Addichrone
  • Festive Neocity Poncho
  • Boom Pop! Orange
  • Sanctum Universum, Vol I
  • Sanctum Universum, Vol II
  • Sanctum Universum, Vol III