Starfield persuasion - How does the dialogue work


Starfield spaceship on planet with blue sky in background
Credit: Bethesda
November 6, 2023: Learn how to master persuasion in Starfield.

The Starfield persuasion feature is one of several mechanics to master while exploring the Starfield galaxy.

By reading this guide, you will discover how dialogue works in Starfield. This system is fortunately well known, so we know plenty about its specific aspects.

While you are here, make sure to check our Starfield romance guide. Also, we have a Starfield character creation guide, as well as a look at the Starfield Game Pass release date.

Does Starfield have a dialogue system?

As shown during the Constellation Questions: Talking Starfield with Todd Howard video, Starfield will get have more than 250,000 lines of dialogue.

Looking at previous Bethesda titles, you will find that the legendary Skyrim has 60,000 lines, while Fallout 4 has approximately 110,000. This means Starfield is twice as big as that game. Todd Howard also said that these lines would not be thousands of ways to greet or say goodbye to NPCs. Therefore, Starfield will feature a complex dialogue system that will significantly affect the gameplay.

The vital thing is that Starfield’s dialogue system doesn't have one single correct choice. The main storyline will change depending on the decisions you make playing the game. Therefore, you should carefully think and be responsible even if you talk with an NPC in Starfield.

Starfield's dialogue systems might be based on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. We've already seen that Bethesda is taking the best features from its older games to add them to Starfield, and dialogue might not be an exception.

A starship blasting through space in Starfield.
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How will the persuasion system work in Starfield?

The whole persuasion system is controlled by Persuasion bars seen in the bottom left corner of the interface. There are numbers beside all the possible responses, and each of them have corresponding points (+5 or +1, for example) that will fill up the Persuasion bar. Completing the said bar means that you have successfully persuaded the NPC.

Every time you need to get something from an NPC, you will be supposed to convince them that your opinion is correct. Even if you perfectly train the diplomatic skills, whether you persuade NPC or not will be chosen by rolling the dice, making the game more random.

That’s it for our look at dialogue and persuasion in Starfield! While you are still here, make sure to check our guide about Starfield romance guide, Starfield map, as well as the entire cities list we know of so far.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Starfield page.