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The player ready for combat in Starfield.
Screenshot by GameSkinny

Starfield: Who Is the Hunter? Explained

Learn about the Hunter's identity in Starfield.

You’ll encounter a huge cast of characters as you traverse the starts, with some being more interesting than others. There’s one that’s shrouded in mystery that impacts the story directly. Let’s go over who is the Hunter in Starfield. Please note that this article contains major spoilers.

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Who The Hunter is in Starfield and Why You Should Care

The Hunter is one of the two key Starborn characters that you’ll meet in the campaign, the other being the Emissary. The Starborn are humans that have managed to reach the Unity, the center of all creation, allowing them to travel to parallel universes. I would liken the Hunter’s belief as more of “might makes right.” Meaning only those who are strong have a right to collect the artifacts, thus becoming Starborn later on.

When Do First You Meet the Hunter?

The Hunter is first met during a main quest called A High Price to Pay. It’s one of the most pivotal missions in the campaign, since it concludes with the death of one companion. I was personally shocked when I reached this stage. At the time, I was romancing Sarah Morgan, and I was given a choice on whether I’d defend the Lodge or go to the Eye. The Hunter attacked both locations and, when I chose to defend the Lodge, Sarah perished in the Eye.

This was certainly an impactful moment. I even looked for various ways to see if I could revive my companion to no avail (at least in the main campaign). The mission itself also includes sections where I had to escape from the Hunter, with firefights erupting all throughout New Atlantis.

New Atlantis in chaos in Starfield.
Screenshot by GameSkinny

The Hunter’s True Identity and Powers

In the next mission, Unity, it’s revealed that the Hunter in Starfield is none other than Keeper Aquilus, the priest of the Sanctum Universum religion. However, he’s actually from another universe. His doctrine and beliefs have been twisted in his attempts to collect the artifacts and battle other Starborn.

Similar to Starborn fighters, he’s also got various powers. These include Parallel Self, where he spawns duplicates, and Gravity Well, which creates a vortex that pulls his enemies.

Screenshot by GameSkinny

What Happens to The Hunter?

Later in the campaign, I was able to choose which Starborn I would side with: the Hunter, the Emissary. I could also choose neither one of them. This decision led to the final mission, Revelation, where I could either eliminate my foe(s) or convince them to give up their artifacts.

After I completed the campaign, I started a New Game Plus run, where I was able to choose between repeating the main quest or skipping it entirely. Naturally, these had ramifications as to how I progressed, which I won’t spoil here. However, I can state that the Hunter did recognize my character as a Starborn, even remarking about the decisions I’ve made.

That’s everything you need to know about who the Hunter is in Starfield. For more tips and strategies, you can visit our guides hub, where we have guides such as how to build a good ship and how to save everyone during Entangled.


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Author
Image of Jason Rodriguez
Jason Rodriguez
Jason Rodriguez is a game reviewer and guides writer from the Philippines. With around 5,000 published articles, he's freelanced for numerous outlets, including GameSkinny, GameSpot, Polygon, IGN, PCGamesN, PC Invasion, and more.