Starfield: Fat chunk of info on customization, combat, cities and more

Starfield will surely be one of the most ambitious RPGs Bethesda has ever worked on. At least if you can believe the studio’s own statements. As part of the Xbox Games Showcase, a detailed Direct presentation was broadcast, which was dedicated to numerous elements of the game.

We have to let that sink in first. As promised, Bethesda released tons of information about the upcoming space role-playing game in the wake of Starfield. To describe this as ambitious would be a complete understatement.

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The show, which ran for a good three-quarters of an hour, literally overwhelmed us with information that we have prepared for you in a compact form:

• planets: Starfield should feel like a typical Bethesda role-playing game and give you a lot of freedom accordingly. Do you see a moon in the sky? Of course you can visit him! When exploring the more than 1,000 celestial bodies you will find new loot; if you get lonely quickly, you can take companions like a robot with you. The further away you are from the densely populated center, the more dangerous your journey will be. The developers rely on a mix of procedurally generated environments and handcrafted locations. So every planet should feel different with every run. They are divided into types such as rock and gas, and gravity also differs from planet to planet.
• cities: Distributed in the Starfield universe there are some large cities that are related to their respective factions and reflect their values ​​​​also in the visuals. On Alpha Centuri you will find New Atlantis, the largest city Bethesda has ever created. It is futuristic, civilized and almost sterile clean. Akila City, on the other hand, is downright run-down and dirty, reminiscent of lawless Wild West cities.
• fights: You can attack your numerous opponents either in close or long-range combat. You can also choose between first and third person. The arsenal should be both extensive and varied. But you also always have to bring the right tool for the respective situation. If gravity is very low, recoil from a projectile gun can knock you back. Laser guns, on the other hand, come without this disadvantage. You can also customize a lot of the weapons: For example, Bethesda showed a pistol that was upgraded with a silencer, laser sight or holographic sight. In addition to humans, aliens and robots will also stand in your way.
• Skills: According to Bethesda, the skill system has been completely overhauled to allow for as many playstyles as possible. Each level up provides you with a skill point that you can invest in one of the five trees. These are further divided into four ranks. Each situation should be solved in several ways, for example, you control the minds of aliens and make them allies. Or you use a jetpack, steal from NPCs, get up close in close combat or use diplomacy to convince in conversation. A skill that you can use to throw entire groups of opponents weightlessly into the air looks particularly cool. It was not clear from the video whether this is a tool or a classic skill.
• shipbuilding: You build your ships in many different ways, you can even create a complete fleet. Depending on your requirements, you can use the different ship classes and upgrades – from the lame freighter to the brisk combat glider, everything is on offer. Bethesda even promises research ships with a crafting focus. You can get new parts from vendors in space stations, they sell everything from sleeping quarters to control rooms. Your equipped skills come into play in the space battles. For example, you specifically target individual parts of the enemy ships or board them. If you manage to put them out of action, they will automatically go into your fleet.
• Basenbau: Do you particularly like a planet? Then settle down there and build your own home. Starfield offers you a complete base building feature, for which you must of course collect raw materials. You set up research stations, comfortable houses or tinker with your weapons at crafting stations.
• character editor: Bethesda attached great importance to giving you maximum freedom when creating your hero. You can customize piercings, hairstyles, beards and much more. The handling should be very easy. In addition to the look itself, you also decide on a background story and various traits with advantages and disadvantages.
• crew members: Across the galaxy, you’ll meet potential allies who will join you for a worthy reward. They either take care of your ships or you drag them with you on your extended exploration tours, so that they support you in battle, for example.
• Technology: In terms of optics, Bethesda relies on a “NASA punk” look. This means that you deliberately do without high gloss and rather want to create a realistic look.

Finally, a nice detail about the Starfield Collector’s Edition: it will include a clock based on the game’s Chronomark. This comes in a chic outer packaging. If you need the right peripherals for your trip into the endless expanses, then there is also an Xbox Series controller and a headset in Starfield design.

Starfield will be released on September 6, 2023 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Of course, the title is represented in the Game Pass right after the release.