Bethesda Game Studios took to Reddit with a message of gratitude and a roadmap for Starfield’s next year. After speaking about the passion of the player community, they committed to a robust update schedule throughout 2024. They even committed to releasing new content roughly every six weeks.
The updates mentioned in the Reddit post go a lot further than routine bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. City maps are among the most anticipated additions, arguably something that should have been there since day one. To go on a side tangent, I almost never used the map because it was useless. No longer will exploration be a blind stumble through bustling urban centers; detailed maps will provide a much-needed sense of direction and spatial awareness.
But traversing these cities won’t be limited to footwork. Bethesda hints at “new ways to travel,” which could include anything from land vehicles and nimble spacecraft to futuristic mounts or even wormholes for rapid transit. This is another feature that should have been there from day one. I love Starfield, but walking across planets for 10 to 20 minutes just to get to a station is something that should never have been on the player.
Ship customization, a core element of the spacefaring fantasy, is also getting an upgrade. I had no issue with ship customization, only the fact that you could have a maximum of eight crew members on your ship, regardless of how big your ship is.
Beyond exploration and customization, Bethesda is giving players options to adjust the difficulty, catering to a wider range of player preferences. In this, I’m hoping for a way to separate ship combat from regular combat. The ship battles are super hard, but the regular combat isn’t. Unfortunately, they are tied together, and that needs to change.
The most exciting announcement is the official arrival of mod support through the “Creations” platform. This opens the door to a universe of community-driven content, allowing players to breathe new life into Starfield, create custom quests and challenges, and build upon the foundations laid by Bethesda. This is what I’m looking forward to the most.
And finally, Bethesda is going to release its Shattered Space expansion. Details on what that DLC will bring are still unknown, but we’re looking forward to seeing more.
