Summary
The Red Planet is one of the first locations thatStarfieldplayers get sent to, but coming across an ominous boneyard on its barren surface is probably not the experience that the majority of people had on Mars. While there is a lot of criticism pointed towardStarfield’s procedural generation, the system is still capable of sporadically producing interesting alien environments. Planets such as Muphrid I stand out due to the unique textures they use for their landscape, but more often than not, finding a Planet Trait while scanning worlds is usually what leaves an impression on players when they’re out exploring the Settled Systems.
Planet Traits are key tocompleting a survey inStarfield, which allows players to earn some extra credits when starting a new playthrough. While the usefulness of selling survey data peters out after a while, coming across a Planet Trait in the form of a unique geographical feature can still evoke a sense of wonder. These features are sometimes not even tied to Planet Traits at all, as oneStarfieldplayer previously found a stone arch reminiscent of Solitude, the capital city of Skyrim.
In a similar nature, HeftyPackage discovered an eerie pile of desiccated bones on the surface of Mars, sharing their findings with the rest of theStarfieldcommunity on Reddit. Given that multiple players have reported finding this particular landmark on Mars (and Jemison as well), it would seem that its spawn rate was intended by Bethesda, rather than it being the product of procedural generation alone. In addition to finding the boneyard, HeftyPackage also came across what appear to be human skulls embedded in a rock formation, which prompted more questions thanStarfieldis likely capable of answering.
ThoughStarfieldhas a mixed rating on Steam, with only 40% positive reviews left by players in the past 30 days, the latest Bethesda sandbox can still pleasantly surprise its fans. Ultimately, while the execution inStarfieldappears to be lacking, many players would argue that the foundation offers plenty of room for growth. The official modding tools for the game will be released in early 2024, whenStarfieldis also set to debut paid mods through the new Creations platform, which should hopefully provide swift solutions to some of the major complaints that the community has had aboutStarfieldthus far.
On top of Creations,Shattered Space will hopefully improveStarfieldas well. The first content expansion forStarfieldis also expected to launch in early 2024, and though Bethesda has remained tight-lipped about the details, many fans are speculating that it will likely focus on the enigmatic House Va’ruun, a major power in the Settled Systems that only had a minor presence in the base game. Given that the boneyard’s skeleton is strangely serpentine, a connection to House Va’ruun shouldn’t be ruled out.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
