Bethesda unveiled new information about Starfield during a special presentation on Sunday night. The 45-minute Starfield Direct event delved into the various aspects of the highly anticipated space RPG, which is still on track for release on September 6.
According to Bethesda, Starfield will explore "the golden age of early space travel" in what the studio is calling the "NASA Punk" setting. The game will feature spaceships and technologies that are advanced yet practical and familiar. The main storyline of Starfield centers around Constellation, an organization dedicated to uncovering the universe's mysteries and hunting down valuable artifacts.
The journey kicks off in New Atlantis, the first human colony in space and reportedly the largest city ever created by Bethesda. In addition to Constellation's narrative, players can expect multiple storylines to follow within the game. The presentation showcased various cities on alien planets, including a Mars mining colony, the vibrant Neon city, and Akila City with a western-themed twist.
Bethesda reiterated that Starfield will feature "more than a thousand" planets, as previously announced. Players will have the freedom to explore these planets at will, collecting resources, completing missions, and encountering surprises along the way, according to Todd Howard, Bethesda's director. The planets are procedurally generated as players approach them, with terrain blocks being assembled and populated with locations, creatures, and resources.
Navigation between planets is made easier with the Star Map, which provides vital information about each planet, such as temperature, gravity, atmosphere, and flora/fauna. The map also highlights planets with important locations and missions, as well as resource-rich but less hospitable planets. Players can zoom out and travel between different star systems.
Players will also have the opportunity to establish outposts on planets for resource gathering while they explore elsewhere. Fast travel to their ship is available for quick return trips. The game will feature companions and crew members that players can recruit to join them on their adventures, both on the ship and on planets.
The player's spaceship serves as their home base and can be customized and upgraded at spaceports. Players can add cargo bays for transport missions, equip additional weapons and shields for combat, and adjust power distribution between engines and weapons for tactical advantage. Boarding and capturing enemy ships is also a possibility during space battles.
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