Starfield Direct - Everything We've Learned About the Game

The Starfield Direct has concluded. Here is everything we learned about Starfield! Starfield is releasing on September 6, 2023.

If you missed the Xbox Showcase, we've got a recap for that.

Live Updates

• Starfield releases on September 6, 2023.
• It took a long time to have to technology to create a game of this scale.
• The galaxy around you is fully simulated.
• The worlds are lit based on the type of star and atmosphere of the planet that you are in.
• Third-person and First-person are both available.
• The scale of the game is so big, it changes the way you explore planets.
• They have packed details into every single object. Never a dull moment.
• Your assistant robot can say your name.
• Fast travel is available for places you have already been.
• The map tells you details such as what planets have on them.
• You can jump to other systems via the map.
• Upgrading your ship will be required to get farther into space.
• Your ship will be scanned when you're arriving into a city to make sure you don't have any contraband.
• New Atlantis is a city within the Alpha Centauri System.
  • The biggest city they have ever made.
  • Crowds! Quests!
  • A big focus is to support the story through as many small stories as possible.
  • They want the space to feel real, with characters that are living their own lives.
  • This is where your adventure begins with constellation.
  • They want to preserve the legacy of humanity.
• Constellation is a mythical crew. The last true explorers in the galaxy.
• Settled systems are all home to their own stories and adventures to uncover.
• Cydonia is a city on Mars which serves as the largest mining facility for the United Colonies.
• There are more colonies than just the UC.
• Akila City is the capital of the Freestar Collective.
• You can hire a crew to take care of your ship.
• Space Ports let you hire a crew, modify, and buy, and sell ships.
• You can customize almost every aspect of your ship.
• Paint jobs can be customized with any color or shade.
• Changing parts also changes what you can do inside of your ship.
• There are multiple manufacturers of ship parts that all have their own looks.
• Members of constellation can serve as a member of your crew.
• Each companion has their own skills and questlines.
• You can blossom friendships into romance.
• Outposts can also be crewed, with their individual perks changing how they operate.
• They want you to feel in complete control of your spaceflights, including during combat.
• You need to balance how fast your ship is moving with engine power, but grav drive power will shorten the time to make a jump.
• Weapons power makes you ready for a fight.
• Loot remains of ships and turn their remains into scraps.
  • You can loot a ship from your ship, but you can also jump on board and fight to loot as well.
• Taking control of an enemy ship makes it yours. 
• You can access all your ships at a space port.
• Trade, swap info, or become a pirate with other ships that you come across.
• You can steal sandwiches.
• Scan planets to find out which resources they have available.
• Constellation Edition is the big collector's edition and it comes with a watch.
• The base game will be available through Game Pass (and a normal purchase).
• Up to 5 days early access will be available through the Digital Premium Edition and Constellation Edition.
• Both the Premium and Constellation editions include the Shattered Space Expansion.

Building Characters

• They scanned real faces and combined the data to create very realistic looking faces.
• Any character you see in the game is a character you could create yourself using the character creator.
• You can change customizations later on using a biometric customizer.
• Your chosen background gives you 3 different skills.
• You can pick up to 3 traits, completely optional, which give you both positives and negatives.

Leveling & Skills

• When you level, you will earn a new skill point.
• You can further level up your skills by increasing their ranks by completing challenges.
• Challenges get harder as you rank up your skills.
• There are five skill trees and 4 ranks per skill.

Exploration

• There are over 1000 different worlds to explore.
  • You can even visit the moons of planets.
• Full star systems include new types of life, resources, and adventures.
• They wanted to strike a balance of realism and fun to make the world feel believable.
• Once they made the worlds real, they found ways to make them fun.
• Asteroid fields are found between planets.
• Explore derelict ships.
• Dogfight with space pirates.

Base Building

• Build bases almost anywhere on any planet.
• Habitat modules come in plenty of different sizes.
• Crew your bases to make them work!
• Harvesters will let you harvest resources without being around.
• You can build on-foot or with a top-down camera for easier placement of the large parts.
• Crafting stations can be added to use your resources.
• A weapon workbench will let you modify your weapons.

Combat

• Fluid animations.
• More mods and weapons than any other game that Bethesda has created before.
• Upgraded gear is important to pay attention to because you may need to change up your play style.
• Boost packs help you get around by pushing you up into the air.
• Energy weapons offer a stable shooting experience.
• Electromagnetic weapons have targeting lasers on each barrel and deal "serious damage".
• You name the type of weapon and it's most likely available in the game.
• There is a mine that freezes enemies.
• There is an ability you have that appears to be like "The Force" from Star Wars. Space Magic!

Aesthetic - NASA Punk

• They refer to their design as "NASA Punk" which keeps it relatable.
• Everything looks well-used, worn, and lived-in.

Gallery

Watch Starfield Direct Live