Last month, I covered Starfield’s May update and applauded Bethesda for moving the game in the right direction. I also admitted that it would take a lot more to keep me engaged.
To my surprise, another substantial update has been released, and things are looking even brighter for the space shooter – but there’s a twist.
The June update achieves what I’d hoped for by adding new equipment, locations, and missions to the game. To my knowledge, this is largely done through the overhauled Trackers Alliance system, which allows players to hunt NPC bounties. I’m almost certain this feature is going to be radiant and repeatable, but it’s a nice enhancement that makes the game feel more vibrant and alive.
Aside from the presumably random bounty hunts, Bethesda has also introduced hand-crafted bounties that feature their own unique missions and rewards. For me, this is the most exciting part of the update.
Now, to the twist. The first of these unique bounty quests, The Starjacker, is included in this free update for all players. The subsequent mission, The Vulture, requires an additional purchase through the Creations menu.
If you know Bethesda, you should have seen this coming. Since the Special Edition of Skyrim, the game studio has used bite-sized, paid DLC as a means of supplementing their games with fresh content.
Obviously, this is a sore subject and point of frustration for many. Generally, I’m against micro-transactions, but I will shamelessly admit that I’d be willing to pay a small surcharge if it means filling Starfield’s empty, procedural star systems with new content that makes me want to jump back in.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, Starfield’s “larger than life” approach to world generation is its own worst enemy. When exploring, the points of interest are far and few between. When they do appear, they’re often identical to previously discovered locations. Frankly, I care enough about this game that I wouldn’t mind paying a small fee to inject more quality content, so long as that content matches the caliber of the price tag.
This is a slippery slope towards enabling Bethesda to lock additional features behind a paywall. I’m still skeptical, but willing to give this a try considering how much Starfield resonated with me upon release. If I can recreate that feeling of experiencing totally new gear and areas for the first time, I’m in.
I don’t expect this update to be the widely accepted answer to Starfield’s problems, and there’s still plenty of aspects that need revision. Additional payments are not a solution that will resonate with many, and will probably cause the majority to scoff. It goes without saying that having this content free to everyone would be the ideal scenario. You can chalk my acceptance up to an irrational love of Bethesda RPGs, but I’m cautiously eager to see where this leads.