Despite the hype Starfield garnered years before its release, Todd Howard’s NASA-Punk inspired space opera hasn’t been received all that well – at least not compared to the juggernaut that was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, the latest Starfield update announced by Bethesda has revealed space travel — one of the more underwhelming aspects of the game — is getting a major facelift.
It promises to make space travel feel more rewarding and immersive, following the updates to No Man’s Sky in recent months.
For a game that launched with such huge ambition, such promise, but took a few hits here and there in terms of criticism to exactly those systems, this is a pivotal moment.
For any Starfield fan who spent hours flying between planets trying to explore every nook and cranny, this might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Starfield is huge – but in all the wrong places, with every space travel feeling like a glorified loading screen with dogfights and the Bethesda-typical random encounters feeling a little tacked-on.
With this update, flying into the vastness of space might finally feel less empty and more rewarding, bringing new layers of depth and finally giving players exploring the multiverse of Starfield exactly what they’ve been hoping for.
Space Travel in Starfield Update
A big part of Starfield is the still surprisingly strong modding scene on PC. But as with every Bethesda title, we can’t help but think the company under Todd Howard’s leadership can’t always rely on their still loyal fanbase to fix their games for them.
Eventually all that trust is spent, and it showed in recent years, if you compare the still incredibly dedicated modding scene of Skyrim to Starfield’s.
In essence, ships were glorified menus on wings, a hub to fast travel to distant star systems, without any meaningful gameplay systems to make space travel rewarding, immersive or even necessary. You can just skip from planet to planet, solving mostly meaningless quests for NPCs you didn’t care about.
This feedback has been lingering online for two years now, despite the fact that Bethesda hasn’t given up on the title yet.
The first expansion called Shattered Space did nothing to gain the community’s trust — quite the opposite. Players wanted more than point and click travel with a loading screen.
Alongside the upcoming second story DLC due to be released, the latest Starfield update promises to tackle at least one of those things, by adding a system that goes a long way towards a more lived-in, unpredictable universe.
What Changes Can Starfield Players Expect From The Update?
Bethesda hasn’t shared the full Starfield patch notes yet, but early details paint a clear picture.
Expect more dynamic space encounters, including emergent missions that trigger while traveling between systems. Pirates may stalk you longer, distress signals could lead to hidden quests, and factions will have stronger presences in the void, making space travel that bit more exciting than it used to be.
Luckily, this isn’t the only gameplay system getting a well-deserved revamp — ship combat is also getting tweaks.
Balancing weapon types, shields, and maneuvering will be more critical, with new AI routines making enemies less predictable. It’s not just about lining up a laser volley anymore, you’ll need at least a modicum of strategy to survive.
Perhaps the biggest addition is expanded exploration rewards. Mining asteroids, salvaging wrecks, and scanning anomalies will yield more meaningful resources, quest hooks, and lore snippets. Instead of space being a hallway to the next planet, it becomes a stage for new stories.
If Bethesda can pull off this update and make it bug-free, they might start their journey of gaining back the trust of the players who have been ever so patient with this charming, yet incomplete title.
