Starfield was announced four years ago, yet fans are only now learning concrete details about Bethesda's open world sci-fi RPG and just how ambitious it truly is. As expected, Starfield was given the spotlight at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, where Todd Howard detailed some of the features that fans can expect from the game. One of the most exciting reveals is that Starfield will let players build and customize their own ships.
Shortly after revealing Starfield's first gameplay trailer, Howard went through some of the gameplay features that fans can expect when the game launches in 2023. This includes the ability for Starfield players to build and customize their own ships. Not only will players be able to customize their own ships in Starfield, but they'll also be able to populate it with companions and crewmates as well.
It was also confirmed that players can fly their own ships in Starfield. Similar to games like No Man's Sky, Starfield will let players take off from the planet surface and fly into space. While exploring space, players may come across various hazards that they will have to deal with, like asteroids and enemy ships. Starfield will have space combat, with players earning XP for taking out the hazards in their way along with the enemies that try to attack them.
Like other Bethesda RPGs, Starfield will allow players to level up their character by gaining XP and then purchasing skills. Bethesda didn't go into many specifics about what fans can expect from Starfield perks, but they will be similar to how things have worked in games like Skyrim and Fallout 4. Not enough is known at this juncture for players to start planning out their Starfield character builds, but more information should come to light as we get closer to the game's release date.
As for the player character, Starfield will feature a character customization system just like any of Bethesda's other big RPGs. Bethesda says that this is its deepest character customization tool made to date, so fans that like making custom characters should have a field day with it.
And finally, Bethesda confirmed that Starfield will let players build outposts, which is similar to the base-building feature found in Fallout 4. This will allow players to set up camp on the many different planets that they can explore, of which there are said to be literal thousands in the game. Starfield is clearly one of Bethesda's most ambitious projects to date, so it will be interesting to see if it lives up to expectations.
Starfield launches in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X.