GamingTrend was recently invited to a remote presentation by Bethesda, showcasing what they have in store for Starfield in 2026. What we saw isn't going to change the minds of anyone who dislikes the game, but is bound to delight anyone who sees what makes Starfield special — such as myself. The updates aren't massive, and there was a bit too much focus on the word "content", but once all of what I'm about to talk about drops on April 7th, I know I'll be roaming the stars for another few dozen hours.
Let's get the open secret news out of the way first: Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5 on April 7th, the same day as everything else we'll talk about here. We didn't see the PS5 version in action, but according to Lead Creative Producer Tim Lamb, this version takes full advantage of the hardware. This includes the DualSense's adaptive triggers, touchpad, lightbar, and speakers, as well as the PS5 Pro's additional power. Pro players can select a Pro Performance Mode to prioritize higher fps, or select Pro Visual Mode will enhance the overall visuals. I imagine base PS5 will have similar modes for framerate and resolution, though not as high reaching. This news comes along a price decrease for the base game, down to $49.99, with a Premium Edition physical copy coming with all the DLC so far as well a 1000 Creation Credits and a digital soundtrack + art book.
In terms of more paid DLC, the second story pack is titled the Terran Armada (included in the Premium Edition or individually for $10). Mr. Lamb left this fairly mysterious, telling us that it's a fairly small DLC but focuses on a group of mysterious humans invading the Settled Systems with an army of robots at their beck and call. Players will be able to shape the future of humanity in space as they combat the Terran Armada both planetside and in the starfield. I'm interested to see how this will further the game's story, if we can unite the Freestar Collective and the UC Vanguard for example, and just who these attackers are and what they want.
The majority of the presentation focused on the aptly named Free Lanes Update. As the name implies, this is a free update to the game for all players and gives said players more freedom and customization on their adventures. The most exciting addition is the new Cruise Mode for your ship, letting you finally fly around a star system at your leisure. You can even pick a destination, activate Cruise Mode, then get up and explore your ship or talk to your crew while you travel in the background. You'll have to be wary of events and anomalies you may pass as you speed along, however. As empty as space is you can find useful things or stuff that wants to kill you in the darnedest places. For those with bigger ships, you'll also have a new third-person camera angle to admire your vessel with, one that's a lot further out, as well as new ship equipment like a Stealth Boost Drive. Ships can also be upgraded through a pseudo-skill tree now using the Ship Optimization Terminal, increasing shields, health, and more. There are also a few new crew members, such as Muria from GalBank, an adorable tiny robot you can customize, and a more deadly humanoid robot.
All that doesn't mean much if there's nothing more to see and do out there in the big empty, and Bethesda has added a number of new encounters, points of interest, dungeons, and more to discover. In those locations as well as in previous areas, you might find the new Moon Jumper land vehicle, a buggy with virtually unlimited jet boosts allowing you to basically fly around at your leisure.
Travel isn't the only thing enhanced here; there are new tiers of enemies with bonus modifiers, increasing their shields, allowing them to deal more damage or attack more frequently, or deal elemental damage. To tackle these new threats, you can use X-Tech: a new, rare resource with which you can upgrade your gear through Legendary Ranks. You can add up to 4 Legendary Ranks to a piece of equipment, randomly rolling for whatever bonus that slot will give you up to five times. After five rolls, instead of rolling againyou can simply pick exactly what you want from a list. These ranks are only available through customization, so any weapons or armor you find in the world won't have them until you add it yourself at a crafting bench.
If you're crafting in Starfield, you've definitely got a few settlements around the galaxy, and settlements have seen their fair share of updates as well. There's a new Outpost Hab you can plop down that's got all the basic amenities someone would need to live there if you don't want to mess around with rooms and decorating, but you could furnish it with a tiny hamster pet, Starfield(tm) Action Figures and Playsets, or the less cute Shared Outpost Container, which does what it says on the tin. Construct one of these in an outpost, and its contents will be shared between other instances of the container on other outposts, similar to the item box in Resident Evil.
Speaking of items, and without spoiling anything for new players just joining us on PS5, Starfield's new game plus has been changed slightly. Before beginning NG+, you can now place any items you wish to take with you in a Quantum Entanglement Device and spend some Quantum Essence, allowing them passage into the next universe. Initially, you can only put about 50 items in the QED, but it can be upgraded to hold up to 200, more than enough for any star traveler. However, you may want to save some of the Quantum Essence for yourself, as you can now upgrade Powers using it too instead of having to trek to the temples again and again.
The focus of these updates seems to be improving the overall experience of Starfield, rounding things out with additional "content" rather than any drastic additions or changes — aside from Cruise Control, that must have taken loads of effort. As much as I hate describing anything as "content", I am excited for what's on offer here. For example, I asked Tim Lamb about a common complaint I've heard about the game. There aren't many opportunities in Starfield to be the bad guy, so would this update and DLC add some? He responded by saying that villainy is relative; good and evil are up to interpretation in the Settled Systems rather than objective. While I initially thought of this as a bit of a non-answer, I think it speaks to his and the rest of the development team's dedication to Starfield being it's own thing rather than Fallout of Skyrim in space. They're not changing what Starfield is to appeal to people who wanted the game to be something different, rather sticking to their vision and growing it for the people who already do. With more to come in Starfield's future, who knows, more might just find what's so great about the title out there in the stars.
