The latest Starfield Q and A just wrapped up and boy, does it seem like Bethesda has learned from its past mistakes. The highly anticipated game is just weeks aways and, as gamers try to fight off their inevitable hype, Bethesda keeps upping the ante with tantalizing new details for its latest RPG. During the Q and A the devs answered some of Discord’s burning questions, and while not every single Q was gold, the answers certainly were. These are the most important takeaways from the session.
Houses are available in every major settlement area
While most domiciles can be purchased, there are going to be specific houses that can only be unlocked by completing specific quests. We can only imagine that some of Fallout 4’s decoration abilities will be present, but there’s no confirmation just yet.
Parents will be generated based on character looks
Much like Bethesda’s Fallout entries, the player’s family will be based off of their character’s design. Will, the lead quest designer for the game, boasted that the team had completely overhauled the face tech, and were “Excited to make a function that could try to match your custom face and then create your two parents.” They elaborated very little on the Kid Stuff perk, but did say that fans were sure to love their voice cast picks for mom and dad.
The universe is made to be lived in
The devs were very candid about Starfield being a universe that players can immerse themselves in. The Traits and background system will allow players to build their character like never before. Will says, “Try anything! We’re a simulation as well as a roleplaying game, so we try to support the player doing what they want as much as we can.”
To that end, a jail system similar to that in Skyrim will be in place for Starfield. Players will be traversing civilized areas, so they better act like it. Else they risk a one-way ticket to jail – or are brave enough to resist arrest.
They allow for backstabbery, but pacifism is still hard
Unlike Fallout 4, Starfield’s branching storyline allows players to side with multiple factions. Each faction mission can be completed independently from the others, and some missions will allow players to turn on their allies.
Just like Fallout 4, it seems like a truly non-lethal playthrough is going to be hard to attempt, though Bethesda seems to have tried. While the devs were unwilling to claim a nonlethal playthrough was viable, they did say that non-lethal weapons have been added, as well as a new Speech Challenge option that will allow players to contest bad outcomes. These Speech challenges have been added to “most quests where important characters confront you.” So players always have one last chance before resorting to violence.
Companions are a focus
Bethesda took a good hard look at their last few games and came to the conclusion that players really like companions. To that end, the company has put a focus on designing believable companions that matter in the grand scheme of the main story line. With more than 20 companions to choose from it will be a hard choice to make, but the devs confirmed that all companions aren’t built the same. The four followers found on Constellation have the most impacting storylines, the most interactions with the player, and have more backstory than the other offerings. And you’ll only have to pay them once.
You can fully enact your Han Solo daydreams
Starfield has already been candid about the ability to smuggle contraband across the universe, but Bethesda elaborated on the systems it’s put in place. Illegal substances are universal and will get your character in trouble no matter where you are. Ships can be upgraded to better hide the illicit cargo, and there are laws in the galaxy making sure that prices are fixed, so you wont have to travel around to multiple planets to get the best price.
With Starfield primed to hit Xbox Gamepass day one, there’s no reason not jump on board the hype train.