Trove of ‘Starfield’ details revealed as pre-loads start this week
Starfield PC and Xbox Series X|S players are able to pre-load Bethesda‘s new sprawling sci-fi game from today (August 17), and they’ve recently been treated to a tonne of extra detail about what to expect.
PC players who have purchased the game through Steam won’t have the chance to pre-load Starfield until August 30. That cuts it close when it comes to the game’s launch date of September 1, as it weighs in at a significant 125GB.
Previously, the team has been reluctantly reticent regarding the role-playing game, stating that it is only director and executive producer Todd Howard who is allowed to publicise “unreleased” details.
It appears that Bethesda has relaxed a little as lead quest designer Will Shen and studio design director Emil Pagliarulo shared a lot of information in a recent Starfield question and answer session.
For example, a totally “pacifist” playthrough is not possible in Starfield. “That being said, there are some good non-lethal options, whether through dialogue or by using a non-lethal weapon. Those can be used in certain situations, honestly a lot of situations,” justified Pagliarulo.
Players will encounter over 20 companion characters who are recruitable to their crew, though the Constellation characters are the most fleshed out. Constellation is the faction that the player is initially allied with after they discover a strange alien artifact at the start of the story.
“[Companions] were a big priority for us, and we really wanted to tie them directly to the main quest,” explained the design director. “There are some really big moments with them specifically.”
Starfield allows the protagonist to purchase a residence in all of the major cities in the game and there will be consequences if they are caught committing crimes.
Lastly, the player is also able to act as a double agent for the United Colonies through infiltration of the Crimson Fleet. “With this particular plotline, the inspiration was very much the movie Donnie Brasco,” added Pagliarulo. “I have been (half-jokingly) accused of referencing movies that some folks have never seen, because I’m old.”
Elsewhere, Bethesda shared a comprehensive 300-year history of the events prior to the beginning of the game, detailing the wars between two of the major factions.
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Imogen Donovan
NME
