Starfield DLC Should Embrace Something The Base Game Only Dabbled With

Starfield has captured the imagination of players with its intergalactic exploration and its investigation of deep questions concerning science and spirituality. It’s a title that was years in the making, and while it isn’t perfect, it represents yet another successful release from Bethesda. One of the most exciting parts of the game is the space battles.

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many of them in Starfield, and when they do appear it’s usually a small affair. Future games in the franchise should capitalize more on space battles between spaceships, as they provide a source of delicious action. This can be done by improving various aspects of space combat.

Starfields Space Battles Have a Lot of Potential

Spaceship battles are a staple of the sci-fi genre, and the game makes sure not to neglect them. Starfield's space battle system can be a tad complicated at first, but the game does a good job of introducing players to the battle mechanics. Once players have the hang of things, space battles are fun and engaging.

The big problem is that there are simply not enough space battles, making flying through the cosmos a boring, lonely experience. Furthermore, when there are space battles, they are usually small scuffles involving just a few Starfield spaceships that are destroyed rather quickly, especially if one has a good spaceship.

Starfield Needs More Story-Heavy Space Battles

One of the ways Bethesda can mend this is by featuring storylines that are centered on space battles. As players explore the world of Starfield, they will find that there are different factions offering varied storylines with different focuses. For example, the Crimson Fleet is focused on being a space pirate while the Freestar Collective lets players feel what it’s like to be a space cowboy.

Similarly, there should be a faction questline that focuses on space battles, making them as big and spectacular as possible. The best faction to do this with would be House Va’Ruun, whose members are entranced with the concept of Grav Jumping. Getting into major battles as a House Va’Ruun member or against the faction would provide some of the most exciting moments of the game.

Starfield Could Overhaul the Ship Fleet System

Currently, most Starfield ship battles leave players to fight on their own as they take on multiple enemies. This isn’t a problem if a player’s ship is combat-ready enough, but it can result in players getting overwhelmed by enemies quite quickly. To counteract this, players should be able to have fleets of ships go up against enemies. Companions could control the other spaceships and strategize with players to take down foes, which would force players to own multiple spaceships and experiment with how different ships can work together effectively.

Spaceship Battles Could be a Window for Multiplayer Gameplay

The Settled Systems is vast, and it can get lonely exploring it on one’s own, even when commandeering a spaceship filled with NPC companions. This could change if future Starfield titles or updates introduce multiplayer aspects, and spaceship battles could be the best way to do this.

Having players work together to take on enemy spaceships would be a blast. It would encourage players to consider their companions when designing their ships and think of ways to synergize the strengths and weaknesses of different ship builds. At the end of a hard-fought battle, players could share the loot, giving players an incentive to work together.

Bethesda doesn’t have to wait for a sequel to implement changes to the spaceship battle system. These changes could be introduced in DLC, such as the upcoming Shattered Space expansion. It’s evident that there is still a lot of potential for Starfield to grow with future updates, and the spaceship battles are one aspect that Bethesda shouldn’t overlook.