Summary
Shattered Space is the first time sinceOblivion’s Shivering Isles that Bethesda has used the term expansion pack, andStarfieldplayers believe that this could imply a more ambitious scope for the project. ThoughStarfieldbroke several Bethesda records at launch, many fans have a mixed opinion on howStarfieldcompares to previous Bethesda titles such asFallout 4orSkyrim. The gunplay and ship design inStarfieldwas almost universally praised by its community on release, but questing and open world exploration left a lot to be desired.
As such, a majority of players see Shattered Space as a way forStarfieldto address these shortcomings. GIven that Bethesda hasaround 250 employees still working onStarfield, and that Shattered Space will come out roughly a year after the initial launch of the game, the potential for a full-blown expansion is certainly there. Though it should be noted that Bethesda has regularly released updates forStarfield, Shattered Space should allow the developers to address the heavyweight issues – such as a lack of alien environments or over-reliance on procedural generation.
Not much is known about the upcoming expansion pack orwhat Shattered Space can bring toStarfield, but the very fact that Bethesda is referring to it as an expansion could be a clue in-and-of-itself. Fans such as JarusinTheStars strongly believe that the word choice is deliberate, and implies that Shattered Space will have a scope closer to Shivering Isles than Far Harbor. While Bethesda hasn’t confirmed anything beyond a release window for Shattered Space, video footage shows that theStarfieldexpansion will focus on House Va’ruun to some degree.
Starfield’s Shattered Space Could Be Closer to Shivering Isles than Far Harbor
Arguably the most enigmatic faction in the Settled Systems,House Va’ruun inStarfieldis a fan favorite among players. Unlike the Freestar Collective or United Colonies, House Va’ruun has yet to be thoroughly explored as a major faction inStarfield. Their capital city of Dazra remains a mystery, and Andreja from Constellation is arguably the only notable link that players have with understanding the culture and customs of House Va’ruun.
While there’s no guarantee that fans will get to visit Dazra in Shattered Space, a handcrafted open world experience on an alien world should address many of theissues that players had withStarfield. In fact, if the content ends up rivaling Shivering Isles in size and scope, Shattered Space could completely flip public opinion onStarfield. Though it remains to be seen what Bethesda has in store for players in the Shattered Space expansion pack, it cannot be argued thatStarfield’s fans remain optimistic about the game’s future.
