Shattered Space is the first expansion Starfield has seen since its divisive launch a year ago. The horror-laden DLC releases on September 30th, but will it compel players to free up 125 GB to install Starfield once more? While Shattered Space features an expansive new environment with a fresh story and quests, it’s largely off to the side from the base game. In other words, don’t expect any fundamental changes.
Still, this expansion’s direction into cosmic horror and the focus on handcrafted environments could give the player base confidence in its future. Will Shattered Space change Starfield’s fortunes for the better? Let’s explore how this new DLC could mark the beginnings of a revival for Bethesda’s ambitious space-faring RPG.
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Shattered Space is not a 2.0 overhaul of the base game. It’s almost as if the development team purposefully sequestered the new location of the DLC as far away from the Settled Systems as possible to distance themselves from many of the core game’s faults.
Most of Shattered Space’s new content is exclusive to a secluded space of the game, though some things carry over (like the new weapons and armor) to the Settled Systems, adding to Starfield’s core experience in small ways. There are also new grenade types, some crafted using organic parts, with Bethesda warning of their overall grotesqueness. Will these grenades function similarly to Death Stranding’s grenades? Only time will tell.
More substantial than the new armor and equipment are the ship customization options and traversal mechanics added with Shattered Space. While we don’t have specifics regarding these additions, lead creative producer Tim Lamb has confirmed in a Gamescom interview that new ship customization will help players further personalize their vessel in ways that affect playstyle.
Even more vague is his teasing of “new tools and gadgets” that aid exploration and your interaction with the world. We can only guess what these new ship customization options and exploration tools are, but at least they’re something that players can bring with them outside Va’ruun’kai.
Shattered Space won’t fix the intrinsic problems baked into Starfield’s core. The base game’s plot, writing, empty zones, and long load times will still exist after Shattered Space. However, one thing the DLC does is offer a new narrative adventure crafted with player feedback in mind.
Many players criticized the base game’s plot as being undefined and unfocused. I mean, sure, artifact collecting and parallel universes are cool, but one can’t help yearning for an engaging conflict or goal to work towards. This is something the team seeks to rectify.
As mentioned in interviews, Bethesda wants to craft a more narratively rich story that feels “personal and impactful”, as Tim Lamb puts it. It’s already clear how exactly this will be accomplished. Shattered Space focuses on the cult of Va’ruun. This focus contrasts Starfield’s broader themes of space exploration and discovery.
The central plot is particularly rife with political conflict and grand intrigue. The DLC has you diving into the heart of the cult society. Even how you get to the cult’s location is vastly more interesting and exciting than anything in the base game.
You access the DLC by answering a distress signal on a star station, The Oracle, which then takes you through the wormhole to the secluded system. The station gives Dead Space vibes, and it’s immediately apparent just how horror-driven Shattered Space will be.
The expansion feels less optimistic, ejecting the “joy of exploration” theme prominent in the base game, delving more into horror and secluded atmospheres. The emphasis on vortexes and wormholes shares similarities with the physics-bending anomalies within the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games.
Gravitational distortions are creating wormhole vortexes, dumping out a variety of extra-dimensional monsters as a result. Many of the DLC’s new enemy types result from these gravitational distortions. Vortex Terrors leap out of vortexes at you from nowhere, like a jump scare encounter from traditional horror games. Close encounters and ambushes will be commonplace in Shattered Space, requiring a host of new melee equipment. As such, much of the DLC’s new weaponry focuses on closer encounters, so expect more melee tools to add to your arsenal.
Besides some horror elements, Shattered Space also introduces some interesting new zero-gravity combat scenarios. The creative producer says these sequences require more strategy from the player and inject a new angle into the game’s combat. Players have asked for more melee weapons and a greater emphasis on close encounters, so this shift in Shattered Space’s gameplay is positive.
Another thing players have asked for is fewer load screens and more densely populated planets, issues that Shattered Space is seeking to improve. One way it addresses these criticisms is with its self-contained planetary system. The creative producer confirms that the total space of the new playable areas spans a little sector, which is smaller than a galaxy but more expanded than a single planet. You won’t be planet-hopping across systems for quests, as the core story takes place entirely on Va’ruun’kai and its capital, Dazra.
This zoomed-in focus on just one planet means less fast travel across different locations and fewer load times. You’ll seamlessly explore intricately dense locations, of which there are more than 50 – all hand-crafted, instilling far more personality and making Va’ruun’kai stand out among all the procedurally generated planets.
Lastly, the cult is getting substantial lore and story significance in Shattered Space. It isn’t the only faction on the planet; the Spacers and Crimson Fleet are also scattered through Va’ruun’kai, presumably with their own plans in motion. There will be a lot of political maneuvering as these competing factions fight to fill a political void after Anasko Va’ruun, leader of the Va’ruun people, goes missing.
This influences how the player will make decisions in the DLC. We will presumably have to choose which faction to join during this conflict and perhaps a chance to dictate the future of Dazra. Some party members and characters related to the cult will likely get additional development. For instance, Andreja is one of your companions throughout Starfield’s campaign, and she has close ties to the cult, meaning the DLC will further flesh out her characterization and give us more dialogue.
The cult isn’t given a lot of lore or fleshing out in the base game, so it’ll be interesting to finally get some story and characterization around them and other party members.
It’s doubtful Shattered Space will fix the intrinsic problems baked into Starfield, but it will offer an alternative story and location set apart from the rest of the Settled Systems. The expansion features a more focused and engaging storyline mixed with intriguing horror elements and some mystery. Melee combat is more emphasized, especially when facing constant ambushes from Vortex Horrors, and the reduced loading times should mean more consistent pacing.
Nevertheless, Shattered Space isn’t a 2.0 overhaul of the entire game; it’s more of an isolated expansion akin to what Shivering Isles was to Oblivion. Director Todd Howard recently revealed plans to release a story DLC once a year. How the reception to Shattered Space will shape future expansions remains to be seen.
Maybe we’ll slowly reach the point CD Projekt Red reached with Cyberpunk 2077 and its 2.0 overhaul. A Starfield comeback depends on Bethesda’s willingness to keep improving the game and whether players have the patience and interest to keep playing. We’ll see on September 30th whether or not Shattered Space ignites that interest, leading to a brave new direction for the space-faring RPG.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
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