The announcement comes hot on the heels of a lot of players reporting crashes and being quite vocal with their dissatisfaction. It’s quite understandable given how highly anticipated this space sci-fi RPG was after a successful run on PC and Xbox. Unfortunately, this doesn’t address other issues that players have been having, and the wait for a fix on the PS5 is sure to be excruciating to those who can’t wait to begin exploring the Settled Systems. Still, this first effort is a step in the right direction.

Responses to the tweet announcing the hotfix’s release showcase a lot of players continuing to experience issues, a situation that the studio is going to want to remedy sooner rather than later. That’s especially true if it aims to sustain the hype for its rumored Switch 2 port of the game, although an official announcement is yet to make itself known.

You can check out the announcement and the responses to it if you want a front row seat to what’s unfolding. You can also check out our review of the PS5 version here.

https://x.com/BethesdaStudios/status/2044782858397462777

While neither Bethesda nor Microsoft has made any official announcement about the matter, the fact that the Switch 2 port is already getting rated means that development must be close to complete, if not done already. The rating also indicates that the game coming to a new platform is a matter of “when” rather than “if”.

It is worth noting that Starfield‘s PS5 launch has been far from a smooth journey for Bethesda. Many players took to Reddit to report experiencing frequent crashes during their time with the game. The reports also indicated that it didn’t matter whether the RPG was being played on the base PS5 or the PS5 Pro, which indicates that these issues have little to do with the console’s horsepower. To address this, however, Bethesda has confirmed that it is working on fixing these issues.

“We’re aware of some reported PS5 crashing issues and have narrowed them down to a small number of causes,” wrote the company on social media. “We’re addressing these in a hotfix we’re aiming to release this week. Thanks for flagging, and we’ll keep you posted.”

On the other hand, other players have reported having no issues during their time with Starfield. Our own review called the port a good one, giving it a score of 9 out of 10, only held back by the fact that the Free Lanes update wasn’t as comprehensive as we had hoped.

In the meantime, director Todd Howard has spoken about the divisive initial reception to Starfield, and noted that Bethesda’s other two major franchises – The Elder Scrolls and Fallout – were also quite divisive before eventually finding their audiences.

“If you look back at the beginning of Elder Scrolls, beginning of Fallout, they’re a little bit the same,” said Howard. “And then, you find an audience that loves that. So, I think it’s true that Fallout 76 and Starfield clearly – they’re creatively different than what we had done [before].”

“And we really wanted to do that. When you’re doing a certain type of thing for, in my case, 20 years, we want to try some other things and learn from that. We have ideas that we want to get out there.”

Howard has also discussed the strange way Bethesda decided to implement New Game+ through Starfield‘s Unity ending, which he called a way for him to ask players a “weird, deep question”.

“The Unity was our way of doing New Game+,” Howard explained. “It was us asking you this weird, deep question that I actually think got lost on a lot of people. It asks if you are just this power gamer who wants to get everything, or are you willing to leave this world behind? How do you feel about your own life choices – would you leave that all behind and start over? Some of that pain – having to give up all of your stuff, Sarah Morgan not loving you anymore, and so on – is supposed to make you feel all of that.”

Starfield is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

“If you look back at the beginning of Elder Scrolls, beginning of Fallout, they’re a little bit the same,” said Howard. “And then, you find an audience that loves that. So, I think it’s true that Fallout 76 and Starfield clearly – they’re creatively different than what we had done [before].”

“And we really wanted to do that. When you’re doing a certain type of thing for, in my case, 20 years, we want to try some other things and learn from that. We have ideas that we want to get out there.”

Ultimately, Howard said that he is glad that Fallout and The Elder Scrolls managed to garner massive audiences, which in turn has allowed Bethesda to take more creative risks with its other projects, like Fallout 76, and most recently, Starfield. He said, “We’re fortunate those games have found, in the scheme of things, giant audiences that let us keep doing things in them.”

Referring to Fallout 76 and Starfield, Howard said, “even though they’re a bit off the core path of the single-player games that we have been doing, we’re just fortunate to have the success that we’ve had with them.”

When it comes to Fallout, it is worth noting that Bethesda only bought up the franchise back in 2004. Before this, the franchise was developed by Interplay Entertainment. Bethesda’s work on the series started with Fallout 3, which came out on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2008. At the time, it offered a massive shift away from what the series was known for, switching from turn-based combat with an isometric view to a first-person RPG with shooter-adjacent gameplay. At this point, however, Bethesda has been in charge of the Fallout IP for longer than Interplay ever was.

Recently, Howard also revealed some details about the unique Unity ending of Starfield, and how it leads directly into New Game+ mode. Originally, players who picked the ending would get thrown into a new universe with all of their power and progression, but without any of their gear or items. With the Free Lanes update, players now have the chance to create an item that allows them to take up to 50 items along with them in their New Game+ run after the Unity ending.

“The Unity was our way of doing New Game+,” Howard explained. “It was us asking you this weird, deep question that I actually think got lost on a lot of people. It asks if you are just this power gamer who wants to get everything, or are you willing to leave this world behind? How do you feel about your own life choices – would you leave that all behind and start over? Some of that pain – having to give up all of your stuff, Sarah Morgan not loving you anymore, and so on – is supposed to make you feel all of that.”

Starfield is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review of its recent PS5 release. In the meantime, Bethesda is also working on The Elder Scrolls 6.

Major spoilers for Starfield‘s ending below.

As you get to the end of the main story of Starfield, the story mission One Giant Leap presents you with a choice of partaking in the Unity. Doing so turns the player’s character into a Starborn and puts you in an entirely new universe. Through this choice, the studio integrated the idea of New Game+ into the overall narrative of Starfield, since players got to carry over all of the progress they had made throughout the story, while also “resetting” the universe around them, allowing players to start from scratch with things like character relationships, mission progression, and map data, among other things.

“The Unity was our way of doing New Game+,” Howard explained. “It was us asking you this weird, deep question that I actually think got lost on a lot of people. It asks if you are just this power gamer who wants to get everything, or are you willing to leave this world behind? How do you feel about your own life choices – would you leave that all behind and start over? Some of that pain – having to give up all of your stuff, Sarah Morgan not loving you anymore, and so on – is supposed to make you feel all of that.”

On the subject of why the studio decided to go this route with its New Game+ system, Lamb explained that feedback from playtesters led to this, since they wanted to continue their journey. “The game just ended,” he said. “The feedback we got at the time was that fans were surprised – they wanted to keep going. So we put this system into Starfield; we wanted it to be a meaningful choice, but it wasn’t meant to be suffering.”

With the release of the free Free Lanes update, Bethesda has also brought in a major change to Starfield‘s Unity ending and the subsequent New Game+ mode; players can now build a machine that allows them to bring over up to 50 items into the new universe. “If you decide to enter the Unity now, you can do it in a way that you feel that you can still continue your character and have some of your stuff – it’s stuff that you earned, after all,” explained Howard.

Interestingly, the introduction of X-Tech as a way to further raise the power of players’ weapons and equipment may have played a role in allowing players to build this device. Since players would likely be unhappy about leaving behind powerful items that they may have worked hard for, the studio decided that there should be a way to carry these items forward.

“We are introducing X-Tech to further upgrade your weapons and your gear; well, we don’t want to ask the player to put in a lot of work for a reward they are searching for, only to say, ‘no, it’s gone now.’ So once these things started coming together, we knew we absolutely had to do something like this,” said Lamb.

Howard went on to explain how, through this change to the Unity ending, Bethesda wants to further refine the “elder loop” of Starfield. This “elder loop” is essentially the long-term gameplay loop offered by Starfield, which would often involve players hopping on and off between extended periods of time. To help with this, the Free Lanes update was meant to add more game content that would give players plenty more to do aside from just the new missions.

“Take something like the Trackers Alliance, or other quests. You do them and then you’re done,” said Howard. “That’s still rewarding, but for someone who jumps back in, they might play for a few hours – and then the update didn’t serve them beyond those two or three hours. We want to be trying to do more things that update the game where it’s going to change the next 100 hours. You can tell us if we’re done our job right.”

Starfield is out on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, take a look at our review of the PS5 release, as well as its Terran Armada expansion.

While there was a sense that the development team was truly attempting something different and grandiose, attempting to recreate the vastness of space, emptiness and all, the biggest problem is how it effectively fractured Bethesda’s built-in audience. Those who “got it” could vibe with the exploration, the mood, and the sheer scale of it all. Others wanted something more akin to Skyrim or, at the very least, Fallout, which it became very clear this was not.

Updates came and went. Shattered Space gave even the most dedicated fans second-hand embarrassment (and that’s despite having some really good dungeons). Then there was the great emptiness of 2025, where Bethesda promised big things, and ultimately kept its head down to work on the future. Well, the future is now, and the now is Free Lanes. So is Starfield “fixed” so to speak?

Not exactly, and really, you should have seen that response coming when Todd Howard himself said not to call it Starfield 2.0. Todd Howard not talking a game up through the stratosphere? A cold day for sure.

But he’s not wrong. Free Lanes is a massive pass at all the different systems and mechanics within Starfield, expanding on them in ways that befit the originally hyped up space-faring fantasy. It’s not so much about giving players something to do as offering more experiences in this vast universe. Because while space can be boring and empty, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Bethesda’s take has to be the same.

That’s best reflected in Cruise Mode, which more facilitates the self-titled Free Lanes themselves. Before, players would endure a loading screen to travel from planet to planet, even those within the same system. Then another loading screen to land on said planet, and another to leave. And while everyone focused on the loading screens – for good reason, because so many in quick succession really hurt the pacing – it was really the lack of stuff to do in space that really grinded many players’ gears. It’s not about getting lucky and finding something, be it an NPC or a space battle – it was more than life in space just felt non-existent.

Cruise Mode addresses that immediately by allowing you to travel, manually, between planets in a star system. Right away, your ship isn’t just some box that gets you from point A to point B – it’s now a second home. Get up, stretch your virtual legs, talk to some crew members, and maybe go and improve your ship with the new X-Tech. Or reroll perks on your Legendary weapons while working towards the new Rank 4s.

That space itself has new points of interest that can feed into that gameplay loop, which is all the more incredible. Maybe you’ll find a quaint bit of wreckage one second and engage in a dog fight against ships in another. Sometimes those dogfights will pull you out of Cruise Mode, forcing a scramble. Then there are the new Incursions added via the Terran Armada DLC, which provide another noteworthy activity to grind out (and earn some new weapons).

Of course, Bethesda didn’t stop there. It addressed one of the biggest complaints with Starfield by adding more PoI variety on its planets. Granted, this is one of those features where I would scoff and assume that it added, say, a dozen or so. However, based on feedback from the community, the variety has shot up. One player on Reddit, who would usually encounter the same point of interest pre-update, played for three hours straight, going through 30 unique types without ever encountering the same one twice. And that’s even after attempting to force them to appear. It doesn’t necessarily mean all of them are brand new – just that on top of the additions, you’re less likely to find the same PoI as quickly.

Because these locations – and dungeons – can provide X-Tech, you’re more incentivized than ever to explore random planets. There’s a constantly rewarding gameplay loop that also feeds into the main purpose of Starfield – to explore, both in space and on planets. The best part is that you’re not just juicing those Legendaries for no reason, as new enemy modifiers are in place for those who want more spice to their encounters. Sure, you could always increase enemy health and damage, but this kind of ARPG-level of buffs to otherwise familiar threats is a better way to make combat feel fresh.

Then you have the new ship modules, updates to outposts that allow for quickly plopping down a habitat module, fully furnished, and a shared storage for all your bases, a database so you can actually track down different resources and keep tabs on your outposts – the list goes on. If you’ve amassed tons of Credits, great news – you can now buy an asteroid base. That’s not even getting into all the non-DLC quests or Anchor Point Station, where you can find them (and various new characters).

So it’s less that Free Lanes – and by extension, Terran Armada – have “fixed” Starfield so much as leaned much further into Bethesda’s vision for the game. It already had this massive universe that players could explore – there was just very little reason to do so after a point, besides taking in the atmosphere. With these changes, it’s certainly catering to those who already poured dozens of hours into the game, giving them new stuff to play with while also fixing glaring issues like the loot from Expert and Master level locks, or bugs with various quests.

I think it goes even further, though, addressing a problem that even new players noticed at a mid-way point – namely, a drive. Because for all the hundreds of planets that you could explore, spaceships to build, abandoned locations to clear out, and quests to complete, being driven to really delve deeper into this sandbox, appreciating its nuances and joys, became difficult.

Free Lanes isn’t so much a giant leap for Starfield, so much as dozens upon dozens of significant little steps. And quite frankly, that’s what this game needed. More complexity that ties into what’s already there. More depth. More reasons to get out and see what the universe has to offer. Something to sink your teeth into beyond all the surface-level trifles and grinds.

That’s probably why Bethesda didn’t agree with the 2.0 label (even if it’s not shy to call this the best version of the game yet). As lead creative producer Tim Lamb notes, “There’s a narrative baked into what that label would mean.” Instead, the team examined “several systems where we had interest or had heard things from the community, and we tried to level up a number of them.” As such, a “number of systems have been made incrementally better,” there’s a “ton of content,” and there are “things that the team is excited about.”

Will those “things” make Starfield as vaunted as Skyrim or even Oblivion? No one can say at this point, but if No Man’s Sky, Cyberpunk 2077, The Division 2, and many more have taught us anything, it’s that fantastic experiences are often built brick by bloody brick. Here’s hoping for several more of the nice kind for Bethesda.

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.

Best Starting Traits

As much as it’s about exploring the cosmos, Starfield focuses as much on different builds and backgrounds. You can choose specific traits that will shape your character in unique ways and start skills to gain an early edge, but the “best” options can often be subjective. That said, you can’t go wrong with traits like Alien DNA, which increases your max health and oxygen (don’t worry too much about the reduced healing from items), and Isolation, which massively buffs weapon damage and resistance if you’re solo.

Recommended Early Planets

The new pre-built outpost module in Free Lanes makes it easier than ever to create a home away from home, but you’ll still need Aluminum, Iron and Argon to craft it (at least according to the deep dive). Head to Andraphon for the first two and Kreet for the third. More importantly, these locations – alongside Linnaeus IV-b – are home to multiple elements. Once you’ve got some bases going, start working on those extractors ASAP to reap the rewards.

That Asteroid Won’t Pay for Itself

If you’re the type to see a base on an asteroid and decide that you immediately want it, then congrats. On top of not knowing when it becomes available (at least for now), it’s likely the cost will be exorbitant. One method to quickly farm Credits is to clear out PoIs with enemies, stealing their weapons, and then resting at your ship to reset the instance. When your cargo is full, sell them all off at a vendor. Alternatively, you can survey planets, especially those in high-level systems, or take on missions to hunt down ships. Whichever route you take, the Credits will follow.

Mine Much Faster

If you’re not the type to buy all your minerals wholesale (or can’t afford them), then expect to occasionally use the mining laser. But if it feels a little too slow, try zooming in and waiting for the white part of the reticle to align with the red. It effectively concentrates the laser’s power, making it much faster to mine materials.

Side Hustle

While it’s encouraged to play through the first few main missions, some side quests should be tackled as soon as possible. These include Mantis, which you’ll get after defeating Spacers anywhere. We won’t spoil the rewards, but they’re very much worth it. Groundpounder becomes available as soon as you enter the Altair system, which requires level 15, and it’s one of the more enjoyable combat-heavy scenarios (which also awards a nice weapon). There’s also Juno’s Gambit, which can kick off as early as Tau Ceti and depending on your choices, it can award a nice amount of credits. But more importantly, all of these side quests are some of the most standout in Starfield, and should be prioritized whenever they become available.

Anti-Robot Armaments

Free Lanes adds the ability to reroll Legendary effects with the new X-Tech (earned by completing anomalies, points of interest and dungeons). It also includes new Tier 4 effects, including Saboteur, which has a chance to instantly kill (and explode) robots on damaging them. Pretty good for those picking up Terran Armada, but if you don’t have the resources for it just yet, try picking up the Disassembler perk first. It increases damage dealt to robots by 20 percent, making it a solid choice in the early going.

Create a Posse

Of course, if the Terran Armada is content with fighting dirty, then why not bring some more backup? Starfield usually lets a single companion accompany you throughout every mission, but some will bestow temporary followers. If you don’t complete these, then that follower remains with you throughout. Some examples include Emma Wilcox from the mission “Deputized,” which is part of the Ranger faction questlines. However, you can discover more and have up to three temporary followers (at the cost of progressing certain stories and the occasional bug or three).

Disable Dialogue Camera

If you’ve played a Bethesda game before, then you’ll be familiar, perhaps uncomfortably so, with the dialogue camera. Zooms in close, stays locked on an NPC’s face in first-person, no deviation whatsoever – it’s exhausting. So head into the Accessibility options and turn it off, if you’re so inclined, thus creating a more traditional camera angle that showcases the world around you.

Run Rabbit Junk

When sprinting, you’ll notice a little meter denoting your O2/CO2 levels. When O2 depletes, CO2 starts building up, and your health begins to drop. You could keep sprinting in this state, but instead, try jumping in between sprints, since this will cease O2 consumption. A boost pack further aids in this and will also help you travel further.

Improve Your Piloting Skill

Among the many skills that you should look to improve is Piloting. The former unlocks thrusters, improves maneuverability and eventually lets you pilot Class B and C ships. Leveling it up requires destroying ships, but there’s a Piloting Simulator in the MAST Building on New Atlantis, where ship kills count towards this, so go ahead and grind that for some time.

They may not seem all that important early on, but with Cruise Mode offering threats like Interdictions and anomalies, not to mention Starborn ships having a chance to drop Quantum Essence, you’ll want some ship skills fairly quickly.

Quickly Level Up Starship Design

In the same vein, upgrade Starship Design immediately. It will allow for installing better ship modules. Best of all, it can be leveled very quickly (provided you have a decent amount of Credits). First, head to a place where you can purchase several different components, like the Red Mile on Porrima 3 in the Porrima system. Install as many unique modules as possible, which will count towards the skill, then remove them and repeat this process until it’s fully leveled. Again, this is something that will aid you in the mid-to-late game, so it’s better to have it maxed out early.

How to Get the Rover

As nice as the Moon Jumper looks to control, you can get another ground vehicle, the Rover, early on for quicker planetary exploration. All you need to do is visit a Ship Services Technician – you’ll find one in New Atlantis, the earliest major city – and pay 25,000 Credits. Voila – a faster way to traverse land masses, at least until you find the Moon Jumper for some serious hops.

Fast Traveling With the Scanner

It’s a good thing the scanner is tied to the DualSense’s touchpad, because it’s going to get a workout by identifying all the flora, fauna and resources that make up planets. However, you can also use it to quickly fast-travel to any points of interest that were previously discovered (or even your ship). Simply hover over it with the scanner active, and off you go.

Where to Find Muria

Model G may be the one new companion that players will want to recruit pronto, but there’s also Muria. She’s not technically a “new” character, but following years of requests from players on other platforms to make her recruitable, Free Lanes is finally making that happen. But when and where do you find her? Fortunately, it doesn’t take long. She’s located on New Atlantis in Jemison, which you’ll visit fairly early on in the story, specifically the lobby of the GalBank. You can beeline to her location and see what all the fuss is about.

Gameplay Options

Last but not least, tweak the experience to your liking with gameplay options, which include modifiers for enemy damage, player damage, carry capacity – you can even increase the weight of ammo. While you can dial things down for an easier time, certain settings can confer XP bonuses if you opt for something challenging. It’s win-win, and could be an excellent way to level up quickly.

For example, ever felt disappointed when opening Expert and Master level locks? Their loot has now been improved, and should better align with the challenge of obtaining them. Bugs with inconsistent weapon damage and the accuracy bonuses for the CombaTech magazine not applying correctly have also been fixed.

However, you can now properly interact with bounty targets, which may or may not have fixed an issue where they would infrequently appear in cities. It’s also possible to now jump while reloading Livingstone’s Pistol, the Old Earth Pistol, and the XM-2311. Of course, there are also fixes for quests such as “Friends Like These,” “Guilty Parties,” “One Giant Leap,” and so on that should be appreciated. Various bugs with the Ship Builder have been addressed, and it should now be easier to place Weapons Workbenches in houses and ships.

Check out the patch notes below for more and the full details here. You can also read our reviews of the PS5 version (Free Lanes included) and Terran Armada in the meantime.

Starfield Update 1.16.236

General

• Steam – Disabled DLC will no longer re-install when launching the game.
• General crash and stability fixes.

Gameplay

• Improved loot found in containers with Expert and Master level locks.
• Reactive Equipment – Resolved an issue with the sound effects for the Reactive legendary effect.
• Addressed an issue that could cause NPCs to calculate weapon damage inconsistently.
• Fixed an issue with CombaTech magazine accuracy bonuses not applying consistently.
• The player can now jump while reloading the XM-2311, Old Earth Pistol, and Livingstone’s Pistol.
• Bounty targets in cities should now be properly interactable.
• Resolved an issue that could potentially cause non-combat background music to no longer play.
• Photo Mode – Addressed an issue that could cause issues when entering photomode while also entering an interior.
• Photo Mode – Addressed an issue that could cause the player’s right foot to display awkwardly.

Quests

• Friends Like These – Players should now be able to return the Terrormorph data at the end of the quest.
• Guilty Parties – Addressed an issue where this quest could possibly not start after completing “Background Checks”.
• Missed Beyond Measure – Addressed an issue that could cause the player to be locked with an invalid companion.
• One Giant Leap – The player’s helmet should now be visible.
• Refurbished Goods – All weapons required by the quest should now be able to be found.
• Refurbished Goods – Turning in this quest will no longer take incorrect items from the player’s inventory.
• The Hammer Falls – Addressed an issue that could cause the player to not receive the Star Eagle ship upon completion.
• Two Tales, Two Cities – Addressed a situation where the player could potentially be control locked if choosing to arrest Tahir.

Locations

• Resolved an issue that could cause some beds in Akila City to not grant Rested Bonus as intended.
• Characters should now correctly sit in chairs in the Explorer’s Refuge.

UI

• Improved and issue that could make Weapons Workbenches difficult to place in houses or ships.
• Added visual improvements to the Ship Repair UI.
• Ship Builder – Addressed an issue that could prevent unique or stolen ships from being renamed.
• Ship Builder – Resolved an issue that could cause a duplicate model of a ship to persist on the landing pad after modifying it.
• Ship Builder – Hopetech All-In-One Berth 2×2 furnished version is now accessible in game.
• Ship Builder – Improvements to UI in Large Font Mode.
• Outpost – Improvements to UI in Large Font mode.
• Players can now use the escape key to back out of renaming an item in a workbench. (PC)
• Fixed a typo with the Scan Jammer’s description.

Shattered Space

• The Oracle has updated music.

Creations

• A Perfect Recipe: Resolved an issue that could prevent the Ashta from spawning.
• Updated the description for Plushie Andreja.
• At Hell’s Gate: Plushies can now be placed in Plushie cases.
• The “Plushie Case – Mount” can now be placed closer to the “Plushie Case – Stackable” variant.
• Allied Winter Camo Skins will now show up on the Creation menu when installed.

While this marks the first time that PlayStation owners can dive into the space-faring RPG, long-time fans have plenty to look forward to with Free Lanes. It adds Anchor Point Station with new quests and characters, new companions to recruit, base-building improvements such as pre-built habitat modules and cross-outpost storage, and even a Database to look up everything. Heck, if you’ve become a venerable billionaire, why not dump those Credits into a new asteroid base?

Terran Armada offers a new storyline for $10, with players battling against the titular faction and its army of robots. Besides engaging in Incursions, looting new weapons and commandeering new ships, it also introduces a new companion in Delta. You can check out what may be its origin story here.

For more details, check out our reviews of the PS5 version and the Terran Armada expansion. Bethesda hasn’t really outlined what’s next for Starfield, but it’s keen on supporting it for the long haul.

At the same time, many have thoroughly enjoyed Starfield’s expansive sci fi offerings, from its intricate lore and engaging faction quests to its addictive ship-building and more. Personally, I fall in the latter camp. When I reviewed Starfield upon is original launch close to three years ago, I absolutely adored it, so it’s no surprise to me that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with it on the PS5 as well.

"Going into the game expecting Skyrim in space is, in some crucial ways, a mistake, primarily thanks to how its world is structured."

For anyone familiar with the Bethesda RPG template, Starfield is, in many ways, a familiar experience with a new wrapper. Players take on the role of a custom character who gets wrapped up with Constellation, an organization looking to unravel the secrets of space, early on in the game after coming in contact with a mysterious alien artifact.

In typical BGS fashion, along the way, you cross paths with a variety of different factions, each with their own questlines, histories, and characters, all of it allowing you to dive deeper into Starfield’s expansive setting. Player agency is placed above all else, in the specific way that Bethesda RPGs have been known for, prioritizing complete player freedom, even if it does come at the cost of frustratingly inconsequential choice and consequence mechanics.

BGS’ RPG formula has mostly stuck to its roots over the years, and though that doesn’t always work in Starfield’s favour – especially when contrasted with other AAA RPGs who have tried to take that further in interesting ways – the core strengths of the formula, at least to me personally, are still strong enough in the most important ways. A lot of that is down to how strong the Settled Systems are as a setting, especially where lore and backstory are concerned. Learning more about the history and conflicts of the setting never loses its charm, a lot of which is also down to how engaging the faction questlines are.

Of course, you have to acknowledge the fact that Starfield doesn’t completely stick to the Bethesda RPG framework. Going into the game expecting Skyrim in space is, in some crucial ways, a mistake, primarily thanks to how its world is structured. Starfield’s world is far from a seamless open world, instead being split into multiple maps that are separated by loading screens, not to mention large expanses of space that you can pilot your ship through.

Space travel in Starfield is something that has drawn criticism from many since the game’s launch, with many having felt that it’s too uneventful and monotonous, though Starfield does attempt to fix that with its new Free Lanes update, which accompanies the game’s PS5 release.

"Starfield’s space gameplay still doesn’t feel massively different from what it has been since the game launched."

With the addition of Cruise Mode – which lets you freely cruise around in space within a star system while you go about other business in your ship – as well as additional points of interest in space and more combat encounters, with its newest update, Starfield does try to address the issues that many players have had with its space gameplay.

They work to some degree- there’s a noticeable jump in the frequence of dogfights and things to check out, and Cruise Mode is certainly a neat new addition, though it shouldn’t surprise you to know that even with all of the new changes put together, Starfield’s space gameplay still doesn’t feel massively different from what it has been since the game launched. It takes longer for things to get monotonous, yes, but the expanses of space are still not where Starfield’s strengths lie (though ironically, I still find the game’s ship building and customization mechanics among the best that it has to offer).

That’s not all that Starfield’s Free Lanes update adds. The update brings a new layer to the game’s progression systems with the addition of a new currency in the form of X-Tech, which allows for deeper build variety, as well as new late game progression options in the form of new quality tiers, ship customization options, weapons, and more.

"If you enjoyed the base game in its original form, then, the Free Lanes update refines it and polishes it quite a bit."

Then there’s new quests and locations, outpost building improvements, New Game Plus options, and more- all of which is to say that even though the Free Lanes update doesn’t significantly overhaul many core game systems in the way we saw with, say, Cyberpunk 2077’s overhauls, it does still add to the base experience in a meaningful way.

If you enjoyed the base game in its original form, then, the Free Lanes update refines it and polishes it quite a bit, which will, of course, mean a stronger experience right off the bat for those jumping into Starfield for the first time with its PS5 launch. Many will probably be disappointed that the game hasn’t undergone a more comprehensive reworking, but as someone who already enjoyed Starfield’s offerings in its base form, I find the Free Lanes update’s changes and improvements quite solid on the whole.

Along with the base experience, Starfield’s PS5 launch also brings with it all of the updates and DLC the game has received since its Xbox and PC release in 2023. Of course, for starters, that means that, on a technical level, the sci fi RPG is in a much more stable place than it was upon release.

Don’t get me wrong, you’re still going to run into plenty of run of the mill Bethesda RPG glitches – from jerky animations and clipping objects to dead eyed NPCs and more – but in my time with the game on the PS5, I haven’t experienced nearly as many game breaking glitches or hard crashes as I did in my dozens of hours with the game on the Xbox Series X (though it has been a while since I played Starfield on Xbox, admittedly).

"For PS5 players who enjoy the genre or the sci fi aesthetic, Starfield is well worth looking into."

In addition to those updates, Starfield’s PS5 version also has the benefit of launching right out the gate with things such as land vehicles (with one of them being a new addition), Creations, and a long list of quality of life improvements, not to mention two expansions in the form of Shattered Space and the newly released Terran Armada. In short, for those jumping into the game for the first time with its PS5 release, which I imagine many will be doing, Bethesda’s space faring RPG is a more polished and rounded out version of its original self with a substantial amount of content to tackle- which in particular shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with BGS’ formula.

Whether or not Starfield stands toe to toe with Bethesda’s past genre defining offerings is a question that answers will vary to from person to person, but if you’re looking for a massive, engaging sci-fi RPG that lets you loose in a space setting, you’re in luck- that’s exactly what Starfield delivers. Though the game is not without its faults, thanks to a compelling setting, engaging lore, strong faction questlines, and a bevy of content – among other things – Starfield has more than enough going on to keep players occupied for long, long stretches. For PS5 players who enjoy the genre or the sci fi aesthetic, this one is well worth looking into.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

At its core, the second expansion doesn’t deviate from the approach that Bethesda Game Studios took with Starfield’s first DLC, Shattered Space, in that it is very much more of the same- though the content it does deliver has a lot going for it.

Terran Armada focuses on the new titular faction, a breakaway group comprised of former Freestar Collective and United Colonies soldiers who mysteriously disappeared from the Settled Systems during the Colony War. Now, they’ve reappeared with a substantial, robotically enhanced military force, announcing themselves the true children of Earth and humanity as a whole, and in turn declaring everyone in the Settled Systems to be their enemies. Investigating the Terran Armada’s attacks and uncovering their motivations, then, is a central part of the expansion’s storyline- and it works quite well.

One of Starfield’s greatest strengths has always been its intricate, engaging lore and the stories it weaves around it, especially with its faction questlines, and just as it was with the game’s first expansion, that still very much stands true with Terran Armada.

Not only does the new expansion boast a strong central narrative premise, the new faction it all revolves around helps keep things interesting as you progress further. Learning more about the Armada, their robotics, their motivations, and their history since the Colony War remains consistently engaging, even if it’s a little disappointing to see the proceedings being kept largely separate from the base game’s story.

"The expansion does try to inject enemy variety, but there’s only so many different ways you can find robot enemies before it starts wearing thin."

Along the way you’ll also cross paths with Delta, a reprogrammed Terran Armada robot who joins your crew and becomes a squadmate. The morally ambiguous companion is very much cut from the same cloth as similar robotic sci fi allies in sci fi stories, but though he’s not unique in any way, Delta does serve as a solid addition to Starfield’s cast. Conversations with him are always fun, learning more about what makes him tick and where his allegiances truly lie never loses its appeal, and best of all, Delta also serves as a great vehicle for the game to reveal more about the Terran Armada and its robot-heavy military force.

Delta is, however, probably the most interesting element where Terran Armada’s new robots are concerned. That is, on the one hand, a good thing, because that means a solid new companion joining the cast, but where the enemies are concerned, things can sometimes get a little repetitive and you find yourself fighting against robots over and over.

The expansion does try to inject enemy variety, but there’s only so many different ways you can find robot enemies before it starts wearing thin. Thankfully, the core combat mechanics in Starfield remain enjoyable, so firefights (should you choose a more aggressive approach) are at least consistently fun on a fundamental level.

Another major new addition in Terran Armada is the Incursions system, which sees the titular Armada randomly attacking different spots across the Settled Systems. Spanning varying objectives across both land and space and being tied to both story related quests and optional activities, Incursions encompass feel like they encompass the entire game- which can be both a good and a bad thing.

"It’s also a little disappointing that the Terran Armada DLC makes Incursions its centerpiece rather than introducing another major new location to the Settled Systems."

When they work, Incursions work really well, combining exploration and combat, throwing in unique new hurdles, and rewarding players with solid new gear. Story related Incursions in particular are often really well crafted, and experiencing them tends to feel like going through well stitched together set piece sequences. At the same time, Incursions also serve as solid repeatable late game content for players looking to farm valuable loot- especially X-Tech, a currency newly added by the Free Lanes update that expands progression and customization options.

However, Incursions can also quickly overstay their welcome. It doesn’t take long for them to start feeling repetitive, and often, the restrictions they place on players – such as not being able to fast travel within a star system until you’ve dealt with all present Terran Armada threats – can often feel more like an annoyance than anything else. Thankfully, the game does allow you to set the frequency with which optional Incursions show up, so if they do start to wear you down, you can at least address that directly.

It’s also a little disappointing that the Terran Armada DLC makes Incursions its centerpiece rather than introducing another major new location to the Settled Systems the way the Shattered Space expansion did. Sure, there’s Anchorpoint Station, a new location that does have plenty of new things to see and do, but though there’s a lot here that is directly tied to the Terran Armada storyline, Anchorpoint Station isn’t necessarily just a DLC location.

It does sort of scratch the itch of a brand new area to explore and get familiar with, but if you were hoping for a massive new map serving as the centerpiece of a major new story arch, that’s not what you’ll find here. The threat of the Terran Armada in this expansion is spread out throughout the Settled Systems rather than being concentrated in a single new map. That doesn’t mean there aren’t new locations to explore, of course, but you shouldn’t go in expecting something on the same scale as Shattered Space’s Dazra city.

"All told, with the new story content, side quests, and what have you, there’s a healthy chunk of new gameplay content on offer here."

There are, however, new weapons, ship customization and building options, gear, and more brought to the table by the Terran Armada DLC. For players who have already invested a substantial amount of time into Starfield and are looking to further optimize and min-max their builds, the new content on offer here opens up plenty of room for further progression and build refinement, especially with the repeatable content and late game options available with Incursions and the new Free Lanes update additions. All told, with the new story content, side quests, and what have you, there’s a healthy chunk of new gameplay content on offer here.

Since Starfield launched in 2023, many have hoped for significant overhauls to allow the game to fulfil its potential and make good on all of its lofty pre launch promises, and though Terran Armada is definitely not that (even with all of the improvements that come with the Free Lanes update), it is, at the very least, a solid additional chunk of more of the same.

That means that it’s unlikely to capture those who weren’t enamoured by Starfield’s base or post launch offerings, but if you are like me and have found plenty of enjoyment in the space faring RPG’s vast expanses, it’s safe to say that you’ll find enough to like about the Terran Armada expansion, even if it doesn’t fully stick the landing with all of the things that it tries.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.