Admiral Ode Balewa is present throughout, and while seemingly pleased with its progress, another high-ranking officer demands more, pushing the bot to be more brutal. Cut back to the present, where it goes down to a mysterious electric shock. An individual, identified in the description as a “brilliant roboticist”, appears and starts fiddling with the machine’s wiring while it’s deactivated.

Of course, it’s not long before the rest of the robot squad arrives and kidnaps her. But what about the one they abandoned? It may just be Delta, the new companion that players can recruit during the expansion, who’s not quite hostile but also not your friend (at least at the start).

Starfield’s Terran Armada expansion drops tomorrow alongside the new Free Lanes update, which adds several new features (including Model G and Muria as a recruitable companion). It’s also launching on PS5 with the base game costing $49.99. Head here for more details on PS5-exclusive features and how the game performs on PS5 Pro.

The highlight, of course, is Cruise Mode. Players can now travel between planets in the same star system by actually flying rather than enduring numerous loading screens. They’re still present when landing and taking off – you can’t win ’em all – but there’s new content to discover in the Free Lanes, including new points of interest, Anomalies and Interdictions, which can include enemy attacks.

But that’s really only the tip of the iceberg, as the update also brings new Legendary Ranks, X-Tech for rerolling them and upgrading ship systems, the ability to bring items through the Unity to New Game Plus – the list goes on. You can check out our feature for all the juicy details.

Starfield’s Free Lanes update and Terran Armada are live on April 7th for all platforms, including the PS5 version, which launches on the same day. Head here to learn more about how it leverages Sony’s hardware (especially PS5 Pro) to deliver an immersive experience.

Samson: A Tyndalston Story

Growing up is never easy, yet there’s a bittersweet feeling in returning to your childhood town, older and wiser. Not for Samson, though. His goal in Tyndalston is to pay off a debt that increases each day. Time is money, literally – you have limited hours to choose different jobs, whether it’s a getaway driver for a bank job or tuning up some local thugs. With a combat system that’s more about fighting dirty and vehicular mayhem that would make Mad Max proud, Samson promises a lot for its $25 price when it launches on April 8th.

DarkSwitch

Think Against the Storm, but expanding vertically – that somewhat explains Cyber Temple’s DarkSwitch. With a giant tree as your base and a malevolent fog slowly creeping in, you need to build, construct defenses and sometimes venture into the unknown to survive. It probably isn’t a coincidence that Akira Yamaoka is composing the soundtrack, probably hearing the word “fog” and asking nothing more. But with a full-fledged story mode that promises over 20 hours of thrills, DarkSwitch could end up a dark horse when it launches on April 9th.

Replaced

AI trapped in a human’s body, an alternative United States under the thrall of megacorporations, post-nuclear panic – all of this and more await in Replaced, Sad Cat Studios’ long-in-development cinematic platformer, which launches on April 14th. It also features stunning 2.5D graphics and a Free Flow combat system akin to Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham franchise. Over its eight-hour runtime (11 to 12 if you stay and smell what’s left of the roses), there’s a harrowing, unpredictable experience with more than its fair share of bleak commentary on the world as we know it.

Starfield (PS5) and Terran Armada

Bethesda’s new – and not at all controversial – IP is finally coming to PS5 on April 7th alongside the latest story DLC, Terran Armada. At $49.99 for the base game ($10 for the new DLC), it’s the best time for PlayStation players to explore the Settled Systems, especially with the Free Lanes update. Besides expanding on space travel, it introduces new companions, outpost improvements, new points of interest, more upgrade systems, and more. Meanwhile, Terran Armada promises a more interesting story, its own exclusive Incursions, new ships, and even an HK-47-style companion in Delta.

Regions of Ruin: Runegate

As intriguing as the pixel art style and sheer number of systems could be, I never expected 2018’s Regions of Ruin to get a sequel. Runegate is out on April 14th and follows pretty much the same premise – venturing out into a ruined world, helping your Dwarven brethren, obtaining resources, and ultimately, establishing a place to call home. With more varied locations, sleeker visuals and much more to do, it promises to be the definitive Regions of Ruin experience.

Road to Vostok (Early Access)

If you can’t wait for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s first story DLC to hit this Summer, Road to Vostok may tide you over. Entering early access on April 7th, it tasks players with exploring the post-apocalyptic areas between Finland and Russia, ultimately culminating in Vostok. You’ll need to loot supplies and build a formidable arsenal, dealing with changing seasons, rough weather, bandits, and even the military, with death in Vostok causing you to lose everything. It’s a ways off from full release, but those looking for another challenging survival FPS may find it worthwhile.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred

Vessel of Hatred was a steaming hot pile of whatever, but Lord of Hatred, Diablo 4’s next expansion, looks more promising. Available on April 28th, it sees the world in peril once more because Mephisto. You’ll likely be the one to lay the smackdown on him after venturing to Skovos, a scintillating new region full of new points of interest and plenty of demons to scour. Two new classes, the Paladin and Warlock, bring even more unique playstyles and build variety than before, while Blizzard is reworking the Skill Tree, bringing back the Horadric Cube, and more. Maybe this will be the release that finally elevates Diablo 4 to the next level. We can only hope.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire

What if you combine the rubber-hose animation of Cuphead with boomer-shooter-like gameplay? You get MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, a hard-boiled noir adventure focused on Jack Prepper, as he investigates a missing persons case and ends up discovering more than he bargained for. The slick hand-drawn animation is undoubtedly the appeal, as it brings Mouseburg to life in astonishing detail. Of course, this is a shooter as well, with weapons ranging from the grounded – pistols, shotguns, machine guns – to the wacky like freeze rays, corrosive turpentine and more. It’s out on April 16th and promises 12 to 20 hours of gameplay for $30.

Pragmata

Moon’s haunted, but instead of ghosts, there are homicidal robots out to get you. Launching on April 17th, Pragmata isn’t a Resident Evil-style survival horror – it’s the journey of Hugh, investigating a lunar base after lost contact and becoming swept up in the robot uprising. Together with the android Diana, he seeks a way out, providing the firepower while she hacks through an enemy’s defenses. The twist is that you have to do both simultaneously, creating a mix of puzzle-solving and tense shooting. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, and after the demo, we only want more.

Saros

Death is only the first step in Housemarque’s latest, and protagonist Arjun Devraj has miles to go before he can sleep. Investigating Carcosa for any sign of previous Soltari expeditions, he and his crew are caught up in the Eclipse, which twists the planet’s surface, culminating in the sun’s death. And yet, death won’t let them escape. Cue close encounters with tentacled monstrosities, discovering new weapons and clues that could help. And while Saros leans much further into rogue-lite progression than Returnal, it’s also expanded on the bullet dodging with a new shield that lets you absorb some damage and send it back with a vengeance. Saros arrives on April 30th, and even if you haven’t played its predecessor, it’s looking like another killer PS5 exclusive.

Invincible VS

Seemingly addressing the lack of 3v3 fighters, Quarter Up’s take on the brutal superhero epic packs 18 playable characters – including favorites such as Invincible, Omni-Man, BattleBeast, and of course, Conquest. And if the prospect of different classes, active and counter tags, and rollback netcode for online play doesn’t interest you, there’s a story mode to experience every bloody skirmish. It’s available on April 30th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Spark in the Dark (Early Access)

As typical of a dungeon crawler as Stellar Fish’s latest title appears, there’s an inherent charm and grittiness to Spark in the Dark. Maybe it’s the isometric perspective or more methodical pacing, coupled with how inherently dark the endless Dungeon appears (which makes it all the more scary when monsters show up). It’s available on April 7th via early access and only includes the initial tiers of the Dungeon, but we’re keen on plundering its depths.

MotoGP 26

Credit where it’s due to Milestone, as this will be its third consecutive racing game in three months. MotoGP 26 is all about the thrill of competitive bike racing at the highest level, although you can opt between Arcade and Pro Experiences to determine the difficulty. With an in-depth career mode, cross-play between all platforms (Nintendo not included, sadly), and new disciplines like Minibikes, Flat Tracks, Production Bikes, and more, this could be the series’ most feature-packed entry yet.

WILL: Follow the Light

Cropping up more than once during Steam Next Fest and impressing with its visuals, WILL: Follow the Light is a hard-hitting adventure focused on a seemingly simple goal: Returning home. It’s far from easy, however, as Will must brave islands, mountains and even the sea to reach his hometown and save his son. Puzzles and environmental storytelling abound, but it’s all about the atmosphere and how deep you’ll go to learn the truth. WILL: Follow the Light launches on April 28th for PC.

Kiln

Listen, I’m not saying this is exactly what I expected from Double Fine, which has delivered some of the finest platforms to date. But Kiln is…curious in a way that fits the developer’s profile. After all, what other multiplayer title invites you to become a pot, finely sculpted by your hands and scuttling off into an arena for some ceramic destruction? The fact that a pot’s design influences its playstyle is even more intriguing. Whether it figuratively blows up or not, Kiln is out on April 23rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Standard and Premium Editions

Remember when PlayStation allegedly eyed Bethesda to secure PS5 exclusivity status for Starfield? Remember how big a “get” it was for Microsoft? It feels almost surreal to see it coming to PS5, but that’s not all. The Standard Edition will retail for $49.99, reflecting its recent price drop on Xbox and PC. The Premium Edition costs $69.99 and not only includes the new Terran Armada DLC but also the first expansion, Shattered Space. You also get 1,000 Creation Credits, the Constellation Skin Pack, and a digital artbook and soundtrack.

DualSense Support

Starfield fully supports the PS5’s DualSense, from different adaptive trigger resistances depending on the weapon to the light bar reflecting your current health. You can even listen to non-local ship comms and audio logs through the speaker. The touchpad is also host to many functions, from swapping between first and third person to scanning your surroundings, which feels more seamless.

Graphics Modes on PS5 Pro

Much like other first-party titles published by Xbox Game Studios, Starfield supports PS5 Pro with two modes: Performance (60 FPS with “improved visuals” per the PlayStation Blog) and Quality (4K/30 FPS). But what about 40 FPS or even an uncapped frame rate, which the Xbox Series X version received in a post-launch update? And will they be available on the regular PS5? Time will tell.

Terran Armada Lore and Enemy Types

Thanks to Bethesda’s deep dive, we learned a bit more about the Terran Armada and why they are the way they are. As it turns out, they were previously part of the United Colonies and Freestar Collective, but when the Colony War broke out, they chose to abandon the Settled Systems rather than participate. Now they’re back and seemingly out to cause mayhem. Finding out their true motivations is ultimately what drives the plot of the DLC, which will apparently have “consequences that ripple throughout the galaxy,” per Bethesda.

If the Terran Armada thinks of itself as Earth’s “true” children, then one has to ask: Why all the robots? That’s probably one of the mysteries that the player must solve (not that there aren’t humans to deal with as well). But you’ll battle quite a few different tiers of robot foes, from the rank and file soldiers to lieutenants with some variants thrown in. It feels like Bethesda is keeping some of those other types close to its chest, so expect the unexpected.

Incursions

Which also ties into the new Incursion system. These appear throughout the Settled Systems, with some mandated by the story and others made optional, offering extensive loot. Depending on the size and scale of the incursion, you’ll have multiple objectives, like rescuing hostages, setting a refinery to melt down, and shutting down the Terran robots. Be careful, though, since they have jammers which can prevent grav jumps, meaning only Cruise Mode is viable for escape.

Delta

Model G and Muria are companions for base game players, but Terran Armada owners get something even better: Delta. He’s a robot from the Terran Armada that’s been “reprogrammed.” By whom and why? Unknown. However, designer Emil Pagliarulo described him as “not evil, but he’s definitely not good.” Your average KOTOR fan is probably getting flashbacks to HK-47, and you have to wonder how Vasco will get along with him.

Anchor Point Station

A new era for the game demands a pivotal new location where players can discover quests, and Anchor Point Station is it. You’ll have to find it (which won’t be too hard), and upon landing, there are several new characters and quests to discover. How deep the rabbit hole goes remains to be seen, but it does tie together with Free Lanes.

Interdiction Events

Since you can travel between planets in a star system courtesy of Cruise Mode, there are various discoveries and anomalies to be had. And while you could just put the ship on autopilot and craft, chat with crew members, optimize systems with recently discovered X-Tech, and so on, something may suddenly pull you out of Cruise Mode. Known as interdiction events, these may result in the ship being attacked, “or worse,” per Bethesda, and you’ll need to respond accordingly.

New MGP Weapons

New threats mean new corpses to loot new weapons, including the MGP Ballistic Rifle. Unlike the guns circulating in the Settled Systems, these are described as “more contemporary” and “less sci-fi.” Ballistic and energy weapons abound, and you can modify them to your liking. Based on what we’ve seen so far, they have a satisfying kick with each shot while packing a significant punch.

New Rank 4 Legendary Perks

With X-Tech, players can now freely customize Legendary weapons with their desired perks, but the real fun begins at Rank 4. It packs several new perks that can completely revamp a weapon. Thanks to the deep dive, we’ve learned about a few more options, including Reckless, which reduces the magazine size to 1 and cuts your health in half but increases weapon damage by 500 percent, making it a fantastic option for snipers. There’s also Barbaric, where attacks and movement speed become faster and each successful hit increases damage dealt, which is pretty much built for melee weapons. Even the suits get some nifty perks, like Enigmatic, which creates holograms in combat to bamboozle enemies, thus drawing aggro away from you.

Reworked Perks

Some of the older, less ideal perks are also getting changed. Take Space-Adept, for example. In its current form, it increases damage by 30 percent in space but decreases it by 15 percent planetside. For Free Lanes, the downside has been removed entirely, so as long as you’re in space, you get a huge boost.

New Weapon Skins

Crafting benches can have more of an identity thanks to faction-specific skins, and that extends to weapons as well. Bethesda has added “quite a few” new options to the mix, including the Crimson Fleet, Gilded, and so on. However, the existing Constellation and Neon skins also now support a greater range of weapons, extending customization even further.

All-In-One Outpost Module

As cool as shared-outpost storage and a Milliewhale pet can be, sometimes you just want to throw down a base on a desolate planet. A short stopover before going on your way. That’s where the new Elevated Cabin comes into play, serving as an all-in-one, fully furnished module with all the essentials. And you can still customize it as you see fit, moving or replacing the furniture entirely.

New Terran Armada Ship Parts

We’ve already gone over the new ship modules and how they enable functions like cloaking or an EMP. Of course, you’ll also find new Terran Armada ships that can be commandeered to your liking, but schematics of their parts also drop. This means you can outfit your own vessel with a “big new cockpit” and a double-decker habitable area. So if you want to bring a more tactical feel while traveling starside, it’s something else to get invested in.

Why It’s Not Starfield 2.0

Rumors have been claiming that this isn’t a “Starfield 2.0.” Todd Howard has been saying the same before the update’s reveal, and now lead creative producer Tim Lamb has reiterated the fact, once more. During a roundtable Q&A (via WccfTech), the latter said he would “push back” against the notion. “There’s a narrative baked into what that label would mean. We looked at a number of systems where we had interest or had heard things from the community, and we tried to level up a number of them.

“Free Lanes is huge, and getting it to work with all of the existing content we shipped at launch was significant. But I wouldn’t call it 2.0. A number of systems have been made incrementally better. We’ve added a ton of content. It’s the best version of Starfield.” To that end, Bethesda still has “things” that it wants to pursue in the future and teased how there’s a “lot more in the lore.” Regardless, if you’ve never played Starfield, then Free Lanes and Terran Armada would be the best time to jump in.

“We have our own opinions as far as things we would like to see,” said studio design director Emil Pagliarulo. “After we release the game, we keep on playing it – we say, ‘oh, I wish this had more of X or more of Y as well.’ And then as we play more, we are also seeing what is connecting with players and what isn’t – where our thoughts align with player feedback, which reinforces our beliefs.”

Using exploration as one of the examples for this, Pagliarulo spoke about how players provided feedback about wanting to find going off the beaten path that a quest might lead them down more rewarding. This, in turn, leads the development team to making a list of priorities, like fleshing out points of interests, or making dungeons more interesting.

“It still amazes me how different Starfield is now compared to launch,” he said. “We were doing an update every six to eight weeks for the first year, addressing all of these little things. But with all of those smaller things that we did, they are big and meaningful to the person who was waiting for that one thing.”

Creative producer Tim Lamb spoke about how updates for Starfield had slowed down since its initial launch. However, this means that the development team has been able to bundle up what would otherwise be smaller patches into something larger, like Free Lanes.

“I feel like we held back a little while we were working on all of this stuff,” he said. “Based on everything you’ve seen in Free Lanes, would that feel different if it had been spread out over six or eight weeks? I think there’s a certain punch to it, when you get it all together in one day.”

As for the obstacles that Bethesda might face, a major one comes in the form of the sheer amount of player feedback it gets, and how fast this feedback tends to come in. Art director Istvan Pely spoke about how the in-game experience of a community at large also tends to be different from the developers’ own experiences.

“What the community or internet is experiencing is not always what we’re experiencing,” said Pely. “You might have a streamer who is very popular and they have an issue, a thought, or maybe they want some very specific thing which is isolated to that person, but then it gets a voice and gets a lot of people around it. Then it comes back to us and we’re like, oh, we have a laundry list of stuff we need to do before we can get to that.”

Lamb explained that, while Bethesda gets feedback from across several venues, he sits on a call each week to sift through community discussions. “We’re always looking at how we’re doing with certain problems and how we are funnelling that up to the team, and that’s been consistent for us for the three years,” he said. “So we’re always checking in on what’s on the list, and looking for things that bubble up to the threshold where something becomes really important to address.”

As for the future of Starfield, Lamb noted that Bethesda doesn’t really think of any change that could be made to the game as being “impossible”. However, he brings up the importance of being able to add community-requested features in a way that actually satisfies the community, especially in light of the studio having limited time on its hands.

“I’m not going to undersell what it took to get that right, but we wanted to deliver that,” he said, referring to interplanetary travel. “There’s always a balance. We have finite time, right? We always want to say yes to our players if it aligns with the things that we agree with, or if they have played the game so much and now really want to poke into this corner or explore that thing next. That’s what helps us to decide what to work on next”

Starfield is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S. The title will be coming to PS5 on the same day as the Free Lanes update—on April 7th. The free update and PS5 launch will also be accompanied by a new expansion: Terran Armada. Recent reports have also indicated that Bethesda has remained hard at work on a Nintendo Switch 2 port of the game. However, “it hasn’t been a smooth process,” according to an industry insider.

The US region’s PlayStation Store—as caught by Fextralife—has Starfield Premium Edition taking the number one spot, followed by 007: First Light in second place and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight in third. Interestingly fourth place was the base edition of Starfield, which might be a further indication of just how popular pre-ordering Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG might be. The title is similarly noted as being near the top spot in the UK PlayStation Store as well.

Starfield‘s PS5 release date was announced earlier this week, and while its base edition is priced at $49.99, the Premium Edition comes in at $69.99. The latter includes the upcoming Terran Armada DLC, as well as the previously-released Shattered Space DLC, along with the Constellation Skin Pack, a digital art book, a copy of the soundtrack, and 1,000 Creation Credits. Players who decide to pick up the base edition can also grab the Premium Edition upgrade later for $24.99.

Both Terran Armada, as well as a brand new free update dubbed Free Lanes, will be going live across all platforms on April 7th, coinciding with the game’s PS5 launch. The update will bring with it a new resource dubbed X-Tech, allowing players to roll for Legendary Perks on weapons. Improvements are also being made to the game’s planetary Outposts, and players will be getting a new pet Milliewhale to accompany them.

Terran Armada will bring with it a new set of story missions that revolves around an entirely new threat: the eponymous Terran Armada. The new faction is composed of members of the United Colonies and Freestar Collective who had disappeared during the Colony War, and believe themselves to be the “true” children of Earth. Its military forces are also described as being quite advanced, and being largely made up of robot soldiers. However, not everyone from the faction will be hostile. Players can meet up with a new companion, Delta, who adds a tinge of moral ambiguity to the player’s party.

Lead creative producer Timothy Lamb has noted that, while the Free Lanes update might bring in major improvements to the game, players should temper their overall expectations. When asked whether the update would mark the beginning of Starfield 2.0, Lamb responded: “No. I’d push back against that: there’s a narrative baked into what that label would mean. We looked at a number of systems where we had interest or had heard things from the community, and we tried to level up a number of them…A number of systems have been made incrementally better. We’ve added a ton of content. It’s the best version of Starfield.”

In the meantime, Starfield remains available on PC and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review of the base game and the Shattered Space expansion for more details.

Terran Armada

The second story DLC has finally been revealed, and as teased during Starfield’s second anniversary, it adds a new faction – the Terran Armada. Where they came from is a mystery, but they broadcast across the Settled System, telling its residents that they’ve forgotten who they are and that the Armada will remind them. Its forces consist primarily of assault bots, but you will encounter some humans as well, including Admiral Ode Balewa, who commands the fleet. Of course, as usual, new armor sets, weapons and ships also await alongside Incursions, a new mission type.

Enemy Modifiers

While new enemy types are a much-needed addition, the Free Lanes update also brings modifiers. Some enemies may have passives like Tricky, where there’s a chance to avoid damage, or Martyr, causing death to enrage nearby allies. The number of modifiers remains to be seen, but it’s still a nice way to spice up combat and maybe dip into your powers to combat them (especially since they’re getting some much-needed quality of life, which we’ll get into later).

New Crew Members

Another interesting addition with Free Lanes is the new crewmates, like the Model G or mini-bot, which, for all intents and purposes, is like a pet robot. You can change its personalities, trade gear and whatnot, though it’s not really meant for combat. That won’t stop you from bringing it and watching as it pokes enemies to death, though.

And while not technically new, you can now recruit Muria in New Atlantis to your crew and enjoy her special brand of humor all the time. Terran Armada also features a new crew member but details are sparse at the moment (mostly to avoid spoilers).

The Moon Jumper

Another new land vehicle has arrived to make planetary traversal that much more seamless. However, unlike the Rev-8, the Moon Jumper is built for more vertical exploration thanks to its jump jets. That makes it much easier to overcome or even catch a birds-eye view of the terrain. You also won’t be finding it at shipwrights but rather through exploration, which is one of the nicer incentives for experiencing the new encounters and PoIs. And of course, you can customize and paint it.

New Encounters, Points of Interest and Variety

Finding the Moon Jumper is only one of the new points of interest that players will discover in the Free Lanes update. You can expect several more alongside new encounters, dungeons and a “notable” increase to the amount of variety, thus addressing one of the major criticisms of Starfield’s random planets. But what about actual space?

Cruise Control

Bethesda has spoken about wanting to make space travel feel more rewarding, but another major pain point is that exploration between planets was little more than a glorified loading screen. With Free Lanes, you can now travel between the planets in a star system thanks to Cruise Mode. Your ship will start moving at a higher speed (with four different levels available) as you venture towards a planet. The best part? You can turn on autopilot and then get up to do other things, such as talking to crewmates, changing gear around, and so on, with the compass helpfully indicating how much distance remains until your destination. And while there’s a soft transition just before reaching, there are no loading screens while traversing the Free Lanes. Unfortunately, landing and taking off from planets remains the same but you can’t fault the amount of progress.

Close Encounters of the Free Lane Kind

While cruising through a system, events and points of interest may pop up that you’ll want to examine. Anomalies are one example, and they could lead to wreckage with loot. And Bethesda seems to be withholding more so that players can get out there and discover for themselves. But considering how these random encounters were previously confined to the orbits of planets, this goes a fair way towards making the systems themselves feel like actual star systems.

Additional Perspective While Flying

For years now, players have craved a wider perspective while flying, especially with larger starships. There have only been two until now, but with Free Lanes, Bethesda is adding a third with a much higher field of view level. Even if you haven’t supersized your vessel in a while, it gives much more room to spot nearby events or points of interest in Cruise Mode.

Outpost Improvements and Database

Different faction skins for your crafting benches to give them a new look? A new Milliewhale pet to play around with? Action figures that you can collect and display, like Fallout’s Bobbleheads, which provide buffs? Elevated habitats? All of that is pretty cool, but the outpost system has seen some major upgrades, including cross-outpost storage, which makes it so much easier to share resources. But even better is the new Database, accessed from the start menu. It keeps track of everything – resources, recipes, locations discovered – and provides quick access to all the outposts built thus far, so fast-traveling between them is much more seamless. And that wasn’t enough, you can unlock a base in a hollowed-out asteroid. Yes, at long last.

To Be X Tech

Having new stuff to chase courtesy of the Terran Armada is one thing, but there’s also a new resource – X Tech. Found in many places, including boss chests in dungeons, it can be used along with Credits to roll for Legendary Modifiers on your gear. You can roll for up to four Legendary Ranks, with the fourth granting brand new attributes specifically tailored towards different playstyles. For instance, Bloodthirsty grants health from killing enemies, Kismet has a 25 percent chance to triple your magazine size on reload, and Saboteur has a chance to instantly kill robots when dealing damage (perfect against the Terran Armada). Note that these Legendary Ranks aren’t just for weapons – they apply to armor and other gear as well.

New Quality Levels

But that’s not all, as weapons have two new quality levels – Superior and Exceptional. Both increase the damage and value of a weapon, making it that much stronger. Sure, it’s just another flat stat bump, but it allows for further improving a weapon beyond Legendary Ranks.

Upgrade Modules

And finally, there are the Upgrade Modules, which are brand new loot found in the Free Lanes. These are also straightforward stat bumps – the difference is that they’re focused on a single stat like accuracy, fire rate, ammo capacity, damage, aim speed, and whatnot. But you don’t have to pay any X Tech or Credits to use them. Simply equip, and your weapon becomes noticeably better.

New Ship Modules

It would be unfair if ships didn’t get some new modules as well. Thankfully, the Free Lanes are very giving, with enemy ships having a chance to drop the schematics. These include options like EM Pulse Shielding for a chance to trigger an EMP in a 1500-meter radius, disabling all shields, and Evasive Stealth Drive, where boosting will camouflage your ship, making it much harder for enemies to target you.

You can also use X Tech to optimize different aspects of your ship, like Hull Health, Hull Capacity (for more storage), Weapon Reload Speed, and more.

Quantum Entanglement Device

Without getting into story spoilers, New Game+ in Starfield meant essentially carrying over your character’s progress but not their items or credits. So if you happened to obtain several perfect weapon rolls after dozens of hours, you had to deal with leaving them behind. With Free Lanes, Bethesda has added the Quantum Entanglement Device, which, when built, lets you transfer over a select number of items into an NG+ playthrough. Not all items will qualify, but weapons and armor are certainly fair game. And for those who dread the thought of having to run through all those key locations once more, just to upgrade their Starborn powers, you can now spend Quantum Essence to do so. Quantum Essence will also drop more often (such as when destroying Starborn ships) and can even be favorited to use in the heat of combat.

It’s a change similar to that seen with Obsidian’s Avowed, and yes, the price has permanently dropped on other platforms to reflect this. However, if you decide to pay $69.99 for the Premium Edition, then you’ll get the base game alongside Terran Armada and Shattered Space (the first expansion). The Constellation Skin Pack, digital art book and soundtrack, and 1,000 Creation Credits are also included.

Those who want to upgrade later can pay $24.99 for the Premium Edition Upgrade. Of course, you’ll notice that it’s actually $5 cheaper in the long run to buy the Premium Edition. You’ve done it again, Todd.

Even if Terran Armada ends up underwhelming, there are several genuinely welcome changes with Free Lanes, including Cruise Mode for traveling freely in a star system with no loading screens, X-Tech for rerolling Legendary Ranks on weapons, and much more. It even adds new companions and a mansion carved out of an asteroid.

Some of the new features included in Free Lanes include X-Tech, a new resource for rolling Legendary Perks on weapons (including a chance to triple magazine size) and optimizing various ship systems. Outposts have also been improved, and you can have a pet Milliewhale to play with. Speaking of which, action figures can be collected to provide passive boosts when you’re not displaying them for collection purposes.

There’s also the Quantum Entanglement Device, which allows for taking some items into New Game Plus, and Anchor Point, a new station for various new quests. You can also find the Moon Jumper, a vehicle which can almost fly on low-gravity planets, and a new companion/pet in Model G. Even Muria, the beloved NPC from New Atlantis, can be recruited.

As for the Terran Armada, they’re a faction that left the Settled Systems during the Colony Wars. Having issues with all the factions, players must figure out their motivations and ultimately stop them, dealing with mechanized soldiers in the process. Of course, you can also recruit one, Delta, even if he doesn’t exactly consider you a friend.

There’s a lot to delve into, both free and paid, and Bethesda even teased “more to come.” Stay tuned for further updates shortly, and check out our review for the base game.