Starfield ship building could be the best thing about the game

06 August 2023 , 09:00

1089     0

Of all the things you can do in Starfield, it's the ship building that has me most excited thanks to the sheer scope of customisation available (Image: Bethesda (Starfield Direct))

As we draw closer to Starfield's launch, Bethesda has shared details on character creation, plant-hopping, side quests and more. But for me, it's Starfield ship building that's the most exciting aspect of the game.

It's been slim pickings for Xbox gamers this year, with Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush being the only real console exclusives of note so far But that's all about to change with the launch of the upcoming AAA space-faring RPG Starfield next month. We got our first proper look at what the game has to offer during the Starfield Direct back in June which revealed the sheer scale and ambition of the title; so much so, that it could be the first game to genuinely push the power of the Xbox Series X to its limits.

Starfield is promising an unfathomable amount of content with over 1000 planets to explore – which in itself offers endless discovery and possibilities. In terms of story, side quests, and interaction with NPCs, Bethesda has revealed that Starfield features over 250,000 lines of dialogue (more than double that of Fallout 4's 111k count) so there's not going to be a shortage of things to do.

But even with all of that, the thing that's really resonated with me is Starfield ship building and the seemingly infinite amount of customisation, which has the potential to make the game truly unique for every single player. The depth is beyond anything we've seen this gen so far, and it has me so excited that I hope it sets a new standard for how developers approach vehicle creation in the future.

Everything that makes Starfield ship building so impressive

The Starfield ship building concept isn't anything new, with titles like No Mans Sky and Star Citizen offering a range of customisation options. But Bethesda has ramped things up with how it lets you personalise your ship in unprecedented ways. Ryan Sears, lead ships artist, went into more detail during the Starfield Direct, saying that your ship is almost like "another character" or a "home you can make all your own", and that players will be "blown away" by what they're able to do.

Why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's six week delay is a good thing

In Starfield, every player will start with a starting ship called The Frontier, but even that can be customised and upgraded in almost every way imaginable. (Bethesda)

All players will start out with a ship called The Frontier, but even that can be customised and upgraded in almost every way imaginable. Whether it's your cowling, shield generator, docker, fuel tanks, grav drive, weapons, habitat module, engines, cockpit, cargo hold, reactor, ray, landing gears, or something else; you can choose how these parts are laid out, as well as changing how your ship looks – even down to the colours – in the detailed Starfield ship builder mode.

You can also upgrade these parts; doing so with your grav drive, for example, will allow you to jump longer distances in space; while having a bigger habitat module can give you more room for crew, which is also something you'll have to manage, depending on the ship type you opt for. Every change you make in the Starfield ship build builder mode will affect your vessel's stats, so you need to bear in mind the kind of ship you want to create when editing.

For example, if you're looking to get involved in space warfare with other ships, you'll want to kit your ship out with as many weapons as possible, build your ship with manoeuvrability in mind. That means you may have to sacrifice on other aspects to make that happen.

Every change you make in this mode will edit your ship's stats, so you'll need to be wary of what sort of ship you're trying to create in Starfield when editing. (Bethesda)

Every external change you make during your Starfield ship building will impact how much room you'll have to work with internally. Should you have the room, your vessel can be home to crafting modules, living quarters, weapon displays, weapon storage, cargo holds, control rooms, eating areas and more.

Don't like your starting ship? No problem, you can just buy a new one if you have enough currency, that can then be customised in exactly the same ways! Every spaceport will have a ship technician, and interacting with this character will allow you to customise your current ship, buy a new one, or even sell one you don't use, because yes, you can have multiple ships to hop between.

Need to help out some space pirates by eliminating a specific ship? Just take your battle-geared ship out for a spin. Want to run some illegal cargo across the universe? Well, I guess it's time to channel your inner Han Solo and use a ship geared for cargo capacity and travel distance, with enough manoeuvrability to get away if you're caught.

Should you have the room, you can have crafting modules, living quarters, weapon displays, weapon storage, cargo holds, control rooms, eating areas and more in your ship in Starfield (Bethesda)

The sheer scale of Starfield means that you'll be using your ship an awful lot. No matter what type of character you decide to play as, the way your ship looks, and what it's capable of, will be an integral part of your experience. And that's why I think the level of Starfield ship building and customisation is so exciting: it allows you to be the character you want to be and will dictate what things you do, and how you do them.

We've seen over and over again just how creative gamers can be. You only have to look at what's been created in Tears of the Kingdom for some recent examples. But Bethesda seems to be taking what Nintendo was able to do with Zelda and is turning it up to 11 with Starfield. And that is what could make this game so special.

Nathan Bliss