Last September, I was in RPG heaven. Baldur’s Gate 3 came out on PS5 just as Starfield arrived, followed by Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty a few weeks later. I felt torn, wanting to play Bethesda’s new space adventure while also loving Larian’s fantasy world.
Plus, I was curious about V’s adventures in Dogtown with Idris Elba. With so many games vying for my attention, I had to make choices, and unfortunately, Starfield fell by the wayside. But now, with news of a big update coming on May 15, I’m thinking of giving it another shot.
#Starfield‘s latest update is now in Steam Beta, and there are a lot of additions:
🌎 Improved surface maps
🖼️ Ship decorations
📊 Difficulty options
💼 Improved inventory UI
…and many more fixes and improvements! https://t.co/rk9dKRzBAX
— Starfield (@StarfieldGame) May 1, 2024
I didn’t expect to lose interest in Starfield like I did, especially since I’m a huge space fan and have loved games like Oblivion, Skyrim, and Fallout in the past. But as I played Starfield, I got frustrated with the maps and how hard it was to get around.
It got to the point where I stopped playing altogether. However, after hearing about the May update and all the improvements it’s bringing, I’m considering diving back in.
The update addresses some of the main issues I had, like improving the surface and city maps, and even adding a decorative mode for ship interiors, which I love because I’m a big fan of The Sims.
Bethesda released a five-minute video outlining all the changes coming in the update, including a 60fps performance mode on Xbox Series X and new options to adjust difficulty and encumbrance.
But what caught my attention was how they’re improving the maps. Many players, including myself, had trouble navigating cities and finding shops or locations. The update promises to make these improvements, with clearer markers for shops and easier navigation overall.
The surface maps were also a pain to use, with a cluttered UI that made exploration less fun. But the update is changing that too, with a new aesthetic and clearer terrain details.
It looks vastly improved in the snippets shown in the video, and I’m hopeful it will make exploring cities and planets much more enjoyable.
Ship customization was another big draw for me, and I’m excited about the new decorating mode that lets us fully furnish and customize our ship interiors.
Plus, they teased a future feature: a land vehicle. I’ve always wished for something like a Star Wars speeder to make planet-side exploration easier, and I can’t wait to see how it changes the game when it’s added.