Shipbuilding in Starfield in Detail

Starfield is expected to be released relatively soon (i.e., in the first half of 2023), unless the recent rumors of a delay are confirmed. However, since the June show, the developers have been dragging their feet on presenting more extensive footage from the game (modest video from December is not enough).

Therefore, players - as usual, when they are bothered by the lack of official information - return to previous materials, which showed, among other things ship building and customization in Starfield.

Below we have collected everything we officially know about this aspect of the game (and a handful of speculations that emerged after the presentation).

DIY

Whatever you'd say about the lack of reports in recent months, Bethesda has shown quite a bit about ships. Players will be able to create their own vessels from modules, including engines, cockpits, reactors and armaments, among others.

It's not just pure aesthetics. Each element will have a significant impact on the operation of the vessel, for example, the number of crew, cargo hold capacity, maneuverability, endurance and the ability to land on rough terrain. The parameters will also translate into the range of FTL jumps, in practice determining which planetary systems we will be able to visit.

It is also worth remembering that each module will have its own mass, which will negatively affect, among other things, the ship's mobility. So you'll have to make compromises, such as giving up heavy weaponry and armor in favor of a larger cargo hold or jump range.

Masking will probably be the last thing players consider when coloring a ship.Source: Bethesda Softworks.

Of course, we will also get a lot of options to beautify the appearance of the ship, which will have nothing to do with pragmatism (knowing the players: rather the opposite). Not that this is necessarily the case with the interior of the craft (Bethesda has confirmed that Starfield will also offer customization options inside the ship).

Infinity Fuel

It is worth noting that although the material from June shows fuel tanks, in late November Todd Howard again confirmed, that after testing, it was decided to abandon the refueling mechanic. According to the head of Bethesda, an "empty tank" interrupting the journey effectively killed the pleasure of exploring the universe of Starfield.

Does this mean that fuel tanks also disappeared from the game? Not necessarily. In the same interview, Howard added that the mechanic may appear in a survival-oriented mode.

In addition, back in October he mentioned another solution. The maximum amount of fuel could affect the distance we cover during the FTL jump. Whether and which of these solutions we will see in the game has not been confirmed so far.

Hillbilly Modules

Not much has been said about the ships' stats so far, but most of the eleven revealed parameters are self-explanatory. We have the aforementioned maximum cargo and crew limits, mobility, speed and range of FTL jump, mass and strength of the craft and shields, as well as three types of armaments (laser, ballistic and missile).

Added to this is the ship's energy consumption - respectively for armament, engine, shields and the so-called GRV (Grav Drive?), used for jumping.

Building enthusiasts can rub their hands in glee - they won't lack ship customization options in Starfield. Source: Bethesda Softworks.

All of this will be influenced by the ship's parts, while will not be limited only to ready-made components from numerous manufacturers. Players will be able to establish outposts on planets, and in those there will be an option to make their own modules. This will probably make it easier to build a machine with the stats of your dreams.

However, to make it not too simple, sometimes modules will require a kind of "skill check". We will acquire (or use) some parts only if our hero (or his crew) has learned certain abilities.

We can also guess that better parts will turn out to be too expensive at the beginning of the game, or the only way to get them (or at least significantly reduce the price) will be to gain the respect of the manufacturers (read: perform tasks ordered by their representatives).

A Pirate's Life

In space, no one will hear your knock, but you can always drop in on someone else's ship. Source: Bethesda.

On the other hand, there is no doubt about the issue of vessel boarding. Starfield will give a fair amount of freedom in building your own ship, and one of the options will be to mooring to other ships to pay a visit (also without the consent of their owners). This can be seen in the design of some of the pirate vessels, with a hatch and a magnetic (?) grapple at the front under the cockpit (via Reddit).

We will have similar freedom in the placing of each module. It is possible that only practical issues will limit players' imagination. Especially when Starfield is taken on by modders - after all, they are probably the biggest fans of Bethesda games.

Starfield Unknown

Nevertheless, quite a few things are still unconfirmed. Yes, we'll be able to manufacture ship parts in our own bases, but will we also build entire machines out of them? This is what players are hoping for, as well as for option to fly over the surfaces of a thousand planets.

For reminder: Starfield will not allow landing on them independently; planets and space will be separated in the game. However, the developers did not mention whether this also means no ship flights in the atmosphere. The automatic landing indicates this, but some fans are not losing hope.

Starfield will be released this year on PC and XSX/S. The exact date is still unconfirmed, and recent leaks suggest that the debut has been moved from the first half of the year to the summer. It will not be announced on January 25 as part of the Developer_Direct broadcast. Microsoft has hinted that Starfield will not appear during that show, but is preparing a separate event for it.