After weeks of new updates to prepare players,Starfieldis finally back with its first expansion, Shattered Space. Giving players new areas to explore, a story to experience, and weapons to collect, Shattered Space is a start in the right direction forStarfield, albeit a rocky one. While it hasn’t quite lived up to fan expectations, receiving a dramatic range of reviews from critics and players alike,there’s still enjoyment to be had in Shattered Space thanks to its newest features.
Starfield has been a very hit-or-miss game for many players, with a range of incredibly dedicated fans compared with a growing number of critics panning the game’s performance. Shattered Space wasn’t safe from these criticisms either, with many playersunhappy over the DLC, arguing about it’s lack of content and overall level of quality. While Shattered Space alone might not be enough to fixStarfield’sbiggest problems,the DLC combined with the latest patches has given players more incentive to make a return trip to the games world.
Minor Changes Aimed At Streamlining Player Mods
The creation kit saw some minor changes in the Shattered Space patch compared to previous updates, but is still appreciated nonetheless.Aiming to make the game more intuitive to mod for both players and creators, one of the first changes was fixing a number of bugs, one of which had capped the number of loaded creations at 255. Various other updates included improved mod sorting in creation menus, console compatibility warnings, and an update that assists with texture problems for distant modded objects.
Players may want to disable some mods before embarking on Shattered Space’s DLC for a smoother experience.
Unfortunately, with any large scale update or DLC like Shattered Space, there’s bound to be side effects causing mod compatibility issues. Many players were frustrated to find that their creation downloads or custom mods were either missing or not working properly after the new update.Luckily for fans, these issues are often temporary as most mod developers work to update their creationsto the newest version of the game.
9Upgraded Armor With New Apparel
Dress To Impress With New Outfits To Collect
As expected of a full content expansion,Starfield’sShattered Space includes 19 new pieces of armor alongside 40 new apparel to equip. Not only do these gear additions help players survive the treacherous inhabitants of Va’ruun’kai, but they’ll look incredibly stylish at the same time.Some of the coolest looking gear in the game can be found in these new clothing additions, with some outfits looking familiar to those in the recently resurgent Dune franchise.
Can You Play Starfield: Shattered Space DLC Without Beating The Base Game?
The Shattered Space DLC for Starfield has just released, and players can access this new expansion almost as soon as they start the game.
While most players prefer to experience the world ofStarfieldin first person for added immersion, it’s always nice to know what the player looks like to NPCs. Adding more options for roleplay as well,players will have more freedom to customize their character to fit different factions or backstories with their new wardrobe. While nice to look at, fancy outfits can only take players so far, which is where the heavy-duty external armor comes in, looking as intimidating as ever for players that want to feel like a deadly space agent.
8New And Improved Weaponry
Increasing The Players Arsenal With Upgraded Weapons
Armor and gear can only help players survive for so long, with a solid arsenal of weapons needed to fight back against both alien and human threats. Luckily for returning players,Shattered Spaceoffers several new weapons to blast enemies to pieces with.Featuring 7 entirely unique weapons to unleash,Shattered Spacehas more options and firepower to tackle the toughest combat encounters the new DLC has to offer.
Shattered Space offers several new weapons to blast enemies to pieces with.
These powerful weapon upgrades also have impressive new animations, firing blasts of electricity with their own animations and effects. The Va’ruun Penumbra is one of the most exciting of the new weapons, having a swift and satisfying reload animation after its devastating AoE blast. For players wanting a detailed breakdown of every new gun, a full list can be found onGameRant’slist of every new weapon in Shattered Space, giving them a clear idea of what to expect in the new expansion.
7Space Bending Gameplay Mechanics
Adding More Variety To Combat With Craftable Grenades
One of the biggest changes inShattered Spacewas giving players the ability to craft their own grenades. Not only can players now craft these powerful combat tools, but they’ll also have access to the 5 brand-new grenades added inShattered Space.Each of the new Vortex Grenades has its own unique effects, with all of them being extremely powerful in the right situations and incredibly satisfying.
Regular AoE explosive grenade
AoE damage while freezing enemies
Summons a Vortex Horror to fight enemies
Causes enemies to phase out of combat when hit
Unstable Vortex Grenade
Activates a random ability from the other 4 grenades
Players can unlock these powerful tools simply by progressing through the main story, after which they can craft it at any workbench with the right materials. Given how powerful some of the enemies in theShattered SpaceDLC can be,these grenades are essential for survival on the new planet inShattered Space. Out of all the new options, Charged and Binding are two of the best grenades in Starfield, being the simplest to use but incredibly effective at dispatching enemieswith ease.
6New Side Quests To Complete
More Missions To Learn About The New World
Aside from the main campaign of discovering the secrets behind the house Va’ruun,Shattered Spacehas plenty of side-quests for players to experience. Traveling across the planet of Va’ruun’kai, players will help citizens of Dazra and other denizens solve problems or manage challenging social situations. Not only is there more content to experience, butthese side-quests will help players learn more about the planet’s strange history and unique culture.
Starfield: Shattered Space - All Va’ruun’kai Vendor Locations
The moon of Va’ruun’kai in Starfield: Shattered Space offers a few new vendors to trade with, offering ammo, weapons, spacesuits, aid, and more.
The side-quests offered byShattered Spacevary heavily in length, with some being simple tasks and others giving players much more to do outside the main story.Some of the new side-quests also have a strong sense of player choice, having multiple outcomes and moral consequences depending on their actions. One of the more interesting side-quests inStarfield’sDLC involves a duel between two siblings, with the player stepping in to sway theend result with a unique item.
5New Creatures And Enemies To Encounter
A Plethora Of Exciting Alien Lifeforms
With a new planet comes a hand-crafted assortment of new hostile and friendly creatures to encounter. Given the nature of Va’ruun’kai’s dangerous environments,the local populations will be some of the deadliest threats the player will come across. From flying creatures to six-legged anomolies, making use of the REV-8 for extended travel is a much safer bet than tackling these deadly aliens head-on.
A hand-crafted assortment of new hostile and friendly creatures to encounter.
One of the unique enemies players will come across is horrors lurking in corners across the planet. While players will learn more about them as they begin to uncover the story of house Va’ruun,the unique appearance and danger of these aliens makes them stand apart from creatures the player has faced in the past.
4Two New Companions To Journey With
More Gameplay Options and Personality Choices
With the addition of Shattered Space comes two entirely new companions to journey alongside the player, each with their own skills and personality.The first of the two companions is Tane Salavea, offering selath bonuses, increased cargo capacity, and bonus damage for pistols, all of which are incredibly useful skills for many players. Tane himself can be recruited as a part of one of the earlier quests in the DLC, having a tough but lovable personality for players to unearth.
Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC Has Its Own Xbox Controllers - & They Might Be The Best Design Yet
Xbox is currently highlighting some beautiful standard and elite controllers inspired by Starfield’s new Shattered Space DLC for players to enjoy.
The second companion players will come across is the intelligent Sahima Ka’dic, being another great addition to the player’s crew. Sahima provides boosted EM weapon damage, increased sniper damage, and additional energy from ship reactors.These abilities make Sahima a great companion to have aboard the player’s ship, adding useful tech-related utility on top of her upbeat demeaner.
3Exploring The World Of Va’ruun’kai
A Whole New Hand-Crafted Planet To Explore
Most of the player’s actions will relate to exploring Va’ruun’kai, which is located in the brand new Kavnyk system. The system does have several moons and a second planet to explore as well, but being the homeworld of house Va’ruun, most of the action is on the similarly named planet. While a single planet can’t match up with an endless number of procedurally generated environments,Va’ruun’kai’s handcrafted design can make it feel even bigger thanStarfield’s gargantuan sizeat times.
The atmosphere sets the tone for one of Bethesda’s largest DLC to date.
Despite criticism from players overShattered Space’s lack of content, there are still plenty ofpoints of interestfor players to uncover themselves or through the DLC’s new quests. Players exploring the various environments won’t be lacking any eye candy either, asthe planet of Va’ruun’kai is easily one of the most visually impressive in the game. With stark glowing blues and ominous red mists contrasting the darkened surface of the planet, the atmosphere sets the tone for one of Bethesda’s largest DLC to date.
2A Deeper Storyline To Experience
Uncovering The History Of House Va’ruun
Being the main draw ofStarfield’sShattered Spaceexpansion, the story will have players uncovering the mystery behind the house Va’ruun, and the calamity of a failed experiment. Offering a deep dive into the once mysterious clan,players will have a better understanding ofStarfield’soverall universe after experiencing what the DLC has to offer. During the main story players will encounter a number of new companions, enemies, and gear to carry on their journeys through the rest of the game.
Every Starfield: Shattered Space DLC Ending Explained (In Detail)
Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC allows players to decide the fate of House Va’ruun in its final quest. Here’s how it ends, depending on their choice.
Being one of the most mysterious areas of the base game,many fans already speculated the DLC to be about house Va’ruun, finally answering long-asked questions over their status in the world ofStarfield.Slowly piecing together what led to the faction’s fatal moments, players will learn about the culture of the planet and the lore behind the Great Serpent worshiped by many of the natives. Similar to whatStarfield’s base game has to offer, players will make choices of direction where the story will go, with consequences for their actions and who they decide to align with during the story.
1Improved Enemy AI
Bringing Enemy NPCs To Life With Greater Intelligence
On release, enemy AI was one of the largest areas of critique fromStarfield, with many players pointing out how simple the combat was from poorly designed AI.Shattered Space aims to fix these concerns by providing a plethora of new enemies to encounter, with unique move-sets and tactics to catch unsuspecting players off guard. One addition are new Vortex Horrors native to the planet, capable of overwhelming the players with a barrage of attacks that can be fatal if not dealt with quickly.
Adding more realism and engaging combat that’s not limited to just the DLC.
Aside from the horrors, one of the deadliest enemies players will encounter is the Phantoms, being aggressive remnants of the past that shock players with powerful blasts of lightning. These phantoms are more intelligent than the average foe, capable of flanking tactics and even ambushing the player while they explore, giving a breath of fresh air toStarfield’sstandard combat. This new level of intelligence even reflects on the base game enemies, adding more realism and engaging combat that’s not limited to just the DLC.
WithShattered Spaceadding content to the base game with new encounters and smarter enemy AI, it’s the perfect time to redownloadStarfield, or for new players wanting to experience Bethesda’s latest RPG outing for the first time.
