Is Starfield Better Now? – Investment Policy

The launch of Starfield was a bit rocky. It didn’t quite meet player expectations for Bethesda’s newest RPG, despite being a generally good open-world game with interesting sci-fi elements. It’s also been competing with several other major game releases. However, Bethesda is still actively supporting Starfield, and April 2026 will be a key moment for its future.

Now that the PlayStation 5 is out, even more players can experience the game. Plus, a new story expansion called Terran Armada has been released, along with a free update called Free Lanes for everyone. It’s too soon to know if these additions will significantly improve Starfield in the long run, but initial signs are positive. While some parts of the game remain similar, these changes are a step in the right direction. Here’s a look at what you can expect from Starfield in 2026.

Cruise Mode

A Game-Changing Mechanic

A major feature many players wished was included in Starfield was the ability to actually travel through space. While the game allowed you to jump between star systems, the transitions were either immediate or shown as a brief cutscene. This felt like a lost chance to create a more immersive experience, letting players experience the journey between destinations and perhaps encounter unexpected events during interstellar travel.

With Starfield’s new Cruise Mode, traveling between star systems is more engaging. It features its own points of interest to discover, making the journey worthwhile instead of just a fast trip. It makes sense for a space exploration game to have a feature like this! Before, you could only really cruise within a single star system, which often felt empty except for a few scattered locations.

Improved POIs And Variety

One Of The Biggest Criticisms Gets Addressed

One of the biggest problems with Starfield is that the game world doesn’t feel carefully designed. Bethesda games are usually full of small, hidden stories you discover by exploring, but Starfield mostly uses automatically generated planets. This means players often encounter the same locations repeated across different star systems, which can ruin the feeling of being immersed in a new world – like constantly finding another identical cryo lab.

Initial player feedback indicates significant improvements have been made. Many new points of interest (POIs) have been added, and some players believe a system is now in place to prevent finding the same location repeatedly on different planets. While you may still encounter familiar POIs after many hours of gameplay, your exploration sessions should now be much more enjoyable thanks to the reduction of duplicate and triplicate locations.

Procedural Generation Still Taxes Environmental Storytelling

Planets Still Feel Empty

Now that we’ve talked about improvements to points of interest, it’s worth remembering that the way planets are created remains unchanged – they’re still generated automatically. Whether you enjoy this system or not likely won’t change.

While planets can still feel a bit sparse – which fits the sci-fi setting – you might not always find a lot to explore. Fortunately, getting around is much easier now than when the game first launched, and we’ll talk about that shortly. However, the detailed, unique environments Bethesda is known for are mostly limited to larger, special locations.

X-Tech, Ship Modules, Upgrade Modules, And More

Customization On Another Level

If you like to fully optimize your gear, you’ll be happy to hear we’ve added even more loot, customization options, and upgrades. We’re introducing a new resource called X-Tech that lets you directly change the special effect on your favorite weapons. You can also use upgrade modules to improve specific stats on your weapons and gear. Plus, there are new weapon skins, ship modules, and collectible figures called Colony Wars Action Heroes – similar to the bobbleheads you might remember from the Fallout series.

If you enjoy collecting everything and building up your bases in games, Starfield is especially rewarding now with all the new content. And for new players, there’s a massive selection of weapons and equipment to explore and customize.

Vehicles

Planetary Traversal Is Better Than Ever Before

We’ve talked about the good and bad sides of exploring planets, and vehicles are a major benefit – though they weren’t part of the original game. They were really essential for Starfield from the start, but ended up being added later on.

It’s great to finally have a more interesting world to explore, especially compared to previous games where planets felt empty and required a lot of travel just to get around. Plus, you can customize your vehicles with different paint jobs, letting you add a personal touch as you head to your next destination or mission.

Loading Screens Are Staying

A Bit Of A Bummer In This Day And Age

Unfortunately, loading screens are a common part of gaming and don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. While it’s uncertain if The Elder Scrolls 6 will eliminate them, Starfield will definitely have them. This can be a little disruptive for players accustomed to games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring, which cleverly hide loading times and keep you immersed in the gameplay.

While exploring Starfield, you’ll encounter loading screens when moving between areas – like entering buildings, ships, or dungeons. It’s a little disruptive to the experience, but considering the game’s massive size, it’s understandable, even if it does briefly pull you out of the action.

The Main Story Remains Its Weakest Point

Following The Tradition Of Skyrim’s Lukewarm Plot

It’s not surprising that Starfield‘s core storyline hasn’t changed since the game launched, and it still feels like a weak point. Players who enjoyed Fallout 4 and Skyrim will likely find it familiar. However, the game really shines with its side quests, especially the Ryujin storyline, which represents some of the best work Bethesda has ever done.

The main storyline in the game isn’t particularly compelling, lacking significant moral choices or impactful decisions – with only one exception. The ending is divisive; some players will appreciate its concept, while others will find it doesn’t fit with the style of previous Bethesda role-playing games. If you’re hoping for a game with a deep and engaging story, it’s best to go in with moderate expectations when you play this game.

Loot Improvements For Expert And Master Level Locks

An Annoying Feature Finally Fixed

One important improvement involves loot and lockpicking. Players often complained that opening difficult (Expert or Master) locks wasn’t rewarding enough. These locks take time to pick, even with high skill, and the loot inside wasn’t usually much better than what you’d find in easier containers, so many players simply stopped trying to open them. Fixing this will make a big difference.

I used to skip display cases myself – the items you found from enemies or basic containers were often just as good, if not better. Luckily, Bethesda has addressed this in their latest update, meaning lockpicking should now be more rewarding, especially on higher difficulty levels.

Starborn Power Upgrades & NG+ Improvement

Say Goodbye To Mindless Temple Grinding

As a big fan of Bethesda games, I have to admit that the Starborn ability questline in Starfield felt a little repetitive at first. You’re basically running around chasing after temples to unlock and upgrade your powers, and it quickly became a grind. What frustrated a lot of people, myself included, was that these temples were so…small. Unlike Skyrim, where finding a Word Wall felt like a real discovery inside a massive dungeon or hidden area, these temples were just single rooms with pretty basic puzzles. It just didn’t give you that same feeling of accomplishment, you know?

The temples haven’t changed, but you can now improve your Starborn powers with Quantum Essence, which will hopefully mean less repetitive gameplay. Also, for Starborn characters, Unity, and New Game Plus, there’s a new item called the Quantum Entanglement Device. This lets you choose specific weapons to carry over to New Game Plus, so you don’t have to start completely over. We recommend trying New Game Plus at least once – you’ll get a really cool ship and armor!

Most Companions Are Still A Bit Lackluster

Still More Whimsy And Edginess Needed

Many players felt that the companions in Starfield were too consistently kind and agreeable at launch. This made it difficult for players who wanted to create characters with more complex or even villainous traits. While Starfield aims for a hopeful and adventurous tone, having a few companions with less-than-perfect morals within the Constellation would have added depth.

Terran Armada introduces a new character named Delta, who offers a different playstyle. He’s known for being more forgiving, letting you pursue less honorable paths if you prefer. If you enjoy playing as a rogue or scoundrel, Terran Armada is a DLC you should definitely consider.

2026-04-09 03:36