Starfield's Galactic Systems Include Space Cowboys And Sinister Cults

Starfield won't take place in a narrative vacuum, as at the Xbox Showcase, Bethesda revealed more details on some of the characters and factions that players will encounter. Exploration and resource collecting forms a major part of the game, but as you explore the galaxy, you'll come across groups like Constellation. Described as a mythical group of explorers, Constellation is attempting to find the answers to some of humanity's biggest questions.

The group's current membership is made up of ex-soldiers, scholars, theologians, space cowboys, and other eclectic individuals, and as an explorer who comes across an alien artifact, you'll join them in their search for answers.

For planets that you'll come across in your journey, you'll be able to see all the info and resources of these celestial objects before you land. One such example given during the Starfield Direct was Porrima IV-c, a rocky moon in the Porrima system with low gravity, a thin atmosphere, and several potentially lucrative elements to harvest. Some planets have key locations to visit, life, and missions that you can undertake, which you can view by checking your map, and you'll even be able to chart a course for your next destination by examining solar systems within galactic sectors through your map.

Jumping to the most distant planets requires some serious upgrades, as the only way to travel across thousands of lightyears is to fold time and space itself around your spacecraft. One of the cities that you can explore in Starfield, New Atlantis, is described by Bethesda as the "biggest" city that it has ever made, not just in size, but in terms of art, crowds, and quests. Inhabited by people who think of themselves as the true children of Earth, New Atlantis values law and order within the United Colonies.

Cydonia, a Martian city, is the largest mining colony for the UC, but the star systems beyond the reach of this galactic organization is wilder and more independent. Freestar Collective Space is essentially a Wild West system full of classic saloons and dusty streets, but with a few sci-fi influences. Akila City serves as the capital of this system, and it's protected by Rangers who serve the people as the next-generation of cowboys.

In comparison, Neon is a pleasure city where "almost" anything goes. It's a slick slice of paradise, but beneath the facade, there's a sinister underworld that operates on Neon. And beyond the borders of civilized space, unclaimed systems are still waiting to be explored. If you can survive encounters with some of the most hostile factions and cults in the galaxy, that is. A few other factions briefly teased by Bethesda include the Red Mile and the Crimson Fleet.

Plenty of other details were revealed on Starfield during its dedicated livestream, such as official confirmation of the Starfield Xbox controller and how spaceship combat works. Starfield will be released for PC and Xbox Series X|S on September 6, and will be available on Game Pass from launch day.