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There’s a reason Bethesda has a legion of fans. The developer creates deep and interesting RPGs capable of keeping players hooked for hundreds or thousands of hours. Sci-fi epic Starfield is the company’s newest franchise, and with its release, the conversation turns to the future of Bethesda’s other titles. Starfield does a lot right, but some parts of it players would be happier without. From procedural generation to questionable companions, the game isn’t without its flaws. Here are the top Starfield features we don’t want to be repeated in The Elder Scrolls 6.
Lackluster Base Building In Starfield
The Elder Scrolls franchise contains some of the most interesting video game worlds to inhabit, rich with lore and home to fabulous vistas. It’s only natural that many players would want to have their own home and piece of land to call their own. Fallout 4 showed players Bethesda’s commitment to another kind of habitation, base building, and Starfield doubled down on that mechanic. There’s nothing wrong with base building in itself, but outpost creation and base building in Starfield is lackluster. There’s no real need to do it except for roleplaying purposes, as resources can just be found or purchased instead of manufactured. TES 6 shouldn’t include base building unless Bethesda can do it right.
Instanced Maps
Many complaints about Starfield’s map were overblown. The game doesn’t feel nearly as disconnected as some players feared. That said, the use of numerous instanced spaces instead of one gigantic map would be a massive problem in TES 6. Jumping from one instanced space to another works in Starfield due to the sci-fi trope of spaceship warping. In a much more limited fantasy setting like The Elder Scrolls 6, that approach to map design would be disastrous. One of the best things about Skyrim and other games in the franchise is the joy of the journey and discovery. Thankfully, there’s no sign that Bethesda intends to introduce such a mechanic to TES 6.
Procedurally Generated Maps
A different but related map problem involves procedural generation. It’s essentially impossible to create a thousand planets’ worth of content without using procedural generation to do it. Even the largest creative teams with the biggest budgets simply wouldn’t have time. Proc gen maps are great for mindless, repetitive tasks such as mining and combat, but they’re terrible for unique exploration experiences. What makes Morrowind and Skyrim so incredible is the constant awe that comes with exploring a huge, handcrafted map. Like instanced maps, it’s unlikely that Bethesda would include proc gen maps in TES 6, but the possibility is a scary one.
All Good Companions
It’s important to have kind and righteous characters available to accompany the player. They reinforce the good decisions of players who prefer to walk on the light side. They also provide moral sounding boards for players making problematic or outright evil decisions. Unfortunately, Starfield features almost nothing but this kind of companion. This moral homogeneity makes things flat. No matter who the player travels with, they’re going to have similar views on things like piracy and murder. The Elder Scrolls 6 needs companions with greater moral diversity, otherwise the cast will end up feeling too copypasted and empty to engage many players.
Spongy Enemies In Starfield
There are many great Starfield features, but combat is a mixed bag. Many encounters are well-balanced, but some devolve into prolonged shootouts with spongy enemies. Even with the right skills and weapons, these enemies take too long to die. The issue is overtuned health and armor, and it can be frustrating to deal with. Watching a late-game enemy take a dozen shotgun blasts and keep on fighting feels terrible because it invalidates the player’s hard work. Anyone who has played Morrowind and Skyrim knows how dramatically combat has changed throughout TES, so it’s an open question how TES 6 will balance things. Hopefully, Bethesda keeps a close eye on this one.
Awful UI and Inventories
Despite making some of the best and most revolutionary RPGS in existence, Bethesda is not without its problems. One of the most stubborn issues in Bethesda games is bad UIs and inventory menus. A functional but ugly UI is one thing; an attractive but dysfunctional UI is something else. Unfortunately, Starfield features the latter. It looks good, but finding the item you want is a needless headache. In a game like Starfield that offers loot goblins a horde of items to pick up, the inability to easily search through one’s belongings hurts. Bad UIs and inventories can be fixed by modders, but it’d be nice if players didn’t have to wait for that to happen.
Starfield is available now for PC, and Xbox Series X/S.
