Highlights
- Starfield's inclusion of the mind-altering substance Aurora adds depth to the immersive world and presents new gameplay possibilities for players.
- Skooma, a narcotic in The Elder Scrolls series, and Aurora in Starfield differ in pharmacological effect and chemical composition.
- Unlike Skooma, Aurora serves as a crucial element in several side quests, providing an opportunity for major wealth generation and allowing players to pursue a life path as a manufacturer or seller of the substance.
After a long 5-year wait, the release of Bethesda's Starfield is finally upon players. So far, critical and commercial reception to the game has been incredibly strong, with many noting that Starfield is Bethesda's most-polished launch in the company's history and the title quickly shot up the Steam charts during the early access period. Part of what makes Starfield resonate so well with audiences is the many ways in which the title successfully iterates on the established Bethesda RPG format, including reworking and modernizing features from some of the company's most-loved titles. One of these is the game's inclusion of its own mind-altering substance, Aurora.
Starting with The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, narcotic substances have made an appearance in every major Bethesda RPG. Truthfully, Morrowind can be credited with establishing the open-world formula and characteristics that would come to define every subsequent Bethesda RPG, Starfield included. And while Starfield has Aurora and the Fallout series has its various addictive Chems, the originator is The Elder Scrolls' Skooma. A narcotic made from moon sugar whose sale and distribution are banned in Tamriel, Skooma is notorious within the worlds of The Elder Scrolls games for its addictive qualities and potential for encouraging criminality.
How The Elder Scrolls' Skooma Compares to Starfield's Aurora
In terms of the pharmacological effect and chemical composition, Starfield's Aurora and The Elder Scrolls' Skooma could not be more different. Skooma boasts a narcotic effect that is derived from the substance's composition of moon sugar and nightshade. While some species across Tamriel (such as the Khajiit) are known to regularly consume moon sugar, the substance has a profound effect on any that have not built up a tolerance through repeated use. Skooma also has multiple methods of administration, with some citizens of Tamriel drinking it in liquid form while others vaporize it and inhale it via a pipe.
While Skooma is said to produce a narcotic effect in its users, Starfield's Aurora is a hallucinogen. Made from a species of fish said to have psychotropic properties, Aurora takes the form of a blue powder that users inhale via an aerosol delivery system. Aurora is also banned across the Settled Systems, with the sole exception being Starfield's city of Neon where the use and trade of the drug thrives. Interestingly, consuming Skooma provides players with the benefit of increased speed, strength, and stamina, while ingesting Aurora simply slows time for 10 seconds. Aurora has the added risk of being discovered on a player's ship during contraband scans, making it significantly more dangerous to have in the player's possession than Skooma (although some will refuse to trade with players in The Elder Scrolls if they have Skooma in their inventory).
The Elder Scrolls' Skooma Doesn't Carry the Same Quest Potential as Aurora
Once players get their hands on a ship in the opening hours of Starfield, it's entirely possible to pursue a life path that has one manufacturing and selling Aurora across the galaxy. Alternatively, players can also rise through the ranks of the Crimson Fleet and become a notorious pirate transporting contraband across the Settled Systems. More than just an amusing distraction or footnote in the larger narrative of Starfield, Aurora actually serves as the crux of several sizable side quests and can be a source of major wealth generation for players who decide to pursue that path.
In contrast, Skooma does anchor some side quests in The Elder Scrolls (most recently "The Skooma Trade" side quest from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim) but none of these lead the player toward the eventual production or distribution of the substance. Instead, players have the choice to profit off of the continued illegal distribution of Skooma or bring the operation to the attention of the Jarl. Starfield presents as potentially the most immersive world Bethesda has ever created, and acknowledging the criminal underbelly associated with substance abuse helps to add depth to these illicit substances' inclusion in Bethesda RPGs.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.