As 2022 progresses, the true debut of Starfield draws ever closer. For years, Bethesda fans have only known Starfield through cinematics and concept art, but as soon as Bethesda announced a release date, the reveal of actual gameplay details became inevitable. Starfield may not release until November, but odds are good that players will hear about it throughout the year, finally getting a glimpse at its gameplay, exploration, characters, story, and other details. Bethesda has suggested it'll start talking about Starfield in concrete terms this summer, so fans will have to keep an eye on Microsoft showcases throughout the middle of the year.
While any Starfield gameplay reveal is bound to be exciting, one still wonders what Bethesda wants to start with. As a new IP, Starfield is likely filled to the brim with new content that needs explaining. Out of everything Bethesda could explain first, it ought to focus on something familiar: character creation. Fallout and The Elder Scrolls have given fans years of experience with Bethesda character creation systems, but Starfield's premise demands a new character creator that'll help players connect with the game's world. Bethesda ought to use character creation as a gateway to Starfield's unique mechanics and lore.
Why Starfield's Character Creation is Significant
Bethesda needs to showcase Starfield's character creation system sooner rather than later because it's almost certainly going to be different from the company's usual fare. For instance, in The Elder Scrolls the player's race is extremely important to character creation, since each race gives players unique abilities ranging from social perks to bonus spells. Unless Starfield has playable aliens, it likely won't have any such system, meaning that if Bethesda wants to give players sets of starting bonuses it'll need to come up with a new mechanic based on Starfield's setting.
At the same time, Starfield probably won't reuse the fundamentals of Fallout's character creation system wholesale, even if there are echoes of Fallout in Starfield. For instance, Fallout's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system of seven basic stats is heavily themed toward the franchise's lore. While Starfield could start out with a similar point allocation system, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. itself likely won't appear; instead, Starfield will probably have its own list of statistics central to that universe. While Starfield could very well have unlockable abilities akin to skills, perks, and traits, its list of abilities will probably be completely different from Fallout.
Beyond potential mechanics, Starfield's character creation system is a great way for Bethesda to establish the game's identity. The lore facets that Bethesda deems important enough to be a part of character creation will help players form a connection with Starfield's world from the get-go. Beyond the lore connection, character creation gives RPG players a sense of the base mechanics that impact combat, social interaction, exploration, and so on. That means explaining Starfield's character creation could offer a glimpse at the many ways in which players can feel like a part of Bethesda's newest universe.
Starfield's Potential Character Creation Details
There's plenty of unique Starfield aspects that are sure to have a major impact on character creation. For instance, Starfield players will apparently be able to pick a background for their character. While the mechanics of Starfield backgrounds are a mystery, they could serve as an excellent replacement for The Elder Scrolls' races, giving players extra abilities and bonuses based on their character's past as a pilot, engineer, smuggler, scientist, etc. Odds are that backgrounds will shed light on any major Starfield factions as well, so this part of character backgrounds will give fans a sense of the world around them.
Skills available to players at character creation could be a great lens through which to explain Starfield's basic mechanics too. For instance, when discussing the game's various weapon types, Bethesda might also show off some starting skills that bolster the player's ability to use each weapon. There's bound to be skills related to piloting ships, navigating alien biomes, interacting with citizens of Starfield's many distinct settlements, and so on. If Bethesda reveals gameplay for any of these parts of Starfield, it ought to mention how they connect to character creation too.
Beyond these known parts of Starfield character creation, there's still a lot of room for innovation. Hopefully Starfield will give Bethesda fans more control over customization than Fallout and The Elder Scrolls ever have. Starfield players can apparently choose pronouns, which is a great leap forward for Bethesda RPG character creation, but it should have a few other surprises in store when it comes to customization. Backgrounds could supply the skills that races often offer in RPGs, though there's still some hope for a couple of playable alien options being incorporated somehow.
Connecting to the Starfield World
It seems unlikely that the first major Starfield gameplay showcase will focus on character creation alone. Combat, exploration, narrative, and more will ultimately be central to the game, so Bethesda probably wants to show off these aspects of the game first. Still, Starfield's lore and its place as a new Bethesda IP mean character creation is bound to look very different from previous games. However character creation works, Bethesda likely has a lot to explain.
Considering just how much there is to learn about Starfield, hopefully Bethesda offers some information about character creation and other mechanics before summer rolls around. If it's anything like its Bethesda RPG predecessors, Starfield is bound to offer tons of different ways to make players feel like a real part of the world, whether they're gaining power in the most prominent organizations or delving into the depths of alien worlds. Before players can get to any of those points, they'll have to make an astronaut first. Character creation really seems like the perfect place to start explaining the length and breath of Starfield.
Starfield releases November 11, 2022 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.