Highlights
- Starfield offers a vast array of customizable weapons and modifications like in previous Bethesda titles, but players may struggle to navigate the complex menus to find all available options.
- The game features a diverse arsenal with options for different combat preferences, from laser rifles to katanas and explosive weapons, similar to the Fallout games.
- Players can personalize their weapons by giving them custom names, creating a more personal connection and preventing accidental selling, a feature that appears to be free from the limitations seen in Fallout 76.
Not unlike most open-world games, Starfield features a vast roster of guns, blades, and explosives that players can customize, though many players may be unaware of some of the available modification options due to the complexities of certain menus. With Starfield showing off nearly 1,000 planets to explore, all the rare resources in the galaxy would go to waste if players couldn't find a use for them, and putting together the perfect weapon is understandably a priority for many.
Whether combat enthusiasts are looking for laser rifles, katanas, high-explosive weapons, or just some simple ballistic firearms, the diversity of Starfield's arsenal ensures that there is something for everyone. The variety of weapon and damage types in Bethesda's latest title demonstrates yet another similarity the game has to the Fallout games, which also allows players to collect and modify weapons in pretty much the same way. That said, Starfield is sure to stand out in its own ways, and as a game that leans heavily into skill trees and resource collection, fans will want to invest heavily in not only the weapon engineering skill but also some advanced manufactured components if they want to make the most out of their guns.
Players can still make certain adjustments to their equipment from the get-go even without all of these extra resources though, with one of the most simple customization options being missed surprisingly often by players. When selecting a weapon in Starfield's weapon workbench menu, players will be offered a prompt to rename a weapon, (by default, the Y button on Xbox), which allows a weapon to be permanently assigned a more personal nickname. One fan of the game on Reddit under the username KlausenHausen brought this to the attention of many others in the game's community, sharing an image of their own weapon, "Woody Barrelson," as an example. Weapon names can always be changed again, and can help certain weapons stand out in the inventory screen so that they aren't accidentally sold.
Of course, the ability to name weapons and gear is a feature that's present in any number of games, including Bethesda's post-apocalyptic Fallout series. While the feature seems simple enough, some fans have voiced concerns over the mechanic's presence in Starfield due to an issue in Fallout 76 which meant that players could only have so many custom-named items at a time. While Starfield uses an advanced iteration of the engine employed in previous Bethesda titles, it doesn't appear to share this particular problem.
Starfield continues to captivate gamers with its massive, explorable galaxy and the sheer amount of stuff to do within that open galaxy, and fans are still discovering amazing new places to visit and rich stories to explore. While it can all be a little overwhelming for beginners to the genre, Starfield does a decent job of teaching players its intricacies, and is guaranteed to keep them busy for a long time to come.
Starfield is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.