Highlights
- Starfield could benefit from implementing a beast taming mechanic like Hogwarts Legacy, allowing players to collect and care for unique creatures in the game's universe.
- Hogwarts Legacy introduces players to the beast taming feature early on, offering a fun side activity that rewards resources. Starfield should have given its unique creatures a greater purpose beyond just being scanned or killed.
- Taming creatures in Starfield would not only allow players to take care of them, but could also provide a faster way to traverse planets, addressing a navigation issue in the game.
At first glance, it does not seem like Starfield and Hogwarts Legacy would have anything in common. One is an original sci-fi RPG that whisks players away to an expansive universe, while the other is an open-world action-adventure title set within a pre-established IP. Both are fantastically unique games that bring players on vastly different adventures, but that does not mean Hogwarts Legacy cannot teach Starfield a few things.
Hogwarts Legacy actually has one feature that Starfield could benefit from immensely if given the chance. Players spend a lot of their time collecting all sorts of different magical beasts during their Hogwarts Legacy adventure, which they then raise and use for various resources. Starfield has a galaxy filled with unique creatures waiting to be discovered, yet players cannot tame any of them. They are mostly used as simple set dressing or antagonistic entities when they could have been so much more.
Starfield Needed Hogwarts Legacy's Beast Mechanic
Hogwarts Legacy introduces players to the beast taming feature early in the story. Once they unlock the Room of Requirement, they must attend beast class and learn all about capturing animals from their trusty house elf Deek. After that is complete, they can go around Hogwarts Legacy's open world gathering all sorts of unique animals. There are 13 different beasts waiting to be collected, with each having their own unique characteristics and resources to offer.
Once players bring their beasts to their Room of Requirement, they can then raise them within various beautiful biomes. They are in charge of feeding them, brushing them, playing with them, and they can even breed them. This gives players a fun little side activity that also rewards useful resources for their journey. While this feature is not mandatory, most Hogwarts Legacy players will definitely want to take it for a spin.
Starfield also features various unique creatures throughout its massive universe. However, players are unable to capture them or care for them. The only thing they can really do with these creatures is scan them and kill them. Some will run away, others will attack, and some will not even pay attention to anyone. They do help make the planets feel more alive, but Bethesda should have given them a greater purpose.
Players can construct outposts throughout Starfield's universe, and that feels like the perfect place for a feature like this. Right now, these outposts simply serve as a way to gather resources or as a place to call home. Using the advanced building tools Bethesda provided, players can construct the base of their dreams if they have enough parts. They can then populate the base with crew and decorations, but they cannot throw creatures in it. Instead, they can only construct turrets that defend against any rampaging creature or enemy.
Starfield's outposts are all about resource gathering, so it seems strange that taming beasts is not an integral part of that. Players should be able to construct their own farm or ranch filled with the galaxy's most unique creatures. Each planet should offer new types of animals that require different things to survive, and the player should have to raise them. This could be a fantastic little side activity that would give these outposts more functionality. Furthermore, it would also go a long way in making these animals more than simple cannon fodder.
Not only would it be great to be able to tame Starfield's creatures, but they could also be used to fix one major navigation problem. Since there are no vehicles, players have been clamoring for a faster way to traverse the planets. Just like with No Man's Sky and Hogwarts Legacy, players should be able to ride some of these creatures across the planet surface to speed up travel considerably. While it does not seem like there are any plans for a feature like this, hopefully it gets added in a future patch or DLC, because it would be a missed opportunity if the aliens were left with no other purpose.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S