Starfield is just now coming up on its first anniversary in September, but the Shattered Space DLC has been long-awaited since the base game's initial launch. Following its release, Starfield has received a series of updates that have helped make the game feel more complete. However, what makes Shattered Space such an exciting update is the DLC's mission to expand the lore of Starfield by finally introducing House Va'ruun.

Throughout the game's events, one of the biggest mysteries left unanswered after players finished Starfield's story was the mysterious House Va'ruun, which appears to be the foe of Shattered Space. The base game's main villain resides in The Hunter, a powerful Starborn. Although the character, and Starborn in general, are somewhat compelling, The Hunter fell flat as a substantial antagonist. This is where Shattered Space will hopefully shine, as House Va'ruun is noticeably playing a more hostile role than many may have expected.

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Shattered Space Presents a Stronger Antagonist

House Va'ruun Sets Out to Correct Starfield's Antagonist Problem

On paper, The Hunter is a fascinating character. As a Starborn, The Hunter has become apathetic toward humanity over time, which has led to a general disregard for the lives of others. Power is the main goal of The Hunter, as the process of becoming a Starborn has made him incredibly detached. Although he's not afraid to kill people in order to achieve his personal pursuits, he is also driven by a jaded outlook, which makes him intriguing, but not exactly the most harrowing antagonist.

This is why the official trailer for Shattered Space is so exciting. It seems like Starfield will finally have a villain that is actually an intimidating adversary, especially if House Va'ruun has a ruthless head who is akin to a cult leader. There were theories that Shattered Space would feature House Va'ruun in some capacity, but the trailer revealing a more horror-themed take on the theocratic group was a pleasant surprise. Starfield is gearing up to make House Va'ruun a cult-like force to fear, and it's a much-needed change of pace for the space adventure.

Starfield brings some wonderful space exploration to life, but Shattered Space's embrace of horror seems to finally bring heavier weight to the game. Although the base game's main story was an interesting adventure, there wasn't really any threat that brought forth a sense of urgency, and House Va'ruun will hopefully change that.

House Va'ruun Bringing a New Chapter to Life

With Starfield seemingly leaning into the more terrifying aspects of the vastness of space, Shattered Space is far more compelling now that there is a general idea of what the story entails. The prospect of facing an isolated space cult is an unexpected direction for Bethesda to take, and it will be interesting to see how far developers take the teased horror elements. The base version of Starfield held the attention of many players, but one of the biggest complaints was criticism of the game being boring. These criticisms were somewhat valid, but it at least seems like Bethesda has been listening to player feedback in order to bring forth a new chapter that completely subverts expectations.

House Va'ruun is still a huge mystery, but it won't be that way for long. As the game's release window draws closer, there will hopefully be one more sneak peek before launch, but if not, it's still great to know that Starfield is taking a different direction. The Hunter may not have stuck the landing as a main villain, but House Va'ruun has plenty of potential to bring some great horror-filled tension to Starfield.

Starfield

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

September 6, 2023

Developer(s)

Bethesda

Publisher(s)

Bethesda

Genre(s)

Action , RPG

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