Starfield Fans Believe Shattered Space Could Be Much Bigger Than Past Bethesda DLCs

Starfield

By Christine Miller

Published May 29, 2024

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Starfield

Highlights

Shattered Space marks a return to expansion packs for Bethesda, hinting at a potentially more ambitious scope for Starfield.
While Starfield received mixed reviews in comparison to Fallout 4 and Skyrim, the gunplay and ship design were well-received.
Fans hope Shattered Space will address Starfield's questing and exploration issues, with a focus on exploring House Va'ruun.

Shattered Space is the first time since Oblivion's Shivering Isles that Bethesda has used the term expansion pack, and Starfield players believe that this could imply a more ambitious scope for the project. Though Starfield broke several Bethesda records at launch, many fans have a mixed opinion on how Starfield compares to previous Bethesda titles such as Fallout 4 or Skyrim. The gunplay and ship design in Starfield was almost universally praised by its community on release, but questing and open world exploration left a lot to be desired.

As such, a majority of players see Shattered Space as a way for Starfield to address these shortcomings. GIven that Bethesda has around 250 employees still working on Starfield, and that Shattered Space will come out roughly a year after the initial launch of the game, the potential for a full-blown expansion is certainly there. Though it should be noted that Bethesda has regularly released updates for Starfield, Shattered Space should allow the developers to address the heavyweight issues – such as a lack of alien environments or over-reliance on procedural generation.

Starfield's Shattered Space DLC Could Be One Companion's Chance to Shine

If rumored information is accurate, Shattered Space's focus on the House Va'ruun faction could mean a bigger role for one companion.

Not much is known about the upcoming expansion pack or what Shattered Space can bring to Starfield, but the very fact that Bethesda is referring to it as an expansion could be a clue in-and-of-itself. Fans such as JarusinTheStars strongly believe that the word choice is deliberate, and implies that Shattered Space will have a scope closer to Shivering Isles than Far Harbor. While Bethesda hasn't confirmed anything beyond a release window for Shattered Space, video footage shows that the Starfield expansion will focus on House Va'ruun to some degree.

Starfield's Shattered Space Could Be Closer to Shivering Isles than Far Harbor

Arguably the most enigmatic faction in the Settled Systems, House Va'ruun in Starfield is a fan favorite among players. Unlike the Freestar Collective or United Colonies, House Va'ruun has yet to be thoroughly explored as a major faction in Starfield. Their capital city of Dazra remains a mystery, and Andreja from Constellation is arguably the only notable link that players have with understanding the culture and customs of House Va'ruun.

While there's no guarantee that fans will get to visit Dazra in Shattered Space, a handcrafted open world experience on an alien world should address many of the issues that players had with Starfield. In fact, if the content ends up rivaling Shivering Isles in size and scope, Shattered Space could completely flip public opinion on Starfield. Though it remains to be seen what Bethesda has in store for players in the Shattered Space expansion pack, it cannot be argued that Starfield's fans remain optimistic about the game's future.