Now that Starfield’s gameplay footage is out, the community is hard at work dissecting every notable shot in the video. There’s plenty to dive into, from game environments to potential storylines, and even the most minute graphical details in the showcase. One interesting thing worth pointing out, however, is the character creation system because it has some familiar features.
In Starfield’s gameplay reveal video, players see the character creation screen and get glimpses into what’s under each tab. The five tabs are Biometric ID, Body, Face, Background, and Traits. What’s interesting to note here are the last two tabs as they make use of systems that were present in much older titles from Bethesda franchises.
The Elder Scrolls Class System in Starfield
Under the Background tab, players can choose among a list of titles, each of which grants three starting skills. It looks like Starfield’s backgrounds explain part of the player’s backstory. As such, the skills attached are related to it. For instance, the Chef background grants the skills Gastronomy, Dueling, and Wellness. Gastronomy allows the player to cook specialty foods, Dueling grants a melee damage boost, and Wellness grants a health bonus. There’s an extensive list of backgrounds available to the player, but the video only showcases the starting skills of a few.
These backgrounds are actually very similar to the class system of older Elder Scrolls titles, not counting The Elder Scrolls Online’s distinct class system. It was last seen in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Though, admittedly, the class system here is much more complex than Starfield’s backgrounds mechanic.
In Oblivion’s character creation process, players must choose their class among options like Archer, Mage, and Thief. These titles come with a designated specialization — either Stealth, Magic, or Combat. It also dictates the player’s two best attributes, like Agility and Luck, for instance. Finally, the class also comes with a list of Major Skills, and the player can gain experience only when they improve these skills.
Clearly, there’s a lot going on in The Elder Scrolls’ class system. Luckily, there’s the option to create a custom class should the player find that none of the pre-made options match their playstyle. Still, this approach drew mixed reactions from the community. While it was great for role-playing, others felt that it was too restrictive, making it harder to switch to a new playstyle in the middle of the game.
Perhaps Starfield’s new rendition of the old system provides more flexibility for the player. The starting skills provide buffs without boxing the player to a certain playstyle. Moreover, each background’s description provides some great role-playing material for the player to work with. That said, it’s unclear whether Bethesda will include a custom background creation, but this would no doubt prove useful to players who want to finetune their backstory and playstyle.
The Fallout Trait Options in Starfield
Moving on to the Traits tab, this screen is where players can choose up to three unique character modifications. The traits come with a unique character buff, but the catch is that they also come with a disadvantage. For instance, the Introvert trait increases the player’s endurance when they’re traveling alone but decreases it when they have a companion in Starfield. There are even more outlandish options like Serpent’s Embrace, wherein “grav jumping” provides the player with a temporary buff to health and endurance. However, failing to jump regularly will decrease these stats instead — “like an addiction,” as the in-game description puts it.
This trait system originated from Fallout and Fallout 2. Fallout: New Vegas also included a trait system in its gameplay. Like with Starfield’s traits, these optional modifications granted the player one benefit and one penalty. In Fallout: New Vegas players could choose a perk called Good Natured, which increased their proficiency at non-combat skills, like Speech, Medicine, and Barter, but equally decreased combat-related skills.
Though one of the most interesting traits from Fallout is definitely the Wild Wasteland option from New Vegas. This trait made it possible for the Courier to experience “wacky” content, barring access to “sane” content. This crazy content came in the form of 15 potential encounters, and these would not occur unless the player picked up the Wild Wasteland trait. Encounters include being accused of witchcraft, random attacks from rolling pin-wielding grannies, and even extraterrestrial encounters.
Whether such eccentric, game-changing traits will be available in Starfield remains to be seen. That said, a trait like Wild Wasteland in Starfield — Nutty Nebula? Gaga Galaxy? — would no doubt entail a memorable playthrough. Bizarreness aside, however, the more straightforward traits would make an excellent addition to Starfield’s character creation as it gives players yet another avenue to build their character, whether for role-playing or optimization purposes.
The Value of Bringing Back the Old Mechanics
Overall, the return of these old systems bodes well for the upcoming Starfield. Fallout and The Elder Scrolls fans alike have clamored for their return, so this is a welcome addition to Bethesda’s new IP. Granted, these systems make the character creation process much more complex, especially The Elder Scrolls’ class system. However, they more than make up for it with their enhancements to character building and role-playing. And at the end of the day, that’s what Bethesda promises to provide its community — a role-playing game.
Of course, these systems alone won’t make Starfield a good role-playing game. Role-playing elements encompass more than the possibilities and supposed flexibilities or rigidities of character creation. A role-playing game requires an interesting game world and a solid narrative. Bethesda’s particular brand of RPG is known for its player choice and impactful character actions — both factors which fans hope to see in Starfield.
Still, the decision to bring back these old systems appears to be a step in the right direction. It’s a reinvigorating change for players who enjoy role-playing, min-maxing, or both. Thus, many are excited to see how these nostalgic mechanics will hold up in the new universe. But until Starfield is finally released, fans will have to wait.
Starfield is set to release in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.