Highlights
- Starfield, the new sci-fi RPG from Bethesda, is filled with Easter eggs referencing previous Bethesda games, including a cheeky nod to Skyrim's infamous "arrow to the knee" line.
- Early Access players have discovered amusing Easter eggs like a prank call and the return of the Adoring Fan from Oblivion, showcasing Bethesda's attention to detail and connection to its fanbase.
Starfield seems to be full of Easter eggs that point to previous Bethesda titles, as Early Access players couldn't help but come across a cheeky reference to the most infamous line ever uttered by an NPC from Skyrim. Starfield is enjoying a mostly bug-free launch. Though it has seen its fair share of glitches typical of Bethesda games, Starfield is much closer to Skyrim than Fallout 76 at launch. It is a culmination of all the lessons Bethesda learned from developing The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, and it's set on a new iteration of the Creation Engine.
Though the way Starfield tackles its open world (as well as exploration in general) feels contrary to the expected Bethesda model used in Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 76, and all its predecessors, most players seem to agree that the game offers an extremely enjoyable sci-fi adventure. It is an RPG first and foremost, and it's littered with amusing references to pop culture, as well as Bethesda's own IPs.
The Easter egg shared by Mr_Abs752 was arguably to be expected, given the widespread notoriety it earned over the course of Skyrim's past eleven years. Namely, the Crippling Skill from Starfield's combat tree alludes to the idle dialogue spoken by Skyrim's town guards of "taking an arrow to the knee." The line quickly gained infamy since Skyrim's launch, to the point that even other franchises were using it as a reference.
Within the first day of Starfield's Early Access, fans also came across an unknown vessel hailing them about their expiring starship warranty, a prank call asking them if they knew the way to Uranus, as well as the Adoring Fan from Oblivion. True to his original self, the Adoring Fan was recreated in Starfield to serve as an annoying chatterbox for players unfortunate enough to pick the related character trait. Needless to say, Bethesda fans who played the earlier games will find plenty of callbacks in Starfield, and it may well take years to document them all.
Over a quarter million concurrent players are enjoying Starfield on Steam during Early Access, and the social media reactions have largely been positive. Though the customers who bought a Standard Edition of Starfield will need to wait till September 6th to play the game, it may end up being the safer option in the long run, as Bethesda could potentially release an update addressing some of the issues fans have discovered by then.
Starfield is now available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.