Highlights
- The ship builder in Starfield allows players to create various designs, but not all of them are practical for standard gameplay, as some may have complicated interior layouts and excessive use of ladders.
- One player created a ridiculous design with a 30-ladder pathway from the entrance to the cockpit, which is bound to be exhausting for most players.
- The design intentionally goes against the gameplay pillars of Starfield, but it showcases extreme creativity.
The ship builder in Starfield lets players build all sorts of inspired builds, but not all the designs are good-natured, as one player's vessel was instead created to be an exercise in masochism. When Starfield Direct held its deep dive in June 2023, the most impressive feature showcased was its modular ship builder, and this feature has only gotten more popular since launch. Players have passionately shared their designs all across social media, from original builds to faithful recreations.
In addition to the obvious visual and creative side of the ship builder, the system also rewards Starfield players for creating a smart design equipped with the best weapons and engines they can get their hands on. Unless they invest points into Starship Design, players will have to borrow the advanced ship modules from commandeered vessels, be it Crimson Fleet, Spacer, or even from House Va'ruun. However, not all of these designs are practical for standard gameplay, as some may have an interior layout that's too complicated for player comfort.
A huge source of annoyance with Starfield ships has been the prevalence of ladders in these complicated layouts, so most players opt for a design that eliminates the need to use a ladder. However, Spareparts2104 dared to dream the opposite. Instead of removing ladders, they wondered just how complicated a layout could get on purpose, sharing the results on the official Starfield subreddit. This ridiculous design boasts a 30-ladder pathway from the entrance to the cockpit, and is bound to be an exhausting experience for most players.
To make matters worse, the ship also has very low storage capacity. Given the importance of crafted materials in Starfield, having a cargo hold large enough to accommodate all the resources gathered from surveying planets is mandatory. Even though the design built by Spareparts2104 purposefully clashes against every pillar of Starfield's ship gameplay, it cannot be denied that it's an extremely creative design because of it.
Ultimately, when Starfield receives official modding tools in early 2024, chances are high that mods will offer some sort of solution to ladders, be it in the form of alternative habitats, or something else altogether. Though details on the Shattered Space DLC remain sparse at the time, Bethesda could provide an alternative to ladders through official content as well. As things stand, however, Starfield players will have to work around the ship builder's limitations if they desire to optimize their build.
Starfield is available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.