There’s a lot of excitement aroundStarfieldright now, and for good reason. Bethesda may have worked on its fair share of sci-fi games, but it hasn’t dabbled in space exploration in a long time.Starfieldwill give fans a chance to experience outer space through Bethesda’s eyes. Of course, in order to do so,Starfieldplayers will need access to spacecraft, which could potentially push Bethesda out of its comfort zone.The Elder ScrollsandFalloutdon’t particularly emphasize vehicles, but inStarfield,it’s crucial that the player can obtain and pilot the vehicle of their choice in order to navigate the world.
Thankfully, there’s plenty of other sci-fi games out there that Bethesda can use as sources of inspiration. Perhaps one of the best isNo Man’s Sky,the once-troubled but now-redeemed spacefaring survival title from Hello Games. InNo Man’s Sky,the tutorial involves repairing the player’s starting starship, but shortly after that, players can start hunting for new ships at their leisure.Starfieldcan learn a lot fromNo Man’s Sky’s broad roster of collectible shipswith internal customization, as well as its lack of exterior communication. By borrowing a few ideas from Hello Games, Bethesda can craft an excellent spaceship system.
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No Man’s Sky’s Starship Strengths
The sheer diversity of starships inNo Man’s Skyshould be a core part ofStarfield’s system.No Man’s Skyplayers can obtain starships belonging to a variety of archetypes, including high-damage Fighters, Haulers with huge inventories, and massive Freighters that can function as flying bases.Each of theseNo Man’s Skyarchetypesalso spawns with a letter-grade class, usually ranging between S, A, B, and C. Between archetypes that determine a ship’s capabilities and classes that determine a ship’s strength,No Man’s Skyships come in all shapes and sizes.Starfieldcould use a similarly diverse catalog of ships, encouraging players to seek out the right ship to support their playstyle.
No Man’s Skyships can also be modified to a pretty major extent. Players can install new technology and upgrade modules into their ships that provide bonuses to the ship’s innate statistics or give it new forms of attack. In this way,No Man’s Skyplayers have a lot of liberty to customize their ship’s mechanical functions, either specializing a ship for a specific use or making up for the ship’s weaknesses. It would be great toseeStarfieldintroduce a similar customization menuin its ships. As an RPG,Starfieldwill almost certainly allow players to learn some engineering skills, and there’s no better use for those skills than upgrading one’s own spaceship.
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Self-Expression in Starfield
Starfield’s ships could outdoNo Man’s Skyin one department. For years,No Man’s Skyfans have had little means of customizing the visuals of their spaceships beyond hoping that they’ll find something that’s to their liking.Starfieldcould easily introduce decoration systems, allowing fans to repaint their ship, attach different exterior cosmetics to the ship, and so on. Bethesda may be enthusiastic aboutStarfield’s unique “NASA-punk” aesthetic, but it can still provide players with customization options while remaining in the vicinity of the new IP’s distinct look.
Overall,No Man’s Skysets a bar for space travel thatStarfieldwould be wise to reach for.No Man’s Skytravel is quick and easy, while both obtaining and upgrading ships work well as long-term objectives for players. IfStarfieldcan live up to some of these principles and expand on them, then its own spaceships could be just as interesting. It’s not hard to imagine special ship upgrades that can only be found on certain planets orspecificStarfieldcities like New Atlantis. The more reasonsStarfieldplayers have to get excited about their vehicles, the better.
Starfieldreleases on July 31, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
