Summary
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Starfield.Players have quite a lengthy science fiction adventure ahead of them in Bethesda’s latest RPG,Starfield. Originally announced all the way back at E3 in 2018, fans have been given small pieces of information such as what features they could expect and what characters they’d meet, and even hosted its own dedicatedStarfieldDirect to show off 45 minutes of gameplay ahead of the game’s launch.
However, not everything was known aboutStarfieldbefore the game launched. While that makes complete sense, given thatStarfieldhas hundreds of hours of content in it just like prior Bethesda titles, the developers kept a few cards close to their chest and withheld information for players to discover as they play. One ofStarfield’s best-kept secrets was most definitelythe Starborn, a surprise group of enemies that hold the key to the truth of everything.
RELATED:Starfield: How to Edit Ship Interior
The Problem With Starfield’s Main Story
Starfield’s main story sees players join up with Constellation, a collective of people who dream of exploring the stars and uncovering the vast mysteries of the cosmos. How they plan to do this is by collecting a series ofitems called the Artifacts, which give one other member of the group, as well as the player, unique visions. As a result, the main goal ofStarfield’s campaign is to collect as many Artifacts as possible.
While some ofthe best RPGsare no strangers to collect-a-thon quests,Starfielddoesn’t exactly make it easy for the quest for the Artifacts to remain an enjoyable one all throughout the journey. While some Artifacts come with a set story quest that seeks to give the player carefully designed challenges, a good handful that are required are completely randomized for every playthrough. Each randomized location plays out the exact same way; land on the planet, collect a rock, have a vision, and move on. This makes it rather tiring after a while.
Starfield: The Importance of the Starborn’s Arrival
By the time players reach Walter’s quest in Neon, finding the Artifacts has felt like a chore to many. However, that’s whereBethesda choosing to keep the Starborn a secretplays in everyone’s favor. A Starborn ship is outside Volii Alpha’s orbit, awaiting players' departure from the planet, potentially breaking them out of their sense of security and serving as a signal thatStarfieldisn’t at all close to being done just yet. There’s a threat out there that doesn’t like that Constellation is gathering the Artifacts, and the stakes serve to rejuvenate players' feelings about their quest.
The Starborn make it rather quickly known just what awaits fans if they continue gathering the gravitational rocks, as sooner rather than later, the “High Price to Pay” quest will begin, and only thoseplaying onStarfield’s New Game Pluswill be able to save all of Constellation during the mission. It serves as a tragic turning point in which the players' choice affects the game permanently, weighing heavy on the entire playthrough afterward, even in places where fans may not expect, asStarfield’s main storyline begins to wrap up.
Unfortunately, once the Starborn make themselves known, and “High Price to Pay” leaves its mark on Constellation, the game quickly falls back into the same rock-collecting marathon as it was before until players gather a considerable number of the 24 Artifacts there are to grab. Thankfully, there are plenty ofside quests inStarfieldwhere any fans who get tired of collecting rocks for hours can easily space out a few adventures between the more boring ones.
Starfieldis available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Starfield’s Watch and Fallout’s Pip-Boy Are Unfortunately Nothing Alike
