Bethesda fans have been waiting years to play this studio’s first space adventure. Over the decades, players have come to adore Bethesda for its immersive alternate-history apocalyptic and high fantasy worlds. Now, with Starfield, there will be completely new stories to enjoy. However, fans don’t really know much about the world of Starfield quite yet. So before you dive into the game, let’s talk about what Starfield is all about.
Bethesda’s science fiction world
Starfield takes place in 2330 in the Settled Systems. The Settled Systems is an area of 50 lightyears beyond Earth where humanity has spread to several thousand different planets. According to Bethesda’s Starfield lore site, humanity first started living in space in 2100.
The current conflict in this area involves the friction between the United Colonies (established in 2159) and Freestar Collective (established in 2189). Both factions created notable footholds in the Settled Systems over the decades, but in 2307, the Freestar Collective began farming on the planet, Vesta. In 2308, The United Colonies declared this a violation of the Treaty of Narion. Over time, the diplomatic talks broke down and the United Colonies seized Vesta. So begins The Colony War. After several brutal clashes, the Colony War ended at the Battle of Cheyenne where the Freestar Collective decimated the United Collective’s major spaceships.
Now, nearly two decades years later and amidst an uneasy peace, your main character is thrust into the middle of this tense region.
The story of Starfield’s main character
In Starfield, you play as a member of the Constellation, a collective of space explorers. Constellation was formed in 2275 by Sebastian Banks. Constellation’s greatest discovery has been the Artifacts — space relics of mysterious origin. Over the years many scientists and explorers have joined the group, creating a diverse group of people working together in the pursuit of understanding the mysteries of space. Throughout the game, this quest to discover more about the Artifacts brings you and the Constellations crew of “The Eye” in contact with the good, the bad, and the ugly of the cosmos.
Your main character is a customizable silent protagonist, like many Bethesda protagonists before. Meanwhile, you may also choose from multiple different backgrounds — a la Mass Effect’s Sole Survivor, Spacer, and Earthborn origins — which influences your starting skills. Your main objective is to discover more about the artifacts, yes, but there are several other goals out there among the stars. For example, you will partake in resource scanning, side quests, accumulating companions, crafting, planetary discovery, and building, buying, and maintaining spaceships.
From what Bethesda executives have described, it seems like a classic Bethesda explorative RPG adventure with a dash of Mass Effect flavor.
