Starfield’s Insane Scale Changes Bethesda’s Quest and World Design

Starfield improves on Bethesda's World and Quest Design.

by Christian Bognar
Starfield Exploration and Game Design
Image: Bethesda Studios

Starfield Direct showed off much of what to expect in Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi space shooter. The recent showcase confirmed that Starfield is hands down the most significant game coming to Xbox consoles, with a massive open world pushing game design further. Specifically, when it comes to Starfield’s open world, the world’s scale is so big that it’s changing Bethesda’s quest and world design for the better. Read further to find out how the developers are changing their classic formula for the better.

Bethesda’s World and Quest Design is Improved in Starfield

Starfield directors gave the community tons of content look forward to when the game releases on September 6, 2023. While the reveal showed a lot of gunplay, character customization, and story — what stole the show is how big in scope the world and planets are in the game. There are worlds to explore and full-scale galaxies that players can travel to.

Unlike Bethesda’s previous games, traveling to the locations in Starfield will involve more freedom where players can tackle quests and explore different worlds in the order they see fit. These planets are so giant that the game gives you the opportunity to land anywhere and explore the surrounding area — allowing you to discover at your own pace. You won’t need to travel across the whole map, unlike Bethesda’s previous games “Fallout.”

Related: Starfield’s Overhauled Animations Make Combat Satisfyingly Smooth

Exploring the Galaxy in Starfield

As you discover planets across the galaxy and upgrade your ship, you can fast-travel and jump space to lightyears away, making your journey less tedious. This mechanic will be helpful when you need to get to a planet filled with resources quickly or to get to the next mission. Each planet has its purpose and sometimes multiple purposes.

Resources, quests, and the spaceship are emphasized in Starfield Direct, and this is where the world and quest design is so phenomenal. What’s so great about this design is that your ship’s radar will reveal which planets are resource heavy or which hold questlines for you to tackle. Of course, as you explore these areas, there will be more to discover as you land your ship and make your way around the surrounding area.

Bethesda is improving player freedom through the game’s spaceship, and I can’t wait to see what else the planets have in store.

- This article was updated on June 11th, 2023

About The Author

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Christian has been a writer of Attack of the Fanboy for about a year and has covered Shadows of Rose, Witcher 3, Wild Hearts, Redfall, and Remnant 2; his favorite genre is Survival Horror. He has a business degree but felt the need to take his love for video games to the gaming community. Outside of writing, you can find him listening to all types of podcasts, especially Always Sunny Podcast and Morbid True Crime.