Previously, I talked about how Starfield may end up doing a quasi-live model like a scaled back version of Fallout 76. But I figured it may be better to think back to 2015 and Fallout 4, the last mainline single player Bethesda game, and one that had plenty of post-launch content to support it.
We know already that Starfield is getting a future Shattered Space expansion, but as I’ve said, I am betting Bethesda does more than both that and mod support, coming next year.
So, what does Fallout 4 indicate we could see coming in Starfield? A lot of things potentially could carry over.
Automatron – This was the first add-on to Fallout 4, and while it had some story components, its main feature was to build your own custom robot companions. While everyone loves Vasco, I could easily see something similar coming to Starfield, mixing and matching robotic pieces to build variants of existing models, or brand new ones. Or honestly, I would take some sort of new, more general companion focused DLC, more characters being added and fleshed out a bit besides the main four. But sure, robot building could work in Starfield, I guess. The pieces are in place, so to speak.
Wasteland Workshop – The second add-on, and we’re still in Starfield territory. This expansion let you capture live creatures and have them either be friends or fight to the death. There are so many creatures in Starfield’s planets that I have to believe that some sort of mechanic like this is coming, the ability to actually capture creatures you find on these planets. Wasteland Workshop also added more parts to bases, which is obviously something Starfield will do. That and ship parts.
Far Harbor – This was a mostly pure story-based addition. Not that Starfield can’t add more story content outside of a big expansion like Shattered Space, and I think it should, but I think some of these other things are more likely.
Vault-Tec Workshop – Here, you were able to create your own vault, complete with all the trappings of the Vault-Tec experience. You could customize how your inhabitants look, even. Again, this is playing into building mechanics, and it’s easy to see how this could translate into base or starship design (make your own capital ship to hang out inside in orbit!).
Nuka-World – Another story questline, though one important bit here is that things like this always add new weapons and enemies, which Starfield could use even out side of story content.
High Resolution Texture Pack – Uh, not sure this applies to Starfield, but we will certainly see some visual improvements over time. How about a “random pedestrian NPCs don’t look utterly horrifying” pack?
The point is, I think there’s a roadmap here for a lot of additions outside the expansions, mostly focus on the building systems the game has already created, that Bethesda is increasingly obsessed with over time, judging by both this and how much Fallout 76 leaned into its elaborate settlements and customization. So yes, I think something building-related will be announced soon enough.
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