A few days ago, we participated in Starfield's online preview event.
Thanks toBethesda's invitation,allowed us to get early access tofirst-hand information on the "Starborn Rising" update and the "Earth Force" DLC. Starfield'sChief Creative OfficerTim Lamb was also present, introducing the creative concepts through an online Q&A session and answering many questions from us and the players.
In this preview, we watched promotional videos for the "Starborn Rising" update and the "Earth Force" DLC, showcasing numerous gameplay and system optimizations, as well asnew storyThe DLC'sdetailed introduction, all content will be updated on April 8, 2026.
Earlier, rumors circulated online that Starfield's new content, prepared after two years, would turn the game into Starfield2.0. ButChief Creative Officer Tim Lamb, in this previewdenied this claim—but he confidently stated thatAfter the "Starborn Rising" DLC update, Starfield will be the best version of the game.
The launch version of Starfield was highly anticipated, but Bethesda's own technical and aesthetic tendencies limited its audience, leading to considerable controversy. In response to these controversies, our previewreceived a positive answer—Starfield was not unpreparedwhat Bethesda players want, such as handcrafted maps, compelling stories, and places they don't want to leave.but it chose to make the exploration of the vast void the absolute core of its game design. If every location followedBethesda's tradition of having something to do everywhere, it would largely lose the feeling of "discovering a new continent." And that feeling is precisely what distinguishes Starfield from otherthe charm of Bethesda games.
FromTim Lamb's creative philosophy answered many of my questions and offered a new perspective for reinterpreting the work. This perspective may not allow me to definitively proclaim how exceptional Starfield is to others, but it does explain why, after all this time, I as a player am still willing to reinstall the game from time to time, slow down my pace, and quietly navigate through space alone.
from an"entertainment product" perspective, it's hard to deny that Starfield's launch version had numerous flaws. However, this also means the direction for improvement is clear—by listening to community feedback and "fixing the pen after the sheep are lost," many issues can be resolved effectively. For instance, the previously released DLC "Shattered Space" was a good start—it provided the core experience of a "small but beautiful" area typical of traditional Bethesda games, with key gameplay optimizations, including ground maps and ground vehicles. The introduction of ground vehicles even broke the "ancestral rules" of the Creation Engine, naturally earning community approval.
In other words, if we want more people to understand the charm of Starfield, what it needs to do is enrich and focus on theRPG experience and optimize outdated old-school designs. The paid DLC "Earth Force" likely corresponds to the former—the promotional video shows human officers and their army of robots wreaking havoc across the stars, making me look forward to playing the villain, becoming a pirate, seizing their fleet, and turning others' ships into my toys. Meanwhile, the "Starborn Rising" update serves the latter—we wanted interstellar flight, New Game+ equipment progression retention, and smoother base-building experiences. It made key improvements to facilitate the original experience.
Features likeship's"Cruise Mode," which enables free movement within star systems, unlike previous versions where travel between planets was restricted. Especiallywhile the ship is on autopilot, we can switch to the interior view. Watching the stars drift by with your teammates creates a rather romantic atmosphere.
New gameplay additions include"X-Tech," a universal resource that significantly reduces previous grinding requirements. When used on weapons, it allows rerolling weapon traits; when used on ships, it enables quick customization of ship modules, helping us build combat styles faster. More importantly, it can also be used to preserve weapons or temple abilities., so in subsequent playthroughs, you won't need to repeatedly grind, but can instead focus onfocus on the core gameplay element of "exploration."
There are alsonew land vehicles"Lunar Rover"and new collectibles called "Action Figures"."The former realized the long-awaited community request for"surface flight," while the latter is somewhat similar to "magazines" in Fallout, providing buffs to enrich RPG builds, but can also be displayed at outposts for enjoyment, akin to a form of "cyber model kit assembly."
Two community-reported issues regarding cumbersome controls have also been resolved. For example, you can now quickly travel to a planet from your favorites list after adding it; Outpost resource management has also been optimized; when players build"Outpost Shared Containers" and deposit resource itemswhenno matter where you are in the star system, from another outpost's"Outpost Shared Containers", you can retrieve items placed by the player.
Frankly, without experiencing the specific content, I cannot guarantee whether these promises are just another round of"It Just Works" empty promises. But at least these improvements can tangibly enhance the gaming experience, appearing crucial, specific, and practical. They may not be as flashy or attractive as new stories or new enemies, but they truly determine whether new players entering this sea of stars will have a good first impression, and whether veteran players will regain confidence in the game.
For more details and development stories, please refer to the detailed Q&A:
Q: Do you consider this update to be Starfield 2.0?
Tim Lamb:No, I disagree with that view. I think it's more about absorbing feedback from the player community, developing systems we're interested in, and then attempting to improve and upgrade each different part. "Starborn Rising" is massive, with its own characteristics, but it runs alongside Everythinggj we've released before—But strictly speaking, I wouldn't call it Starfield2.0. On the other hand, multiple game systems have also been improved. We've done a lot of work,Therefore, I believe this version is the best version of Starfield.
Q: We rarely see major updates for single-player games. What makes you believe large updates are necessary for Starfield?
Tim Lamb:In fact, I wouldn't say it was something we had to do; I believe continuing to support the game has always been part of our plan. Before the release of "Shattered Space", the feedback we heard was a desire for a more traditionalBethesda experience: handcrafted maps, compelling stories, a place I don't want to leave, a community where I can live. So we created"Shattered Space." After releasing "Shattered Space," we received more feedback; players wanted more content and the ability to move within star systems, specifically between planets. So, when you play "Starborn Rising," you can travel within star systems, but the Earth Force has technology to prevent you from using these features, and the player's goal is to infiltrate those locations,and then disable those technologies.—incorporating player suggestions as well as our own ideas. Later came robots, new ship components, more creativity, all working together to create new content for the game.
Q: What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of Starfieldspeaking, what is the most easily misunderstood point?
Tim Lamb:interesting question. I thinkwas to give meaning to population distribution, we had to control where people were located, which led to some misunderstandings. It's like a huge tapestry, with empty backgrounds and prominent patterns. If we could seeNPCs or ships, I wouldn't feel like I was the first to arrive there, nor would I feel like an explorer, losing the excitement of discovery. Therefore, we believe it's important to maintain an atmosphere that is empty yet full of hope, emphasizing personal discovery.—I believe some players can understand this point. Now, we've added vehicles and surface maps, allowing you to explore, discover new scenery, and experience what it means to say, "This is the planet I discovered."
Q: Many voices suggest that Starfield forces players to be good guys. Can I"Starborn Rising"and"Earth Force"play the villain?
Tim Lamb:No, I don't think we ever forced you to do this or that; those were always choices, narrative possibilities. This might not be a direct answer, but we added some crew members, and the robot Delta might not be considered a good guy. However, I always feel that the concepts of good and evil in game choices are quite subjective—for example, I would argue that the "Hunter," who serves as the game's antagonist, does not consider himself evil.
Q: Can you share some details about"Earth Force"in,details on enemy diversity?
Tim Lamb:The Earth Force is a human faction, but also a military power enhanced by robotic technology. Moreover, not only humans haveDifferent ranks have different levels, and the robots themselves come in various difficulty tiers, including special effects for legendary enemies. Additionally, depending on the player's custom difficulty settings, enemy tactics will vary. For example, when you inflict significant damage on a tank-like enemy, the entire encounter'sAI logic will also change. The scariest part might bewhen you take down a human, other robots will rush over like crazy. So, my favorite moment is sneaking in, eliminating the key target, escaping, and then watching the pursuing robots fall off cliffs one by one. It's quite a delightful experience.
Q: Can players obtain ships from the Earth Force?
Tim Lamb:Of course, after players install the "Earth Force" DLC, relevant ship components will be provided by ship service technicians at various outposts. But for me, the fastest way is to encounter a ship you like—commandeer it, register it under your name, and add these ships to your collection.
Q:"Starborn Rising"be veryfocusonspace combat??
Tim Lamb:I wouldn't say it focuses on space combat, just as I wouldn't say the base game of Starfield focuses on space combat. If you want to avoid combat, you can now activate Cruise Mode to skip it—although in "Starborn Rising," the Earth Force can disable this technology, but only within a relatively short radius. Furthermore, in previous updates, we added customizable difficulty options, allowing players to adjust the difficulty of space combat independently, so everyone can tailor the game to their own style.
Q:"Shattered Space", cruise mode enables travel within star systems. What was the biggest challenge in implementing it??
Tim Lamb:Previously, our space encounters always took place in planetary orbits or landing zones. The biggestchallenge is how to make all existing content compatible and runnable. Now, players can fly within star systems and between celestial orbits, so we can't leave it empty as before; we had to rebuild the system. This includes new space encounters, high-tech items in space debris, and hidden enemies in wrecked ships, all with new content. Even, we wanted to provide players with a"home," cooking, adding technology, freely traveling between routes, and doing Everythinggj you want.
Q: "Starfield"'s ship system is rich,then"Starfield"in'sshipbuilding system,willany updates?
Tim Lamb:As you can see in the video, we've indeed put a lot of content into the shipbuilding system. LikeNASA-style large engines, new antennas, double-decker cockpits, and double-decker living quarters. But my favorite is the "Evasion Stealth Thruster." NowIt's not just for Starborn ships, but any ship can have it. Also, there's the EMP, which disables enemy shields, giving a huge advantage in combat.
Q: Quantum Entanglement Devicewill there becapacity limit?
Tim Lamb:I think the initial capacity of the Quantum Entanglement Device is50. You can use specific resources to expand its capacity to 200, which is a pretty decent capacity that can meet almost all player needs. With few exceptions, anything can be transported (across maps) using the Quantum Entanglement Device.
Q:X-Technologyhow common is it? Is it a pure endgame resource,or is it early in the gamecanobtain?
Tim Lamb:It's very useful in the game, so it won't be an endgame resource. Right now, when we first board the ship—when going to New Atlantis—we throw a lot at the player, including X-Technology, weapons, gear, and upgrade modules. If you replay,you'll find that after clearing the dungeon for the first timeBOSS, it will drop many new items that weren't available before. However, features like cruise mode and Shattered Space are indeed only obtained after starting the relevant quests.
Q: As someone who hashad difficulties managing outposts, have these aspects been optimized and improved?
Tim Lamb:Yes, this is one of the most common pieces of feedback from the community. We have a dedicated team handling these matters, with both cosmetic and functional optimizations, some of which were mentioned in the video. But the biggest request from players is definitely,"Outpost Shared Containers" have been implemented—if you build a shared container at one outpost and put items in it, and build another shared container at a different outpost, those two outposts will share the same inventory.
Q: Although not mentioned in this update, the game has been working closely with the player creator community since 2025—future plans in this areawillany plans?
Tim Lamb:There isn't much to announce right now, but I'm happy to use this as a way to release new content. This is especially true for content related to "Constellation." Players will find that if they already have "Constellation"DLC, then after this update, you'll find new weapons in the bounty tracking questline, gear, and new adventures. I don't want to reveal too much to spoil the fun, but there are some very cool missions in it.
Q:Do you thinkthis'supdate,worth itplayers againexperience the game again? Especially forthensomePlayStation 5players, will this be a completely different experience from the launch version?
Tim Lamb:Honestly, I envy those who start their experience with "Starfield." If I could, I would wipe my memory and play through the game again. For thoseFor players who know the walkthrough inside out, their experience might be: "I know how to do this mission, I'll finish it and move on to the next one."—this is still valid. But for new players, their gameplay process involves constant exploration, slowly discovering the unknown and embarking on adventures, there will be many interesting things waiting for you.
Q: "Starfield"onPlayStation 5on Pro,will there be any specific'soptimization?
Tim Lamb:I'm sure we have aan optimization chart, but likePSSR and related parametersand such things. I don't want to make any mistakes—my excellent colleagues will release the relevant details. But I can talk about my favorite part, which should beDualSense controllerspeakers. When you pick up the controller to pilot the ship, you'll hear these ship control sounds from the controller. Additionally, we've added a design where the controller light bar displays the character's health, and we've tuned the controller's adaptive triggers.
Q: "Starfield" onPlayStation 5on'swhat is the price? Itsheplatform has the base gameif,separatelypurchase"Shattered Space"?
Tim Lamb:base game$50, and the Premium Edition will be $70, will include "Shattered Space" and "Shattered Space"two paidDLC. If you have the base game on other platforms,DLC"Shattered Space"price is$10.
Q: Have you received real-worldamongastronauts,Starfieldfeedback?
Tim Lamb:Yes, I don't know if I can reveal specific names, but people have indeed visited us. We have a piece of fabric that has been to the International Space Station hanging in our office, now framed nicely. I was honored to receive this gift from an astronaut; that material went through rocket technology, various molecular chemistry tests, and then flew into space.—it's the object with the most mileage in our office, and receiving it was a really cool experience.