Starfield takes roleplaying to the next level with housing, jail, and outposts
The jail system will make you think twice about breaking the law.
Bethesda recently shared some additional information on Starfield via a Q&A on the official studio Discord, where we've learned quite a bit about the space game.
Topics in the Q&A covered everything from your parents to housing, imprisonment to building outposts, and more in-between.
The ability to purchase a home or to be locked up in jail is nothing new to Bethesda games, as you can do both in Elder Scrolls titles. However, it's nice to see the systems return in Starfield.
In the game, property is available for purchase in all major cities, and some will be earned as a reward. When it comes to being jailed, you can either do the time or pay the fine for dealing in smuggled goods. Of course, you can also go on the lam and try to evade capture, again, much like the system in The Elder Scrolls.
Starfield will also make use of outposts which can be worked by pals. Once you have created an outpost, you can put generic crew members to work mining resources or manufacturing goods. They are cheap labor, too: you only have to pay them once after negotiating a price.
Speaking of companions, there will be 20 you can recruit, all of which are named. These companions have a background, will follow you across the galaxy, and will even carry your stuff. While not much else was revealed about these companions, it was shared that four are members of The Constellation.
More bits of information were also shared. For instance: there are three main religions in the game. One is made up of atheists, one believes God exists, and the other worships a serpent. Your parents will resemble you, and if you think a pacifist run through the game is possible, you'd be wrong. According to Bethesda, it is basically impossible not to use a bit of violence during some missions; however, some systems are available if you want to cause as little damage to others as possible.
Like other Besthesda titles, the game will feature memos or books scattered around the game that help with immersion, faction quests can be completed independently, and time only passes when playing.
There was more to the Q&A on Discord, but it's best if you go into the game unsullied, although there was not much more to be shared from it.
Starfield releases on September 6 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass. Those who have pre-ordered the game can preload for the console from today, and Steam users can start the process on August 30.