Bethesda has a lot of experience creating compelling open worlds, butStarfieldis an entirely different proposition fromFalloutandThe Elder Scrolls.The ruins of the United States and Tamriel’s various nations serve as good settings, butStarfieldintends to capture the majesty of outer space. Players will be tasked with helping humanity chart the far corners of space, which means it could feature a more enchanting world map than any previous title. WhetherStarfield’s planets prove memorable depends largely on what players can do there, from wandering humanity’s newest cities to delve into alien dungeons and more.
However,Starfield’s planets shouldn’t settle for established landmarks. It would be great to seeStarfieldallow players to build up their own structures and settlements on various worlds. InFallout 4,Bethesda came up with a compelling settlement system that deserves use in other projects. ConsideringhowStarfieldfocuses on space explorershelping humanity settle on new planets, it seems like the perfect place to polish and revampFallout 4’s settlement system, potentially giving players even more creative freedom.
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Reviving Fallout 4 Settlements
Fallout 4may have received criticism for technical issues, but nevertheless itbrought some brilliant innovations toFallout.While wandering the wasteland, players can find locations to build into towns for other Commonwealth denizens to occupy. Objects ranging from car tires to wrecked vehicles can be scrapped for materials, and players can spend those material to craft shelter, water sources, defenses, and shops for each citizen. By connecting settlements with trade routes and building amenities,Fallout 4players earn more utilities to use for themselves and make a visible difference in the Commonwealth.
The settlement mechanic makes sense inFallout 4becauseFalloutis all about humans scraping together a living in an inhospitable wasteland.Starfieldcould make use of settlements for similar reasons. AlthoughStarfieldtakes place well after humanity first ventures into outer space, the game’s focus on the exploration organization known as Constellation makes it clear that humanity is working on finding its place in the galaxy.As a member of Constellation,Starfieldplayers might help human scientists and pioneers build settlements on new planets.
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Starfield’s Potential Take on Settlements
Starfieldcan expand onFallout 4’s settlements in a few ways. For instance, the usable space inFallout 4settlements could be pretty small, but as an Xbox Series X titleStarfieldcan afford to spend extra processing power on larger settlements that give players room to build.Starfield’s sci-fi setting could also inspire more complicated amenities. Players might be able to land their spaceships in settlements for detailed repairs, customization, and upgrades. The various biomes and alien fauna ofStarfield’s planets can also pose more unique threats toStarfieldsettlements thanFallout 4’s endless raider attacks.
Even ifStarfielddoesn’t allow players to build new settlements entirely from the ground up like inFallout 4,it could still let players visit established human colonies, invest in their work, and upgrade their buildings. A settlement system doesn’t have to end at humanity, either.IfStarfieldhas sentient alien NPCswho are also exploring space, cooperating with aliens to trade goods and expand their settlements could be a great way to get players familiar with Bethesda’s new civilizations.Starfieldcould introduce any of these variations onFallout 4settlements, it’s just up to Bethesda to decide how much physical involvement players will have in humanity’s journey into the cosmos.
Starfieldreleases Jul 27, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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