AStarfieldCommunity Patch is being organized by futureStarfieldmodders in anticipation of the bugs that are notoriously pervasive in Bethesda games. AlthoughStarfieldisn’t expected to release until next year, the modding community is preparing ahead of time to quickly push a community patch to address the most important issues that may be present at launch.
Starfieldhas been in development for over seven years, shortly after Bethesda releasedFallout 4back in 2015, and is shaping up to be a massive sci-fi RPG encompassing numerous planets while also featuring space gameplay. Bethesda is well-known for its ambitious RPGs such as theFalloutandThe Elder Scrollsfranchises, although the scale and complexity has also led to Bethesda’s games earning another, less favorable reputation: they’re often plagued with lots of bugs and glitches at release. It’s partially due to this issue that Bethesda’s games tend to have very strong modding communities that take matters into their own hands when it comes to polishing up the game’s issues, refining gameplay, and adding new features.
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TheStarfieldCommunity Patch will have a scope similar to bug-fixingmods forSkyrimandFallout, and will be focused on correcting errors and glitches rather than adding new content. The mod seeks to correct misplaced objects, script errors, broken quests, game-breaking exploits, missing attributes in the game data, and spelling errors. The patch organizers have explicitly stated that it will not be adding new content such as new quests or items, won’t be making balance changes outside of very obvious errors, or making any other tweaks that go against the original vision for the game. The Community Patch will be hosted on Nexus Mods and GitHub and will be free and open source.
SinceStarfieldwill be reusingBethesda’s Creation Engine, modders coming fromFallout 4andThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimshould hopefully have similar methods available for making modifications. Bethesda games have historically been very mod-friendly, even going back toThe Elder Scrolls: Arenafrom 1994 which has dozens of mods available on Nexus Mods. In another move to reinforce the modding community, Bethesda has said thatStarfieldwill support mods on Xbox Series X/S as well as PC, finally bridging the content gap between console and PC gamers.
Althoughthe wait forStarfieldis far from over, the fact that the game is already attracting a modding community bodes well for its future success. Mods have long been an important aspect of Bethesda games along with many other titles, bringing new life into the games and extending their lifespans for years beyond the final update. Without the hard work of talented modders, far fewer people today would still be playing older titles likeThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
Starfieldis scheduled to release in 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
