10 Biggest Changes In Starfield’s New Update (May 2024)

Starfield‘s latest and greatest patch, version 1.11.33, represents the biggest update to the game since launch. Containing several pages worth of changes, bug fixes, and new features, it addresses many Starfield players’ greatest frustrations. It also provides big hints about the upcoming Shattered Space DLC.

But there’s plenty of new content to explore while players wait for the DLC, and that’s mainly thanks to this massive update. These are some of the biggest changes made to Starfield in the most recent patch, whether they’re game-changing quality-of-life improvements or entirely new features.

10

Starfield’s Latest Update Includes New Display Settings

Visual Mode & Performance Mode For Xbox Players

Starfield may not have the prettiest graphics ever, but standing on one of its vast, alien planets, looking out at the millions of stars beyond, it’s hard not to be wowed from time to time. That said, it can be pretty demanding to run, especially on lower-end hardware like the Xbox Series S’ slightly weaker specs. Most games, Starfield included, give PC players the tools to fix this: an extensive suite of graphical options that can be reconfigured for the best performance. Console players, however, are usually out of luck.

Thankfully, Starfield‘s most recent update adds two new graphics options for Xbox players: visual mode and performance mode. Visual mode provides better graphics at the cost of performance, and performance mode provides better performance at the cost of graphics. Every player has their preference between the two, but having the option should help Xbox Series S players run the game more smoothly.

9

Starfield Now Has Improved Inventory & Merchant UI

Tabs Make Sorting/Selling Sources Clear

Starfield‘s merchant UI has always left a little to desire. While it’s pretty easy to navigate between broad categories, like weapons, armor, and crafting materials, it can sometimes fall short when it comes to clear labeling. In previous versions of Starfield, it wasn’t always clear whether the player was buying something from the merchant, selling it to them from their inventory, or selling it to them from their ship’s cargo hold.

Thankfully, the latest Starfield update addresses this by adding clearly labeled tabs at the top of the merchant menu screen to explain what action is being taken: buying, selling, or selling from a ship. Similar tabs make it clear whether the player is taking items out of a container, or putting them in. There’s also a button icon displayed alongside the tabs, so players can swap between them quickly. Hopefully, that means no more accidentally spending thousands of hard-earned credits on a high-value resource material the player wanted to sell.

8

Players Can Now Get Scanning XP From Killing Animals & Harvesting Plants

A New Roleplay Detail

Scanning flora and fauna can lead to a goldmine of credits in Starfield, since planetary scan data can be traded in with Vladimir for cold, hard cash. Unfortunately, the scanner isn’t the most exciting gameplay mechanic in Starfield. It simply requires pointing the camera at a variety of different species, then looking around for the next one before finally returning to The Eye. Meticulously scanning every unique species in the galaxy doesn’t mesh well with every character type, either; some thrill-seeking players may prefer an alternative route.

Starfield‘s newest update provides that alternative route by allowing players to collect scanner data by killing aliens or harvesting plants – not just pointing the scanner at them. This adds a little more variety to the experience, and can make for an interesting roleplaying detail. It also prevents any frustration caused by accidentally harvesting a plant before scanning it, or alerting a hostile enemy before gathering its data.

7

Starfield Includes New Combat Difficulty Options

Space Combat, Gun Combat, & Extreme Mode

Starfield has always come with the Bethesda-standard gamut of difficulty settings, ranging from Very Easy to Very Hard. These mostly impact combat, as hacking difficulty is usually determined by how good the loot inside is. However, there are uniquely two types of combat in Starfield: dogfighting in space, and gunfighting on the surface. But there’s only one difficulty section in the options menu. Players would have to readjust their settings constantly if they wanted more variable challenges.

Starfield patch 1.11.33 lets players set the difficulty of space combat and gun combat separately, so players who find one too difficult and the other too easy can adjust them at will. It also adds a new, even harder difficulty mode, Extreme. This one’s not for the faint of heart, as it’s significantly tougher than Very Hard. Difficulty settings can be adjusted from the in-game menu at any time, though, so there’s not too much risk.

6

Starfield Now Lets Players Carry More Weight

Improved Inventory Capacity

Carrying capacity has been an issue in Starfield since launch. Part of the problem is that important resources, especially metals, take up a lot of weight. There’s some storage provided by the base ship, but it’s not a lot, so the cargo hold fills up pretty quickly. That can be mitigated by purchasing some of Starfield‘s best ship parts, like extra-large cargo holds. However, in the early game, before players can afford these expensive components (or even know where to buy them), storage and carrying capacity are ever-present problems.

The Starfield update addresses this issue by allowing players to increase their carrying capacity via gameplay options. Players can also increase the maximum distance from which it’s possible to send resources back to their ships automatically. This should ease those early-game frustrations with carrying capacity. And if a player wants more of a challenge once they’re comfortable with it, these settings can always be turned back down.

5

Starfield’s Update Contains Many Quest Fixes

“One Small Step,” “Into the Unknown,” & “Legacy’s End” Among The Most Impacted

The patch notes for Starfield version 1.11.33 include a long list of quest fixes, many of which address long-standing issues with uncompletable objectives or dialogue scenes that sometimes wouldn’t trigger. Some of the most impacted quests are also among the biggest story moments in the game, so players who have installed the update won’t have to worry about their climactic scenes being ruined by bugs.

The introductory quest “One Small Step” has received a pair of fixes: miners will no longer attack the player character on their first day on the job, and players will still be able to fast travel to the Frontier once they unlock it. “Into the Unknown” has also been adjusted so that Vladimir will help the player find Temples when prompted. The pivotal Starfield quest “Legacy’s End” has also been fixed, but no spoilers here – it’s the final step in the United Colonies-versus-Crimson Fleet saga.

4

Starfield’s NPCs Have Better AI Since The Update

Improved Pathfinding, Better Fleeing, Tougher Security

Starfield‘s NPCs aren’t always the most intelligent. They’re easily fooled by simple thievery tricks, prone to getting lost in caves, and sometimes a little bit cowardly. Thankfully, all of the above NPC issues have been addressed in patch 1.11.3. Security guards will chase the player a little further before giving up, NPCs across the board will be better at pathfinding, and not every single person will flee at the drop of a hat.

There are also many more specific NPC fixes in the patch notes, including the inability to talk to enemies when they’re stunned. Lip sync has been improved for NPC dialogue, and enemies will no longer be thrown across the map when they’re killed. Additionally, players can now toggle off the focused dialogue camera for a more immersive experience when talking to NPCs. There’s been no word on making them look a little less dead around the eyes, though.

3

Starfield Characters Can Respec & Redesign Their Characters In NG+

A New Look For New Game Plus

There’s been a lot of talk about Starfield‘s NG+, and whether it’s worth rushing to or putting off. Whatever the case, it’s always had one major flaw: players were mostly stuck with their original stats, even when restarting the game for a second time. They could always change them through perks, but that was a somewhat limited system. If someone wanted to try a new playstyle on their second time around, it was either console commands or tough luck.

The new patch addresses this by allowing Starfield players to change their stats in NG+, each time they start the game from the beginning. This is a one-time only thing in each playthrough, however; don’t expect to be able to adjust a character’s build between every single mission. NG+ also lets players redesign their characters, a privilege normally reserved for those willing to pay a high fee at one of the galaxy’s Enhance locations.

2

Starfield Now Has Greatly Improved Surface Maps

Landmarks, Terrain, & Scanner UI

In what may be the most-requested update of all time, Starfield‘s latest patch includes sweeping improvements to city and surface maps. Player complaints focused on the impossibility of navigating around cities: maps really only showed the player’s position on a blank dot matrix. If they wanted to get to a specific landmark, they had to remember where it was and which roads led to it. Starfield addresses this issue with satellite-style maps, providing an aerial view of every planet’s surface. These maps include more accurate pins to denote different landmarks.

In addition, players can now see all a city’s major landmarks in their scanners. This makes it much easier to find a specific location. Each displays an icon and a distance by default, and rolling over one can provide more information about it. This can make the HUD a little more crowded, but it’s undeniably useful almost every time the player visits a city.

1

Starfield Now Lets Players Customize Their Ship Interiors

Interior Design Gone Portable

Customization is a huge part of the Starfield experience. Be it designing incredible Starfield ships straight out of Star Wars, or putting together the futuristic home of the player’s dreams, Starfield has sparked many a player’s creative inspiration, and the results are often impressive. However, customization can be expensive. Ship modules cost a lot, and even buying a home is out of most players’ reach in the early game – not to mention buying all the furniture to fill it.

Starfield‘s most recent update makes interior decor more accessible by allowing players to customize the insides of their ships, which are available to everyone from the moment they finish the tutorial. This works much the same as the home customization mechanic: players use the same menus and items to adorn their ships as they would their houses on the surface. This way, players can make their ships feel more like home – to be honest, they probably spend more time there anyway.

Starfield‘s update may not add everything players have ever hoped and dreamed for, but it does include quite a lot. This kind of massive update, late as it is, demonstrates a willingness to listen to player feedback, and could be a good sign for the upcoming Shattered Space DLC. These changes should give veteran players an incentive to return, and possibly even get some new spacefarers interested in Starfield.