Starfield’s survival mechanics used to be much harsher

When the first Starfield leaks dropped and we got a look at the in-development version of the HUD, we figured that Starfield would ship with some survival elements. Those elements are still in place with some planets offering different hazardous effects. However, as Todd Howard confirms, these effects were dialled back considerably while finishing the game. 

At this point, some of the most popular Skryim and Fallout mods are survival mods. Skyrim's survival mods became so popular that Bethesda ultimately included a survival mod with Skyrim Anniversary Edition for PC and consoles. With that in mind, it is no surprise that Bethesda explored bringing more survival elements to Starfield.

In the game as we know if today, these elements appear in the managing of O2, which essentially acts as your stamina bar, and with different space suits offering protection from hazardous effects on planets. Currently in the game, hazardous effects are really more of an inconvenience than a true challenge to be overcome, but it wasn't always this way.

Speaking on the Game Maker's Notebook podcast, Todd Howard delved into some of the changes the team made to Starfield in the years leading up to release.

While experimenting with environmental damage, hazardous effects and various afflictions that can be placed upon the player, the developers found that it was a “very punitive” system and found that it was “a complicated system for players to understand”. Once they arrived at that conclusion, they left the hazardous effect systems in the game but nerfed them to a point where it wouldn't be a constant concern for the player.

With modders already working away on Starfield and Bethesda's plans to release official modding tools in early 2024, I imagine it won't be long before we see survival mods popping up on Nexus.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There is definitely tons of potential for survival mechanics in Starfield. It is a shame that Bethesda couldn't come up with its own survival difficulty mode but the building blocks are there for modders to pick up once more suitable tools become available. 

Become a Patron!