Starfield: Shattered Space’s new planet will include 50 locations

By Carli Velocci September 6, 2024

A glowing pink sky with a person standing in the middle of a natural rock archway in Starfield: Shattered Space. — Bethesda Softworks

We’re finally learning more about Starfield‘s first major expansion just weeks ahead of release, and it won’t just be more story.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bethesda Game Studios revealed that the new planet for the Shattered Space expansion, known as Va’ruun’kai, will have 50 new locations to explore. We know of one location already: Dazra, a city on the planet that serves as the location for House Va’ruun. Learning more about this religious faction — set up in the base game as something of a mystery — and what happened to it is the main goal in Shattered Space. It’ll overall take place in a new part of space that players haven’t gotten to experience yet.

There will also be some new weapons, although they might not be what you’re exactly looking to use. We’ve already learned about a new vehicle, the REV-8 (which dropped in the latest update), but the post also reveals there will be new grenades to craft out of organic material. The developers say that “it’s gross,” and we believe them.

Of course, along with new weapons come new enemies called the Redeemed and Vortex Horrors. There aren’t any revealed specifics yet, but based on the names, the location, and the imagery we’ve seen of the DLC so far, they’ll probably fit right in with the horror-tinged vibe Bethesda is going for. Old enemies like the Crimson Fleet will also be returning.

While this wasn’t detailed in the X post, an interview with lead creative producer Tim Lamb at Gaming Boulevard mentioned that there will also be “a few new mechanics” like zero-gravity combat, along with new ship customization options, and new gadgets for exploration. Lamb also mentioned that Va’ruun’kai is “densely packed with content,” so those 50 locations will likely offer a lot for players to do.

This teaser comes as Starfield celebrates its first anniversary. There’s only a few weeks before Shattered Space launches on September 30 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass, but Bethesda says there will be more revealed “soon.”

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Contributor, Games

Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

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