Gamescom 2024 revealed a lot about the DLC and expansion, avoid space travel throughout the majority of a playthrough, blasting enemy spacers out of space with my overpowered design made me appreciate this under-utilized aspect of the game.

Even after getting (spoilers) the most expensive ship parts I could find across the Settled Systems. Believe it or not, compared to what I was able to build myself, the Starborn ship looks puny in comparison. And I'm not alone, with a big community that's already been built around creating some of the most iconic ships from sci-fi media.

Starfield Shattered Space Will Introduce New Ship Customization

Details On Ship Specifics Are Scarce

Bethesda's Lead Creative Producer of Starfield, Tim Lamb, recently spoke to Gaming Boulevard and provided more details on the type of updates players can come to expect with Starfield Shattered Space. According to Lamb, Bethesda has "introduced new ship customization options, which allow players to really tailor their vessels to their playstyle." Lamb goes on to say, "there are new tools and gadgets that will help players interact with the environment in deeper, more meaningful ways."

Starfield will receive the DLC at no extra charge.

Predictably, further details about the potential build-out of the ship-building feature in Starfield remain slim, but there are a few predictions that can be made. For one, although the shipbuilder in Starfield is probably one of the best aspects and systems in the game, it currently has a few restrictions in the vanilla version that limit what creators can build. Incorporating some adjustments that mod creators have already introduced could open a whole new world of possibilities for players.

In a Screen Rant interview with Lamb, he also revealed that there will be "quality of life improvements that are coming at that same time" as Shattered Space, pointing toward the fact that these ship-building features may be landing at the same time as the DLC.

Starfield's Shipbuilder Has Two Major Problems

I'm Begging You To Remove Ship Building Restrictions, Bethesda

Starfield's shipbuilder with keyboard and mouse (I don't envy those who have to use a controller) is fine. While it isn't perfect, and I have definitely placed some pieces just slightly detached from my ship and have gotten stuck inside of the ground, it's generally okay once you get the hang of things. That said, there are currently two major problems with shipbuilders: the limitations on non-aerodynamic ships and the size limitations.

Exploits and mods enable builders to build larger ships, which have the unfortunate effect of often clipping through elements at the landing pad.

Since I still play the vanilla version of the game, my ship is built out to the maximum limits of what the engine allows without using exploits. While it might not be the most impressive ship ever built, I was proud of it, and it almost has maximum stats in every category. That said, the fact that some of my initial designs weren't aerodynamic threw a wrench in my and likely other people's plans. After all, not all sci-fi media necessarily needs "aerodynamic" qualities to be great — just consider the Star Trek Borg Cube.

The other issue is a limitation on size. As I've accrued so many credits throughout my playthroughs, money at this point is almost pointless. I'd love to create a floating warship or space station like the Crimson's Fleet's Key. If I have the money, time, and ability to make it, I feel like I should be able to. Right now, I can only have 5 crew , but I want to build a mini-society on my ship. After all, there are enough Starfield recruitable companions to make that happen.

Mods Already Fixed Many Of The Issues

I Want A Vanilla Alternative

As Bethesda fans know well, mods can help bolster its games, especially shortly after launch. Starfield is no different, but for some reason, I've avoided mods thus far. It's likely because I write so much about Starfield, so I want to make sure that my experience is the same as what the vast majority of other players will experience. Even though Creations does make integrating mods much easier, I've still stayed away.

That said, there are a host of mods that benefit fledgling spaceship engineers. A variety of mods, like Easier Ship Building, brings all ship parts to a centralized location so space explorers don't have to traverse the whole Settled Systems to find a single part. TN's Class M (and Starborn Guardian) Ship Building unlocks Class M parts, and Ship Building Tweaks lets people build larger ships outside of the pre-set restrictions set by Bethesda without the need of an exploit. These QoL improvements can and probably should be added for good in the base game.

I'm Looking Forward To The Shattered Space Ship Updates

I'll Take Whatever I Can Get

Regardless of my criticisms of the game, I'm still looking forward to the improvements that Bethesda plans to make. After all, there's a lot that happens in development that isn't divulged to the public. One reason for the ship restrictions may be a functional one. Having huge, unwieldy ships takes up too much room in starports in restricted ones like that of New Atlantis. Having a massive floating star station clip through the confines of the available landing pad is an immersion breaker.

One workaround could be that on planets with a dedicated starport like Akila or New Atlantis, players with huge ships are forced to land right outside of the town. This doesn't seem like it would require too much work, and I'd certainly take the tradeoff if it meant just walking a few more paces. Regardless of what they add to the shipbuilder in Starfield, I'll make sure to check out all the features as soon as it comes out with Shattered Space on September 30.

Source: Gaming Boulevard, Starfield Creations (1, 2, 3)