Like most Bethesda titles, it has also been confirmed that Starfield will have its own comprehensive companion system, in which an AI character can accompany the player on their journey, aiding with combat and inventory storage, among others. With the high-tech setting of the upcoming game clearly being a large factor of core gameplay, Starfield could be a perfect opportunity to showcase customizable droid companions, the likes of which have never been seen before.
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The Basics of Starfield
Starfield is an upcoming space exploration RPG developed by Bethesda, which is set for a release window of 2023. Starfield is the first new IP that Bethesda has created in over 25 years, and is set to possess the necessary huge scale and innovation befitting of such a title, leading to a lot of hype among gamers.
The upcoming game is focused on the freedom that it will reportedly afford players, with Starfield boasting a character customization system that gives the player an unprecedented level of control over their character’s appearance and background. In addition to this, Starfield prides itself on its freedom of movement, with players being able to travel between over 1000 unique planets and 100 systems that can be explored.
To give a more informed scale of how expansive the title is set to be, it was recently confirmed by Todd Howard that Starfield will have over 250,000 lines of dialogue, greatly eclipsing that of Skyrim and even Fallout 4. What little is already known about Starfield’s gameplay came from its official reveal at the recent Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. While details about title’s available companions have been sparse, the futuristic setting could provide a perfect opportunity for droid companions and the unique gameplay elements that they could bring.
Droid Companions in Starfield
Droid companions within Starfield could easily be a staple of an engineer build within the game, given the intense amount of customization that they could foster. Players who choose to cater their skill point allocation towards engineering abilities should be able to significantly alter how droid companions operate.
For example, an engineer build could opt for a droid companion that could then be incrementally upgraded throughout the game, similar to BD-1 in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The opportunities for this kind of droid upgrade system would be numerous, with a player then given the freedom to develop their droid companion in whatever way suits their play style. A companion of this ilk could be curated to prioritize a larger inventory space, or even be equipped with specific weapons and armor to provide a more offensive role in Starfield’s combat.
To expand upon this, droid companions could even receive upgrades to things like their charisma, allowing the companion to open up unique quest opportunities and dialogue branches. This would allow players to explore other portions of skill trees and perks while still being able to fall back on their abilities. While human companions could still provide more depth in the way of relationships and emotion, the potential utility and scope of customization when it comes to droids would be a perfect fit for Starfield, especially given its intended ambition and high-tech futuristic setting.
Starfield releases for PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
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