Starfield: Shattered Space was released on September 30, 2024, and is receiving mediocre reviews on Steam.
What kind of DLC is this? Starfield: Shattered Space is the first story expansion for Bethesda’s sci-fi role-playing game. In it, players find themselves on a new planet, in the city of Dazra. There, they must uncover the mysteries of the followers of the “Great Serpent.”
Shattered Space was released on September 30, 2024, without much fanfare for Xbox and PC. Owners of the base game can claim the DLC for 29.99 Euros, unless they have already obtained access through the Premium Edition of Starfield.
As Design Director Emil Pagliarulo explained in an interview with GamesRadar, inspiration was drawn from a completely different game by Bethesda: Morrowind. The themes and overall vibe of the classic role-playing game are particularly reflected in the city of Dazra.
This city is quite unique, especially in comparison to other cities in Starfield, when it comes to its fiction and aesthetics, according to Pagliarulo. But how is this received by players?
You can get a glimpse of the expansion in the launch trailer:
Only balanced reviews on Steam
How was the expansion received? Shattered Space caused a small peak in player numbers for Starfield on Steam at launch on September 30: At the peak, nearly 21,800 players were in the game simultaneously, the highest number since December 2023, about 3 months after release.
For the majority of these players, however, the spark did not really ignite: On Steam, Shattered Space holds a lukewarm “mixed” overall rating, with only 41% recommending the expansion.
However, in the Starfield subreddit, some fans also show enthusiasm. For one player, Shattered Space is even the best DLC Bethesda has ever made. The thread has nearly 3,800 upvotes on Reddit.
A glance at the comments and reviews quickly reveals where this discrepancy comes from. Shattered Space seems to be, for better or worse, mainly one thing: more Starfield. One player writes on Reddit: “I’m about 6 hours in, and this is definitely what the base game should have been.”
Particularly the city of Dazra impresses: players feel transported to a kind of space Skyrim, with one even demanding that all other cities in the game be overhauled in the style of Dazra (via Reddit).
However, those who did not warm up to Starfield will likely find little joy in the expansion. On Steam, players also criticize the extent of the expansion: the DLC can be completed in about 4.5 hours, and an additional 2 hours for 100% completion.
New companions, gameplay features, or ship parts are nowhere to be found. Many find the price point of 30 Euros simply too high.
Meanwhile, the space MMO Star Citizen aims to provide exactly what players once hoped for from Starfield: the ability to travel across the galaxy. You can find out more about it here: Everyone wished for the ability to fly to new systems in Starfield – The space MMO Star Citizen does just that
