Starfield will bring back Fallout 4's most hated feature

Starfield players will be able to build and defend outposts on distant planets, similar to the settlement system in Fallout 4.

If you’ve played Bethesda’s previous title Fallout 4, you’ll likely remember the words: “Another settlement needs our help”. They were the bane of many players’ existence, mainly because they just never stopped coming. Settlements were always under attack by something, and having to leave your current adventure to defend them proved frustrating for many players. It seems Starfield will be bringing that feature back in the form of outposts, but they’ll seemingly be more refined than they were in Fallout 4.

Check out the latest trailer for Starfield below.

An official description of the game provides more detail, saying: “Explore planets and discover the fauna, flora, and resources needed to craft everything from medicine and food to equipment and weapons. Build outposts and hire a crew to passively extract materials and establish cargo links to transfer resources between them.”

Outposts can be set up on resource-rich planets, and will automatically harvest resources while you’re out exploring the galaxy, which saves you having to do it yourself. The description also implies that if you build several outposts, you’ll be able to set up trade routes allowing easy access to the harvested resources, which you can either pocket for crafting recipes, or sell for a high price. The option to hire NPCs to defend the outposts while you’re away is also a nice touch, but you’ll presumably have to return at some point when there’s a threat they can’t handle alone.

There’s a lot of potential here, as it sounds like it’ll be more hands-on than it was in Fallout 4, and the valuable resources are a great way of incentivising the player into caring when an outpost needs assistance. It also sounds like a great way to build up a sizeable amount of cash for new weapons, gear and upgrades.

It also links nicely with the fleet system that’s been introduced, allowing you to capture enemy vessels and add them to your collection, which may be used in the aforementioned trading routes. Admittedly, building your own intergalactic empire sounds awesome, so it’ll be interesting to see how versatile the system is when it launches in September.

Starfield is shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated releases of all time, promising a gigantic open-world, as well as complete freedom to create your own story and play style. It’s even encouraged gamers to buy an Xbox console just so they can get their hands on the game, as well as incite a petition from envious PlayStation fans, who want the game to be made a PlayStation 5 exclusive instead.