Bethesda’s highly-anticipated sci-fi game, Starfield, will reportedly let you join multiple factions, even sabotaging them from within.
Factions aren’t anything new for Bethesda games, introducing new characters and sending the player on a variety of different questlines. From the Stormcloaks from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to the Brotherhood of Steel from Fallout, factions are typically the most interesting part of the world you’ll be exploring.
Starfield looks like it’ll be expanding the faction system like never before, enabling the player to join multiple factions at once, with the added option of being a double-agent, allowing you to pick sides that’ll likely affect the player’s reputation in the galaxy.
Will Shen, Starfield’s lead quest designer, recently revealed in an interview what factions players will be able to join, and a little bit about them. First, there’s the United Colonies, which is a bit like the Galactic Republic from Star Wars that aims to unify planets and civilisations. Then there's the Freestar Collective, an outer world group with an old-west vibe. There’s also Ryujin Industries, a megacorporation that reportedly has one of the game's best questlines. Finally, there’s the Crimson Fleet, who are basically just space pirates.
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The Crimson Fleet is where the snitching and sabotage come into play, with Shen explaining it best by stating: “You can side with pirates, or you can report back to your superiors and be this space cop type of thing. So it lets you be a good person and still play with the bad guys.”
It’s an interesting idea and a great option for anybody looking to roleplay a “space cop” or bounty hunter in their playthrough.
Honestly, it’s looking exceptional so far, promising more ways to play than ever before. Whether you want to be a hero, villain, or somewhere in between, it looks like they’ll be options that cater to everyone’s style. Character and ship customisation also look incredible, with plenty of options to flesh out your character’s appearance and background, as well as the ship they’ll be fighting and exploring in.
Starfield will launch on the 11th of November, exclusively for Xbox Series X and PC, a decision that's caused some controversy with Sony and PlayStation.