UNVEILING THE COSMOS: STARFIELD'S GROUNDBREAKING JUNE 2024 UPDATE

The video game universe is a dynamic and ever-changing realm, but few moments can match the palpable anticipation that ripples across the betting cubes of a major title on the day of a major update release. The gaming world of Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield is no exception as it is rolling out its most recent June 2024 update to its players. In this article, we take a look at what's new in Starfield Update 1.12.30 and how players are creating and playing in a more vibrant gaming world.

EXPLORING THE HIGHLIGHT: THE CREATION KIT

With its new update, Starfield has opened up an entire game universe Players, however, will have the ability to create mods using the new Creation Kit, an editing tool in its own right. New game missions, new weapons, skins, objects and gear can be added to the game at will. The whole feature is called Creations, and it illustrates Bethesda’s eagerness to involve players as content creators. Mods made using the Creation Kit will be shared and can be paid for with Creation Credits, unlocking a whole new branch of play: a new way to play Starfield, and a new way for players to create and get rewarded for their work.

Premium Perks and Creation Credits

Generously acknowledging Bethesda’s community, owners of Starfield’s Premium Edition will find 1,000 Creation Credits offered to their accounts following the update. This just-released player-creation marketplace also offers a way to reward core fans and grow the Creation ecosystem before it’s even released into the wild.

Crafting Your Universe: How to Access

For those that want to get started on creating their very own Starfield universe, the Creation Kit is available on Steam for download. As a forum for those creating mods, it makes creating a cosmos rather easy.

TRACKERS ALLIANCE MISSIONS: BOUNTY HUNTING EVOLVED

The other big addition is an overall deepening of the Trackers Alliance missions, which should make the chase more rewarding than ever. Of course, these are in addition to the bounty hunting missions that have been on offer since the game went into open beta last November: a new page, Calls for Crews, which sits next to the existing missions page in the new Creations menu, will add to the depth of missions on offer, which include the new ‘The Starjacker’ and ‘The Vulture’ missions that will drop players into the deepest – and deadliest – hints of the Settled Systems mystery.

Bounty Scanning and Mission Boards

It also updates the bounty hunter’s kit with new bounty scanners to help track and complete missions, and mission boards that further immerse players in the Starfield universe. Whether you choose the route of violence or peaceful resolution, your toolset is more varied than ever.

HIGHLIGHT: THE ENHANCEMENT OF ARMORY AND CRAFTING

But recognising the diversity of approaches in the Starfield community, the June 2024 update improves the crafting aspect of the game, adding new tiers to melee weapons and offering more opportunities for customisation. Following the addition of new types of modified melee weapons, a player researching and manufacturing their favourite ammunition.

ADDRESSING THE COSMOS: BUG FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS

It’s a shine-and-polish philosophy outlined in Bethesda’s official patch notes – there are numerous fixes for bugs and small improvements to everything from stability and performance, to gameplay balance and quest trackers.

Graphics and Quest Enhancements

Graphic fixes such as these address minor immersion-breaks, making the experience even smoother in New Atlantis – and across the world. Likewise, patch notes describe quest fixes such as Background Checks – an early quest that, as of patch version 1.0.3.6, no longer requires players to travel blind to the starting location in order to retrieve their missing Sheriff badge. Given the game’s already deep and varied narrative sources, those fixes emphasise Bethesda’s commitment to narrative and player satisfaction.

CONCLUSION: THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IN STARFIELD

It’s easy to see the June 2024 update as nothing more than DLC, an expansion in content, but Bethesda seems to suggest it’s really a whole shift in paradigm, as players get systems that let them manipulate the Starfield universe, and robust modding and mission-making tools in the Creation Kit. With an already fairly robust mission system and modular crafting systems already in place, it really feels like Bethesda is promising players something greater than we were going to get previously.

Understanding the Highlight

The focus on the Creation Kit and the persistent updates to Starfield also illustrate Bethesda’s gamble on a new kind of gaming. Instead of just delivering diverse and accessible adventures and interrogations of the universe, you can now leave your mark on the galaxy through creations, missions and more, creating an unprecedented partnership between a developer and its community. By creating a game like Fallout 4, the company is betting that we aren’t ready to quit the universe just yet – that, in fact, the stars are just the beginning.