Starfield features Skyrim-style independent factions system

Starfield’s lead quest designer Will Shen has shed some light on the game’s faction system and some of the interactions you can have with your companions when it launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC next year.

Starfield is one of many games coming to Game Pass, but much like its release date, the Starfield achievements continue to elude us as we wait for it to launch sometime in 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. Bethesda has begun to slowly roll out snippets of information about the upcoming space epic of late, with the latest topic covering its faction system and companions.

Starfield won’t lock you out of factions like Fallout 4

Speaking on a new video, lead quest designer Will Shen explained that players need not fear the faction system found in Starfield, as it offers an experience akin to Skyrim’s independent questline system, instead of the one used in Fallout 4, which could see you locked out of some factions. “We really want to make sure that you can play through all the faction lines independently of each other,” Shen said. “We really want the stories to be a little more personal, right? You’re influencing the direction of where this faction is going to go.” You won’t become the leader of every faction like you could in Skyrim, but “every faction questline will be reflecting on your choices,” and will have “far-reaching consequences.”

Bethesda has designed the game’s main questline, Constellation, to explore the settled systems and introduce the “major players there.” While exploring the solar system, we’ll have companions like VASCO alongside us for the journey. Shen says that the companions will have “a lot of opinions” to divulge as you progress, and at some points, you’ll actually be able to ask them to speak to people on your behalf — you might not get the most desirable outcome at times, though. “You might have a companion with you, and you’ll be challenged, or someone will tell you, ‘You can’t get through here,'” Shen explained. “You can actually turn to your companion and say, ‘hey actually, could you handle this’ and they’ll actually speak on your behalf.”

Are you looking forward to some adventures across the stars when Starfield launches next year? Drop a comment below and let us know!