Starfield trailer reveals Shattered Space DLC coming this year, and new in-game content coming tonight

The Bethesda panel at Xbox Games Showcase just dropped a Shattered Space DLC trailer alongside some exciting addendums. While the Shattered Space DLC is coming 'later in 2024' with no indication of a release date, the base game is receiving an update tonight with new quests, locations, weapons, armor, and bounties.

Shattered Space will be the first expansion to renew the playerbase's interest in Starfield for a year. While the trailer raises more questions than it answers for the enigmatic premises of this DLC, Starfield fans are getting some exciting new things to try on today.

---

Starfield: Shattered Space puts on the Shivering Isles pants for a trip to the House of Var'uun

Another DLC, another cult to topple (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Shattered Space takes the familiar Bethesda DLC route, as the trailer makes its Alice-in-Wonderland premise very clear from the beginning. The story of this expansion will have you investigate an uncharted space station where things are not quite right, and eventually transport you to the House of Var'uun for its whimsical cosmic horror pageant.

The implication of this bizarre space cult is the big bad of enforced hive-mind amalgamation. The starborn's first DLC opponent is the corrupting presence of the Great Serpent's will, which consumes you until there is no 'you', 'only us'.

As such, Shattered Space has a lot of weight to carry. As Starfield's edges and gaps have become more palpable, its critical consensus has become middling about a year into its release.

To put their best foot forward, Bethesda is taking obvious inspiration from the success of Shivering Isles (TES IV: Oblivion DLC). A part of the trailer co-incidentally bears some remarkable resemblance with the Sierra Madre from Fallout New Vegas DLC 'Dead Money'.

---

The base game is getting more content, with the double-edged blade of Creation Club

If Shattered Space manages to be a masterpiece on the level of Shivering Isles or Far Harbor (Fallout 4), it may redeem the reputation of Starfield. It would still be a coat of good dressing on a mediocre base game, though. Thankfully, Bethesda is hard at work with improving the crust underneath.

Starfield's problems won't go away overnight, but tonight's additions are a step in the right direction. The trailer teases us with the promise of new locations to populate the barren planetary wastes, and new quests to make the journey more fun. The amount of content teased is the biggest we have received in any Starfield update so far.

To some fans, the bigger surprise reveal is the integration of paid Creation Content in Starfield. For better or worse, paid mods are back on the menu, as the Starfield Digital Premium Edition manifest is emblazoned with Creation Credits.

While the Creations are bringing the excitement of new mods to try out, the Creation stonks are also dragging the bad omen of monetization.

Thankfully, you might never have to rely on monetization to get a good modlist. Whether Starfield will have the lasting legacy of Skyrim remains a question, but its modding community still has room to grow.