What to expect from Starfield mods? New features, worlds, and more explored

Starfield is developer Bethesda’s newest mainline entry, set in a brand new universe - the first in its 25-year-long history. The title brings with it a lot of expectations and promises, including the availability of full mod support. Director Todd Howard has explicitly confirmed that Starfield will indeed support mods out of the box. As a result, eager modders around the globe have already begun preparing in anticipation.

Starfield, like almost every mainline Bethesda title, can also be expected to have superb modding support from the community. In this article, we shall explore the possible mods that the game could receive post-release, along with other relevant information.

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Starfield should see an immense modding scene within a few weeks post-launch

An impressive number of mods exist for Skyrim (Image via Sportskeeda)

Bethesda mainline titles have historically seen great post-launch support from unofficial parties. These individuals have consistently pushed out a great deal of modifications for the base game, bringing with it a striking amount of content and gameplay enhancements.

Fallout 4 has seen great community support (Image via Sportskeeda)

A great example of this would be in Skyrim and Fallout 4, both of which possess a rich catalog of mods. In fact, other than the usual gameplay/performance enhancement mods, there have even been separate expansions that offer new in-game content. This may be in the form of additional missions or even new areas detailed with 3D maps and models.

Skyrim, in particular, has an active modding scene despite its age, with players even building up another Bethesda title, Oblivion, into it.

Nexusmods already has a page up for the title (Image via Sportskeeda)

As such, being a next-gen Bethesda title with full, official mod support, Starfield is very likely to see a countless number of mods within a few weeks of release. Nexusmods has been vocal about mod support, holding a countdown in anticipation of its release.

Nexusmods is the hub for game modifications. The usage of the Creation Engine within the title (which is a modified version of the engines used in Fallout 4 and Fallout 76) means that mod development will be more accessible than usual.

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How mods have impacted and kept Bethesda mainline titles timeless classics to this day

The impact of mods on Bethesda titles such as Fallout 4 and Skyrim cannot be understated enough. In particular, mods such as the unofficial Fallout 4 patch have enhanced gameplay experiences, offering better performance stability compared to the official version of the game.

This is especially evident in a title as old as Morrowind, where mods make the game more enjoyable today. The same can be expected for Starfield, which will only get better with age as modders figure out the game engine in its entirety. All of this will allow for it to potentially become a timeless classic.

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Quality-of-life improvements, gameplay enhancements, and unofficial campaigns heading to Starfield

While there are still no mods available for Starfield on account of the game not being released yet, players can expect a considerable volume of these to begin creeping in after the first month of launch. Basing our assumptions on the already fascinating Fallout and Elder Scrolls modding community, players should at the least expect the following types of mods:

• Quality-of-life improvements: This section of mods will mostly focus on accessibility and performance enhancements. Expect unofficial patches, gunplay improvements, and a tweaking of enemy AI. Additional difficulty tweaks will also be made available, allowing for a more “hardcore” experience.
• New worlds and story-based content: Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Starfield mods are the user-generated campaigns. While these will admittedly take a longer time to develop, games such as Skyrim have shown the dedication of the playerbase in crafting these newer experiences. To this extent, perhaps some improvement to the stock planets can be expected, bringing with it new flora, fauna, and architecture.
• Graphical mods: Graphical mods can be divided into two distinct types. The more popular version will include enhancements, allowing for cleaner textures, better resolutions, and more. The other sort of graphical mod will involve downgrading visuals to a more or less acceptable degree, allowing for the game to run on lower specced systems, such as the Steam Deck, at more stable framerates.
• NPC mods: Stock NPC behavior in Bethesda titles has historically been a hit or miss. The situation changes for the better, however, with mods in effect. Players can expect changes, ranging from better AI to more dialogue/romance options.
• Ship mods and cosmetics: This subsection of mods is expected to arrive the earliest, with players conjuring up incredible cosmetic changes to both in-game items and ships. Ships, in particular, are expected to receive changes such as new decals and even replica builds like that of the Millenium Falcon.
• Multiplayer and co-op: The final set of possible mods would be a rather ambitious one, aiming to add split-screen or multiplayer functionality in what is otherwise a completely single-player game. While it may seem impossible at first glance, it has been proven to be possible multiple times in titles such as Skyrim and Hogwarts Legacy.
• Mods on the Xbox Series X/S consoles: With the recent push from Bethesda to bring out certain mods to consoles, the same can be expected from Starfield. Obviously, the scope of these mods will be quite limited, requiring official approval from Bethesda themselves, likely being available a few months after release.

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Starfield releases worldwide on September 5, 2023, for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Mod support for the game is expected to follow shortly afterward as exciting times await members of the modding community.