Starfield players slam “meaningless” missions that don’t impact the game
Bandai NamcoBethesda RPGs are built around exploration and choice, and Starfield is no different. However, some players on Reddit feel that in-game decisions have little to no impact.
The critical acclaim Starfield received at launch looks to have evaporated, as discourse around the game these days is far less positive. The RPG’s rating on Steam sits at ‘Mixed’ while recent reviews have also plummeted to ‘Mostly Negative.’
Players continue to find fault with various aspects of the game, including lackluster side quests, ‘boring’ cinematics, missed opportunities, and more. Another point of criticism that popped up recently has to do with the lack of impactful choices.
Bethesda RPGs like Fallout 4 and Skyrim placed many crucial decisions in the player’s hands. From picking your preferred ending to deciding the fate of an important character, Bethesda’s games are known for providing plenty of player agency.
BethesdaStarfield aims to do the same as players can pick between multiple factions, change the course of quests through their choices, and even choose their romantic companions. But some players feel that these decisions simply offer an illusion of choice.
The argument emerged on the Starfield subreddit through a post by user ‘Gemificus83.’ In it, the OP vented their annoyance with the game, “It’s really beginning to annoy me that nothing you do in the game actually has an impact.”
They also provided an example, “I just finished the strikers quest in Neon but I know if I go back in a few in-game weeks nothing will have changed in Ebbside it won’t be safer and people a little happier nor will the Syndicate have moved in on Disipicles turf and made things worse absolutely nothing will change.”
Users in the comments seemed to agree with the sentiment and many provided examples of their own experiences. One user said, “On Neon the gun store with the robot had been vandalized. I did that quest and the dialogue said how he’d cleaned him and looked good as new. Only the robot looked exactly the same as before, still covered in graffiti.”
Another user stated, “Yep every location stays the same, besides the Key. No destruction, no political changes, no change of people in power, no new colonies. It feels dead because the world does not progress and is frozen in time as it seems.”
Players are clearly dissatisfied with the lack of impact Starfield’s choices have, so it’ll be interesting to see how the devs address this complaint in the Shattered Space DLC.
Until then, check out how one player discovered the “second half” of New Atlantis after 70 hours and how many people are playing Starfield in 2024.