Starfield Gameplay Confirms 2 More Immersive Features

Starfield fans were quick to spot this week a number of different features from the latest gameplay snippets sown off during Bethesda's release date announcement. Those features ranged from a more detailed look at the UI setup as well as this game's looting system among other highlights, but two of the more lauded features people spotted are ones that'll be big for those who crave immersion. It also just so happens that both of these features deal with the helmets players will wear in Starfield as they explore different planets and fight enemies that call for specific gear to suit different situations.

The first of those features is one that everyone who spends any degree of time in a character select screen should be happy about, and that's the fact that you can remove your character's helmet at times while (presumably) still benefitting from the stats it grants. Being able to take off a hood or a helmet at certain times is something RPG players often look for since they spend so much time crafting a character the way they want them to look and want to be able to actually see that person from a third-person perspective instead of the character being obscured by clothing.

We see that feature confirmed around the 2:22 point in the video above. It's hard to make out, but there's some blurry text at the bottom of the screen which appears to say "Hide helmet in breathable areas." That alone is a win for immersion in two ways: you can take off your helmet in safer areas so that you don't look like an oddball wearing your helmet 24/7 compared to how others are dressed, and the game still forces your helmet to be on if you're in an unsafe area that calls for extra protection.

The other helmet-related feature is less noticeable but is still important. In the same menu where the hide helmet feature was confirmed, we see in the top-right corner that each helmet boasts different stats. That's a given when it comes to any piece of gear, but the helmet stats we see here indicate there are all sorts of different effects players will need to protect themselves against. Physical damage resistance and energy damage resistance along with an "EM" stat are shown, but beneath them (and seemingly separate from those stats) are more numbers which sure look like the correlate to environmental or elemental resistances. Thermal, Corrosive, Airborne, and Radiation are the four stats shown.

If you're wondering why that's a big deal, it ties into the planetary exploration that Starfield boasts, a feature which players have long had questions about. What kinds of planets can we visit? How different will they be? Are some planets totally inhospitable? These stats don't answer all of those questions, butt hey do confirm that players will will require specific gear to tackle different situations as opposed to having a one-size-fits-all helmet appropriate for any atmosphere.

That's a lot to say about just helmets, but considering how scarce Starfield news has been, it's no wonder players have gone digging for scraps like this. The game will be out on September 6th with a Starfield showcase coming before that in June, however, so it won't be long now until we're able to learn more about the game.