Starfield Modder Gets Outposts Working, Igniting Hope for Future DLC

Starfield is the first new IP from developer Bethesda Game Works in 25 years and has mostly been a hit with players on Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game is massive, letting players warp around the universe in their created spaceship. However, even with how much Bethesda was able to pack into Starfield's final release, it seems that there was quite a bit left on the cutting room floor. One of those things is outposts that function similarly to Fallout 4's settlements. The code for these outposts is in the game but it isn't a working feature. At least, it wasn't until a modder named Vex did some work to make them "fully functional."

The mod was first spotted by GamesRadar, who noted that Vex's mod lets players "build their own space stations and truly live the spacefaring fantasy of never touching the ground." As mentioned, the code was already in the game, but Vex says on the mod's NexusMods page, "a few things were broken and just didn't work." Of course, because Vex is running off unfinished Bethesda code, not everything is working perfectly. He says that "a few things like docking are still somewhat broken." Hopefully, he's able to iron some of that out as he continues work, but it's also possible that Bethesda will eventually do it themselves with Starfield DLC.

Bethesda's DLC Plans for Starfield

The reason this mod has players thinking it might be a hint at future Starfield DLC is that it seems odd that Bethesda would include the code in the base game if it wasn't actively working to bring it into the game in the future. As mentioned, the team has experience with base building via Fallout 4, so it's not a stretch to imagine it coming to Starfield. We also know that Bethesda plans to support Starfield for years after launch.

We already know that there's at least one big DLC on the table that's likely set for spring 2024. The Shattered Space DLC was included in Starfield's Premium Edition, so we know it's coming at some point. Given Bethesda's usual DLC release schedule with Fallout, we're probably looking at a six-month wait between the base game's release date and its first DLC. As for what it could include, no one really knows. Some of the more popular ideas are digging deeper into House Va'ruun's backstory or looking into what happened to Earth. Either of those could easily include the implementation of functioning outposts, though we'll have to wait until Bethesda makes an official announcement.

Starfield is available now on Xbox Series X/S and PC.