The universe of Starfield is vast and Shattered Space, the game’s first expansion, welcomes players back with breathtaking landscapes and expansive horizons. But for every moment of awe, you’re bound to encounter bugs and underwhelming plot points that kick you back to reality.
READ MORE: Review | Starfield (Xbox Series X)
The DLC’s central narrative revolves around a religious cult (subjective), The Great Serpent, hidden away from the Settled Systems. You’re thrust into their world after intercepting a distress call from a space station. On arrival, you discover the crew dead and the halls haunted by glowing figures. This sets the tone before you make the jump to the planet Va’Ruun’kai.
Va’Ruun’kai
When it comes to Starfield planets, Va’Ruun’kai is a standout. It’s prominent lighting and starry sky paired with the DLC’s wonderful atmospheric tone is worth the grav jump alone.
The planet’s mysterious, post-apocalyptic landscape reminded me of Bethesda’s Fallout — from the corrosive bodies of water and abandoned dams to the hidden caves and farms. It’s a treat to explore.
Unfortunately, the new city, Dazra, doesn’t quite measure up. It feels like a reskinned version of a town you’ve likely seen before, with little to set it apart — aside from a hidden cave where you walk the Path of the Serpent. For a city so separated from the Settled Systems, they seem to run everything the same as any other major destination.
The Story
The story is a slow build, with a lot of dialogue to sit through but it picks up once you’ve settled in to the new planet. It’s a very politically driven story, in both religious debate and power of people.
One side quest stood out, involving a family traitor. Tasked with hunting down a runaway, I found myself searching various locations and interrogating a poor farming family. Eventually, I tracked down the traitor and faced a moral decision: fake his death or take him out. While I’ve seen this kind of quest before, it hit just right — and no, I didn’t kill him!
Despite an exciting final boss fight, which involves flipping switches and blasting power nodes, the story of House Va’Ruun wraps up far too quickly. What seemed like the buildup to a game changing revelation ends up plateauing into something more mundane.
You’re also given the choice to reign chaos of the Settled Systems or simply not – it didn’t really matter to me. In the end, I was handed the keys to a shiny piece of real estate — the only vacant property in Dakra — it didn’t feel like much of a reward for all the buildup.
Enemies and Weapons
The new enemies add a thrilling horror element to the expansion. Ghostly warriors haunt your steps, and alien spiders, glowing and grotesque, terrorize you in dark caves. One particularly nerve-wracking sequence forces you to fight your way through a cave swarming with glowing spiders, only to face massive ones at the end. It’s terrifyingly great.
READ MORE: Review | Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Xbox Series X)
The new weapons in Shattered Space pack a punch. I found a sword that I couldn’t put down – it was a 172 damage legendary that cut through mfs like butter. This Va’Ruun blade l became my go-to for close combat.
There wasn’t anything more satisfying than slowing time, moving up towards a baddie and cutting them down before they knew what hit them.
New spacesuits and outfits are available too, but unless you’re role playing I found the Starborn suit still reigned supreme.
Performance Issues
Pretty scenery aside, the overall Shattered Space experience is marred by bugs and performance drops. Frame rate dips were frequent, and one particular bug locked my vehicle as my weapon, messing up my jump pack in the process. Though I could still use my weapons, the vehicle icon refused to disappear.
Another annoying issue involved acquiring a bounty that was near impossible to clear – they shoot to kill! I didn’t even know how I got the bounty. After multiple attempts to evade guards, slowing time to escape, I finally managed to clear my name by sneaking close enough to a guard to talk my way out of it. Stressful, to say the least.
The most glaring bug, though, was at the entrance to a major locale, where half of the building was just missing — making it hard to ignore the DLC’s unfinished edges.
READ MORE: Review | Astro Bot ‘Bloody Spectacular’ (PlayStation 5)
Should you buy Shattered Space?
Jumping back into Starfield was a welcome experience, but Shattered Space feels like a glorified side quest in the grander universe. I loved the main game — I gave it a perfect score! It pains me that the first DLC doesn’t hit as hard as I’d hoped for.
The recent quality of life updates paired with the DLC should be enough to draw players back in, but it doesn’t justify the $50 price point. My advice? Wait for the bugs to be patched before diving in — there’s still plenty of Starfield to explore in the meantime.
Quest Daily scores Starfield Shattered Space:
6.5/10
Access to the Starfield Shattered Space DLC was supplied with thanks to Bethesda.
