Starfield Expansion Shattered Space Never Sends You Off-Planet, Bethesda Confirms

Bethesda has released a deep dive into Starfield expansion Shattered Space, offering a first meaningful look at gameplay.

The video, below, shows off Va’ruun, the new planet Starfield players get to explore in Shattered Space. Bethesda describes Va’ruun as an “isolated, handcrafted new world in Starfield’s first major story expansion,” and compares it to some of the biggest and best expansions it has released for its The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games.

The “handcrafted” note in particular feels deliberate. Starfield was criticized by some for leaving the handcrafted feel of Bethesda Game Studios’ previous titles behind in favor of a galaxy-spanning adventure filled with over 1,000 planets, most of which were fueled by procedural generation.

Shattered Space, on the other hand, revolves around a solitary planet, and in the deep dive video Bethesda developers stressed that the entirety of the expansion takes place on it. There is no need to leave it at all.

“From the minute you arrive on Va’ruun’kai the story never sends you off planet,” Tim Lamb, lead creative producer, said. “You’re free to leave at any time, but the story is fully centered around life on the Va’ruun home world.”

“We wanted to give you the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of this location and find clues as to who these people really are and what happened to them,” added lead producer Joe Mueller.

“When we first started thinking about what this experience would be like, we knew we wanted it to feel like a traditional Bethesda Game Studios expansion. Having the planet laid out so intentionally works perfectly with this isolationist society. Everything they’ve done since establishing themselves will be right here on Va’ruun’kai. The whole planet tells the story of these people who have never left their home and want to remain a secret.”

Here’s the official blurb:

In Shattered Space, players will visit the homeworld of House Va’ruun for the first time. Explore a fully handcrafted new location and unravel the mysteries surrounding the followers of the Great Serpent. House Va’ruun is on the brink of collapse and their people need help finding a path forward. When your sudden presence on their hidden home planet is seen by some as divine intervention, it’s up to you to restore House Va’ruun and decide the fate of this secretive faction.

Bethesda also talked up Shattered Space’s more chaotic, aggressive, in-your-face combat, in contrast to the distance shooting of the base game. Expect ambushes from odd creatures that pop up through rifts in spacetime. Storywise, you end up caught up in a political feud between the planet’s various pockets of power, and ultimately decide the fate of House Va’ruun.

Starfield, which enjoyed the biggest launch in Bethesda Game Studios history, is available on PC and Xbox Series X and S. Shattered Space launches on those same platforms on September 30.

Owners of the Premium or Constellation Editions of Starfield get Shattered Space as part of their original purchase. Owners of the base edition can still purchase the Premium Upgrade for access to Shattered Space plus other digital items including the Digital Art Book, Original Soundtrack, 1,000 Creation Credits, and the Constellation Skin pack.

Bethesda is of course working on more than Starfield expansions. It’s also got The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 to contend with, alongside updates for MMOs Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online. On the mobile front, Bethesda has just released The Elder Scrolls: Castles.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.