Starfield's biggest patch yet, focused on bug fixes and visual upgrades, is out now
Better eyes, they say
Starfield's "largest update to date" is out now. It includes dozens of bug fixes across the game alongside "lighting improvements". The update had previously been available on PC via a beta branch on Steam for a couple of weeks.
"Our latest update has moved out of Steam Beta and is now available for all Starfield players. The patch notes have remained the same as previously released during the beta except for a version number change and one additional PC crash fix noted below," begins the full patch notes.
The improved lighting includes tweaks on the character generation menu, which should help players create something non-hideous before they begin their interstellar adventure. There are also shadow improvements on character skin and cloth, better reflections on water, and visible shadows on planet rings when viewed from planet surfaces.
Perhaps most excitingly, given Starfield's often creepy NPCs, the update features "improved eyes and skin on crowd characters."
Most of the updates are fixes rather than improvements, but future patches - due to arrive once every six weeks across 2024 - should hopefully bring more of the latter. Late last year Bethesda announced that they were working on adding city maps, new methods of travel, and more to their somewhat maligned open world RPG.
Personally, I uninstalled Starfield yesterday, having abandoned my playthrough of it after just a few hours back in September. I don't think my problems with it will be resolved via a patch and there are simply too many games to reserve space for a might-be-good-one-day.