Summary
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Starfield’s main storyline.Starfieldis finally in players' hands everywhere, and that means plenty of budding new starship captains are out exploring all they can. Described byXbox’s Todd Howardas “Skyrimin space,” this had left players excited and hyped for a lengthy RPG experience that would take them across worlds and give them a game full of content to enjoy for years to come. Now thatStarfieldis out, the consensus is that it delivers on its promises.
However, it may surprise players just how muchStarfieldhas turned out to live up to that “Skyrimin space” comment. Not only are things such as theinfamousSkyrimbucket prankback, but there are special powers to collect, and even a special faction that players had no idea existed until they were already heavily involved in the game’s main storyline. However, the name of this faction, the Starborn, makes it very clear that these similarities aren’t a coincidence.
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Starfield’s Starborn and Skyrim’s Dragonborn
Considering how manyStarfieldplayers have experienced one or more of Bethesda’s other games in their life, with the likely chance thatSkyrimis on that list, fans could run into the Starborn and automatically be reminded ofSkyrim’s Dragonbornfrom name alone. Of course, the similarities don’t stop there as both types of augmented humans are plot-relevant to their respective titles, deal with their own strange languages, and powers, and even have to do with the player character specifically.
The plot relevance between the Starborn and the Dragonborn is hard to ignore asStarfield’s main faction, Constallation, has their entire story changed to focus on it, whileSkyrim’s plot deals with the player character being Dovahkiin. However, as many similarities there are, there are a fair deal of differences that make the Starborn their own experience comparatively.
The Destiny of the Starborn and the Prophecy of the Dragonborn
It can easily be said that in terms of functionality, being Dovahkiin works the same as the powers and the storyline of the Starborn insinuates. Truthfully, some Starborn powers such as having a personal atmosphere may be stronger than the Shouts inSkyrim. However, the roles these races play essentially have their scripts flipped between both games. Where being a Dragonborn is something positive, the Starborn start out as the force aiming to stop the player, even killing a few companions as a warning that ifConstellation keeps trying to find the Artifacts, more people will die.
Eventually, if players go along the path to seeing Unity and becoming a Starborn themselves, they’ll have choices to make that can change the ending, or even start it over inStarfield’sNew Game Plus. There’s quite a lot that hinges on how fans react and respond to the Starborn’s presence and truth, which is much more different and interactive than being a Dragonborn inSkyrimwas, as players were always Dovahkiin from the beginning. In the end, mechanics such as the powers and the Shouts returning in similar ways were likely on purpose from the start.
Starfielditself doesn’t at all try to hide the similarities betweenSkyrim’sDragonborn and dragon language. Once players get the first power for themselves, it’s taught to them as a specific symbol. Then, of course, the obvious similar naming routine.Starfieldtakes what works forSkyrimand its protagonist and almost embraces that like an old friend, which is understandable as bringing those features back is in part because Bethesda applied the familiar additive “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” toSkyrim’sshouts. They worked before, so including them with a new coat of paint makes complete sense when it comes to adding some mystery and intrigue to “Skyrimin space.”
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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