Starfield: Shattered Space might not be the major rework or upgrade to the base game that longtime Bethesda fans were hoping for, but it certainly feels like a step in the right direction. Mind you, the powers that be at Bethesda Game Studios still believe the game is one of its very best, so expecting it to ever move closer to Fallout or The Elder Scrolls (and their DNA) is silly. But what does this all mean for The Elder Scrolls 6?Personally, I think it’s still far too early to predict how the sixth mainline Elder Scrolls will look and behave. We’re looking at a late 2026 release at the earliest, and with Bethesda’s latest now doubling down on polish and extra features – all while the modding sickos do their thing – it’s gonna be a while before attention is shifted towards our long-awaited single-player return to Tamriel. We can, however, infer a thing or two from Shattered Space’s more traditional bits, which were already present throughout the main game but feel much more prominent this time around. Return to tradition Second launch Starfield Shattered Space review: “delivers an intriguing opening and strong ending that bookends a lackluster middle”First thing’s first: I enjoyed Starfield at launch more than the average player. Those review scores made sense to me. While it was (and still is) a flawed experience with near-instant signs of old age thanks to the Creation Engine’s limitations, I found Bethesda’s vision to be quite captivating and refreshingly hopeful. It was also sort of grounded when compared to The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, which I thought was a smart change of pace for the studio, especially with another fantasy behemoth on the horizon.Conversely, it didn’t fully justify its more No Man’s Sky-like side, which takes up a fair amount of space (though you can try to beeline the handcrafted content). That’s the one thing we all can agree on. Even if you dig the idea of an expansive open-world, space-set RPG which actually shows outer space like the barren, mostly lifeless void it really is, it all would’ve clicked together better had the studio limited itself to fewer but denser locations while keeping the same themes and narrative intact.In Shattered Space, the focus is put on the (no longer) enigmatic House Va’ruun and its homeworld, Va’ruun’kai, which has been hit by a reality-bending catastrophe that may or may not be man-made. Its capital city, Dazra, remains hilariously small for a planet’s main hub, but it also feels like an improved version of Starfield’s most interesting locales. By and large, the expansion can never escape the feeling that it’s actually content cut from the 1.0 release because it wasn’t done on time. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the vibe. On the other hand, it lands right next to the notable faction quests that were already in.Since it was announced before Starfield even launched, Shattered Space was never meant to fix what players thought was broken or needed a glow-up. Maybe that’s coming with the rumored next DLC. But its ‘missing faction questline’ nature makes the return to the Settled Systems remind us of Bethesda’s greatest hits over Fallout 4 and Starfield’s blander open-world chunks. Base-building and procedurally generated planets are fine sandboxes, but (in my opinion) they shouldn’t distract the studio from cooking more of what made Skyrim and past BGS games so enduring.A new frontier Design director Emil Pagliarulo pointed out Starfield wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea while acknowledging there’s room for both experimentation and improvement. I’m glad the studio literally shot for the stars with this one, but Shattered Space’s tepid reception highlights how Bethesda’s classic formula can either stay relevant through careful introspection or be left behind. In order to live up to expectations, The Elder Scrolls 6 must take notes from past wins and current failures. Bethesda’s boldness is refreshing within the larger AAA picture, but such a loyal and creative community should be listened to as well.Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
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Shattered Space won’t turn you into a Starfield believer, but it’s a good omen for The Elder Scrolls 6
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