Starfield Shattered Space ten-minute deep dive unearths a spaced-out Morrowind

With Starfield's upcoming Shattered Space DLC, Bethesda is taking one small step back from proc-gen, and one giant leap into some of their old titles. They recently put out a 'Deep Dive' to give players some cues about what to expect in Varuun'kai, its self-contained content island. As the newly introduced space buggy rolled out into the distant horizon of this alien planet, we couldn't help but remember the Velothi fishing market of Vos in Morrowind.

Creative Lead Alan Nanes comments during this featurette:

"Vorun'kai has a very distinct visual identity. We say it's alien."

Looking back at the Bethesda library, it doesn't get more alien than Morrowind.

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Shattered Space will be more Alien than the base game according to developers (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Of course, with what we know, we can't make claims regarding how 'Morrowind' it is other than some architectural inspiration and its pretext of being a content island. The Starborn's romp through Vorun'kaai is an uninterrupted adventure on foot (and the trusty dune buggy). You won't need to leave the planet, Bethesda has confirmed, because House Varuun are an isolationist bunch.

Much like the far-north ash-laden island of Vvardenfell in Elder Scrolls, Varuun'kai is defined by its homebrew culture and politicked by its intrinsic pressure groups, cut off from the rest of the Settled Systems. Also like the Dunmer Houses of Morrowind, House Varuun is subject to a power struggle between its many minor Houses.

This, thankfully, is where our comparison ends. The story still has beats of another Bethesda classic, as you're very much on the railroad to being the chosen one. As a Starfield player, you've likely already boarded that ship being the 'Starborn'. In the home of the House Varuun, you're here to staple your legacy to the Will of The Great Serpent.

Bethesda's first 'Deep Dive' mostly showcases some of their art design decisions, and a little bit of the plot premise. You reach Dazra City, capital of Voruun'kai, in its own Oblivion Crisis. There has been a 'Vortex Incident'—a tear in the space-time fabric that has swallowed its central Citadel and brought forth "creatures from the other side".

Some gameplay beats were shown off, among which are the zero-gravity fields of Varuunkai, a particle beam cannon, as well as some space horror that passes as a poor man's Prey (incidentally another Bethesda game).

The developers also say they're closing the gap in combat with an emphasis on melee, but not much melee gameplay was shown. Perhaps there will be more updates on this in another dev diary as we close the gap to the release of Starfield Shattered Space on September 30.

Check out the Deep Dive here:

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