For many, there was a lingering hope that the first major expansion for Starfield, Shattered Space, would rescue the game from the throes of mediocrity. Then, with a focus on House Va’ruun and their home planet of Va’ruun’kai,

For a moment Starfield threatened to topple Skyrim in terms of concurrent Steam player counts, but the Shattered Space boost has ended.

The release of Shattered Space marked my first return to Starfield since September of last year. More than a year removed from Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG, I had mixed thoughts. While the experience of playing through the game was enjoyable enough to be one of my highest-reviewed games of 2023,

In addition to low critic (57 Metascore) and audience (5.6) scores, the overall player data for Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion is…not indicating this is a hit.

Starfield: Shattered Space's wayshrines on the Path to Redemption may be familiar to Skyrim players who have encountered similar landmarks.

S tanding before a keep full of bandits in Skyrim, I pan the camera up to see a big, full moon hanging in the night's sky above me. Its luminous glow decorating the darkness feels