Starfield: Shattered Space DLC Review - Addressing the Core Criticisms?

Starfield, Bethesda's grand space opera, launched with the weight of immense expectations. While it offered a vast universe to explore, many PC gamers, myself included, found the experience marred by shallow procedural content and repetitive quest design. Now, Shattered Space, the first major DLC, arrives promising to rectify these issues. But does it succeed? As a seasoned PC gaming veteran, I've spent considerable time with Shattered Space, and this review will critically analyze whether it delivers meaningful improvements or simply adds more of the same. Is the Shattered Space DLC worth it for Starfield? Let's dive in.

Quest Design and Narrative Depth: Beyond Radiant Quests?

One of the biggest criticisms leveled at Starfield was its reliance on "go here, scan thing, kill enemy" quests, often presented as Radiant Quests with little narrative weight. Shattered Space attempts to break free from this mold, focusing its narrative on the planet Dazra and its connection to the Great Serpent cult. But is it truly a departure?

The main questline in Shattered Space is certainly more focused than the sprawling main quest of the base game. It involves investigating the origins and practices of the Great Serpent cult on Dazra, which offers a compelling, Lovecraftian horror element largely absent from the vanilla experience. The cult's zealotry and unsettling rituals provide a more engaging backdrop than the often-sterile environments of Starfield's generic settlements.

However, even with this improved focus, Shattered Space doesn't completely escape the pitfalls of repetitive quest design. While the objectives are more intertwined with the narrative, you'll still find yourself clearing out enemy-infested locations and scanning objects. The difference lies in the context and presentation: these actions feel more purposeful within the larger narrative of unraveling the cult's mysteries.

To truly gauge the success of Shattered Space's quest design, it's helpful to consider the hypothetical "Cosmic Quests" mod series that fans have long envisioned. Such a series would ideally offer branching narratives with meaningful choices, complex characters, and far-reaching consequences. While Shattered Space doesn't quite reach that high watermark, it does represent a step in the right direction. The choices you make in dealing with the cult and its followers have some impact on the ending, offering a greater sense of player agency than the often-binary choices of the base game. The Shattered Space DLC story analysis reflects this improved narrative and design direction.

Planetary Diversity and Lore: Dazra's Shattered Beauty

Starfield's biggest flaw was the procedural generation, often resulting in planets that felt generic and lacking in compelling lore. Shattered Space introduces Dazra, a "shattered" planet with floating islands, strange rock formations, and an ominous, purple-tinged atmosphere, clearly aiming for a unique Lovecraftian horror vibe.

Does it succeed? Absolutely. Dazra is visually striking and immediately sets itself apart from the majority of Starfield's planets. The shattered landscape is a constant reminder of the planet's turbulent past and its connection to the Great Serpent. Exploring Dazra feels significantly different than exploring other planets, with a greater sense of mystery and danger.

Comparing this to No Man's Sky's 'Origins' update is apt. No Man's Sky, like Starfield, faced criticism for repetitive and shallow content at launch. The 'Origins' update drastically improved planetary variety and added more compelling lore elements. While Shattered Space isn't quite as transformative as 'Origins,' it does offer a similar injection of unique content and atmosphere. Dazra's unique environment improves Starfield Shattered Space exploration review scores significantly. The lore surrounding the Great Serpent cult is also well-integrated into the environment, with unsettling symbols and shrines scattered throughout the planet.

However, it's important to note that Shattered Space focuses primarily on Dazra. While this allows for a more detailed and cohesive experience, it also means that the DLC doesn't address the fundamental issues with Starfield's procedural generation across the entire galaxy.

Enemy Design and Encounters: More Than Just Terrormorphs?

Starfield's enemy design was another area of criticism, with many encounters feeling uninspired and lacking in strategic depth. The Terrormorphs, despite their initial introduction, quickly became repetitive and predictable. Does Shattered Space offer anything better?

Yes, to a degree. The DLC introduces new enemy types associated with the Great Serpent cult, including mutated creatures and fanatical cultists. These enemies often employ unique tactics and abilities, requiring a more strategic approach than simply running and gunning. For instance, some cultists can teleport short distances, making them difficult to pin down, while others wield powerful psychic abilities.

Graphically, this fight was captured at max settings, showcasing high-resolution textures and detailed enemy models, which is a definite upgrade.

However, the number of new enemy types is limited, and you'll still encounter many of the same creatures from the base game. While the new encounters on Dazra are generally more engaging, they don't completely overhaul Starfield's combat experience. They add strategic depth, but don't entirely fix it.

Performance Impact: A CPU Bottleneck Revisited?

Starfield is notorious for its CPU-intensive performance, particularly in densely populated areas. Does Shattered Space exacerbate this issue, or does it introduce any optimization improvements?

Unfortunately, Shattered Space doesn't appear to offer any significant optimization improvements. In fact, some areas on Dazra, particularly around the main cult settlement, can experience noticeable dips in frame rate, especially if you're running the game on older hardware. These performance issues seem to stem from the increased environmental complexity and NPC density in these areas.

I tested Shattered Space on a system with an Intel Core i7-9700K and an RTX 3080. While the game generally ran smoothly at 1440p on high settings, I observed frame rates dropping below 60 fps in the most demanding areas. This suggests that Shattered Space may require even more powerful hardware to maintain a consistent frame rate, especially if you're aiming for higher resolutions or settings. The DLC's performance issues on PC are concerning for some players.

Conclusion: A Step in the Right Direction

Shattered Space is a mixed bag. It doesn't completely address the core criticisms leveled at Starfield, but it does represent a step in the right direction. The quest design is more focused, the planetary diversity is significantly improved with Dazra, and the enemy encounters offer a bit more strategic depth. However, the DLC doesn't fundamentally overhaul Starfield's core gameplay loop, and the performance issues remain a concern. Ultimately, does Shattered Space address Starfield criticisms effectively?

If you were hoping for a complete transformation of Starfield, Shattered Space will likely disappoint. However, if you're looking for a compelling new storyline, a unique planet to explore, and a slightly more engaging combat experience, then it may be worth checking out.

Ultimately, whether the Starfield Shattered Space DLC is worth it depends on your expectations. It's not a game-changer, but it's a solid addition that offers a glimpse of what Starfield could become with future updates and expansions. Given the state of the base game, most players will likely find the focused quest design and world design a needed step forward.