Starfield's Shattered Space DLC launched on September 30, and it was meant to address many of the base game's major issues, with a more hand-crafted feel, more intimate encounters, and a more narrative-driven gameplay experience. Instead, Steam gamers and critics alike have lambasted the expansion online for boring and underwhelming, repetitive gameplay, calling it "more Starfield," essentially repeating the story of Starfield's initial launch. At the time of writing, the Shattered Space DLC has 1,601 reviews on Steam, with only just over 34% of those reviews rating the expansion positively—placing it squarely in the "Mostly Negative" category on Steam.

Likely the biggest disappointment when it comes to Shattered Space's poor reception is that the Starfield player base actually seemed quite optimistic about the expansion, thanks to previous gameplay and interviews about the intention behind the expansion. Critically, however, Starfield developer, Bethesda, deliberately didn't send out game keys to the press for review prior to the launch of the game, so there was no real way for players to know whether they would enjoy the $29.99 expansion before buying it.As mentioned before, most of the negative reviews mention stale, repetitive gameplay that is underwhelming, although there are also complaints of disjointed writing and poor acting ruining the immersion. Others also lamented the DLC's $29.99 price tag, especially considering the "mediocre" gameplay experience and short runtime it ultimately delivered.

Shattered Space is meant to meaningfully expand on Starfield lore by letting players interact with a faction they had encountered in the main game but had never actually dealt with in any meaningful way:

Shattered Space is a new story expansion for Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' epic role-playing game and first new universe in more than twenty-five years. A mysterious power stirs in the city of Dazra on House Va'Ruun's hidden homeworld. Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure.

When a distress signal from a derelict starstation sparks a journey to Va'Ruun'kai, the veil of secrecy surrounding the worshippers of a deity known as "The Great Serpent" is finally lifted. Immerse yourself in the dark and complex world of House Va'Ruun, as you navigate a tense political landscape, uncover the history of the Va'Ruun people and help decide the fate of the faction in the wake of a cataclysmic event.

What few positive sentiments there are among the Steam reviews praise the environmental design, visuals and atmosphere, while some of the more important fights in the DLC also received positive comments. The Steam review score will likely change over the coming weekend as more players pick up the expansion and pen their thoughts, but for now, it's safe to say that the community isn't particularly enthralled.