Starfield's Next Big Update Comes May 15 With Improvements Galore

[GFreeman]

Bethesda had already promised a big update for Starfield, and yesterday, it announced all the goodies to come, including the May 15th launch date. The May Update, as it is called, will bring detailed surface maps, new gameplay difficulty options, new display settings, new features for ship customizations, and more, as well as an extensive list of bug fixes.

According to Bethesda, the Starfield May Update comes with improved surface maps, new gameplay options which allow fine-tuning for those looking for an extra challenge or want to make certain aspects of the game a bit easier, and a new Ship Decoration mode for the interior of ships that now allows players to decorate the ship in the same way as outposts. The update also adds tabs to container menus for easier inventory management, adds an ability to change traits and appearance after entering the Unity, a new Dialogue camera toggle in settings, and new display settings for the Xbox Series X.



The Update also adds a Frame Rate Target option on the Xbox Series X, where you can choose between 30, 40, 60, or an uncapped frame rate on VRR displays, and an option to prioritize between visuals and performance in order to maintain the frame rate target, where prioritizing visuals will keep the highest resolution and full details while the performance option will dynamically lower the resolution and details as the game scenes become heavy on the hardware. According to Bethesda, both modes might still adjust resolution dynamically.

The May Update also brings an extensive list of bug fixes, including general stability and performance improvements, general improvements for character fleeing, avoidance and pathfinding, and issues with object placement. There are a lot of other gameplay, graphics, outpost, and quest bug fixes, including fixes for artifacts when using DLSS, FSR, or XeSS upscaling.

As stated, the Starfield May Update will officially launch on May 15th, and it is currently available in Steam Beta. Here is an in-depth breakdown with Community Director Jessica Finster and Joe Mueller, Istvan Pely and Tim Lamb from Bethesda Game Studios.

Here are the full release notes.

Starfield's latest update is here and it's bringing several new features with it!

• Improved surface maps - We've heard your feedback, and we've made some big improvements to surface maps, so you'll always know just where to go and no longer "get lost" on the way to your parents' place (and they weren't buying that excuse anyway, you should really go visit them).
• New gameplay options - For those of you who like a bit of an extra challenge or want to make some aspects of the game easier, you can customize your experience with brand new options in the Settings menu. Want to make ground combat harder but ship combat easier? You can do just that!
• Added Ship Decoration mode to the interior of Ships - now you can decorate your ships just like you can with Outposts!
• Added Tabs to Container menus to make managing your inventory easier.
• Added the ability to change Traits and appearance after entering the Unity.
• Added Dialogue camera toggle in the Settings.
• Added Display settings for Xbox Series X to prioritize Visuals or Performance (Series X).

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Read on for a full list of fixes and improvements!
(PLEASE NOTE: This update is currently in Steam Beta before going live for all players. We don't anticipate much to change from this update but will let you know when it's available and any adjustments we make to the notes below. Thank you!)

XBOX SERIES X DISPLAY SETTINGS
We've heard from many that you'd like to have more control over the graphic fidelity and performance on Xbox, similar to how PC players can customize their experience. We're now enabling that on Xbox Series X with a few options that you can use to find the best fit for your playstyle and display.

For each of these, we highly recommend a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Display running at 120hz, and to verify your Xbox is setup to use it. If you have it setup this way, Starfield will now default to a frame rate target of 40, while keeping the priority for full visuals.

• Frame Rate Target: You can now choose between 30, 40, 60 or an Uncapped frame rate on VRR displays. If you do not have a VRR display running 120hz, you will still be able to select from 30 or 60. Screen tearing may occur at times when selecting 60 on a non-VRR display.
• Prioritize: You can now prioritize between Visuals and Performance while trying to maintain the frame rate target. If you're choosing a frame rate target of 60 or above, we recommend changing this to Performance. Prioritizing Visuals keeps the highest resolution while maintaining full detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Prioritizing Performance lowers internal resolution and detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Both modes may adjust internal resolution dynamically when scenes or action get heavier as well. When switching between modes, you will see the lighting change briefly as the system catches up to the new mode.

BUG FIXES
GENERAL

• General Stability and Performance improvements.
• General improvements for Character fleeing, avoidance and pathfinding.
• Fixed various issues with object placement.

GAMEPLAY

• Fixed an issue that could cause a ship's maximum shield capacity to appear decreased after loading a save with certain assigned crew.
• Fixed an issue where invisibility could persist on a companion's weapon after invisibility effect ended.
• Scanning flora/fauna XP is now also awarded via harvesting/killing.
• Resolved an issue with unintended harvest items appearing in flora from blended biomes.
• Addressed an issue that prevented repeated docking with a previously commandeered ship.
• Fixed an issue with Class C flight behavior after entering targeting mode while boosting.
• Addressed an issue that could occur when attempting to dock with a ship as it grav jumps away.
• Fixed a ship scanner issue that could occasionally display incorrect hostility or crew count.
• Fixed an issue where docked ships would appear to overlap after loading a save while boarding.
• Stunned Characters should no longer display the option to talk to them.
• Fixed an issue that could cause apparel to not display as intended on mannequins.
• Helmets placed on Mannequins should no longer cull the neck and torso section.
• Addressed an issue that could cause weapons to duplicate when looting and enemy.
• Addressed a rare issue that could cause characters to not exit dialogue when attacked.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the dialogue camera to quickly shift focus when exiting conversations.
• Neon and Ryujin security should be more diligent on arresting the player for criminal behavior.
• An Autosave should now be created when fast travelling to the player ship if Save on Travel is enabled.
• Fixed an issue with sandstorm hazards not working as intended under certain conditions.
• Fixed an issue with weather changing incorrectly when entering a ship.
• Addressed an issue related to using the Starborn Power 'Inner Demon' on certain Robot models.
• Resolved a few issues related to loading a save after using 'Phased Time' power.
• Fixed an issue with lip-sync while 'Phased Time' was active.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause legendary Starborn weapons to lose their special effects.
• Resolved an issue that could prevent storing items in containers aboard the Razorleaf.
• Addressed an issue that could cause the player to appear as if they were in zero gravity after completing a temple.
• Fixed an issue with Rifle Certification skill that could prevent faster reloading benefit.
• Resolved issue with certain weapons not being able to fire immediately after they were aimed.
• Resolved and issue that could cause melee attacks to occur without animation.
• Fixed a visual issue with the Laser sight emitted from an enemy Magshear.
• Resolved a weapon visibility issue that could occur when opening the hand scanner with 'Toggle Iron Sight' setting enabled.
• Fixed a weapon visibility issue that could occur when switching between weapons of different types.
• Addressed an issue with how the Subtitles from the ECS Constant were displayed.
• Addressed an issue with gaps appearing on the character when previewing helmets in the Transfer Menu.
• Resolved and issue that could cause clothing to be seen through the spacesuit after aiming with a scope.
• Addressed and issue that could cause enemies to receive unintended force when killed.
• Fixed an issue that could occur when killing a seated character.
• Loading save should retain camera settings.
• Addressed an issue that could cause quests to have a much longer cooldown than intended.
• Resolved an issue where UC ships could still send friendly hails to a member of the Crimson Fleet.
• Fixed areas of Moara's ship where player could become stuck.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the desk inside the Ship Services building in Akila to disappear.
• Fixed an issue that would prevent random ship encounters from landing on planets in some situations.
• Fixed an issue with the turn counter on the persuasion minigame when dealing with the Star Parcel Freighter.
• Ship Service Technicians should now return to their normal location if they had previously wandered away.
• Players who find their way into Benjamin Bayu's penthouse should now be able to exit properly.

GRAPHICS

• Exterior ship lights should now appear as intended in Photomode and during travel sequences.
• Fixed various shadow issues (flickering and precision).
• Fixed an issue that could cause the galaxy map to zoom out to an incorrect extent. (PC).
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause the ocean to not blend smoothly with the shore.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the screen to be stretched on 16:10 and 32:10 screens with FSR3 in the character editor (PC).
• Improved the look of depth of field in specific cases.
• Fixed subtle flickering that could occur on some on highlighted parts in the ship editor.
• Improved the look of lighting and shadow under trees.
• Improved wind direction consistency.
• Fixed an issue causing the glow of stars to be slightly visible through planets.
• Fixed a few visual artifacts with some VFX.
• Improved the look of rain ripples on water.
• Fixed an issue that could cause missing fog to occur while landing in Neon.
• Improved flickering artifacts sometimes present with upscaling techniques DLSS, FSR, XeSS (PC).
• Fixed a few flickering and ghosting issues for FSR3 (PC).
• Fixed an issue that could cause the game UI to disappear after changing the Borderless Full Screen option when using FSR3 (PC).
• Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause artifacts during camera transitions.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause missing object highlights in the hand scanner.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause visible rain effects inside a spaceship.
• Fixed an issue that could cause water to turn white in New Atlantis when using a particle beam.
• Adjusting a setting option that read as "Off" to now read as "Low Quality" for motion blur.
• Adjusted the default value for Ship Third Person FOV.
• Fixed an issue that could cause weapons on racks or in containers to disappear or change upon re-entering the player's ship.

OUTPOSTS

• Fixed an issue that could cause robots to appear unassigned after deleting the Outpost Crew Station.
• Addressed an issue with Cargo Link parts not updating orientation after moving a structure at an Outpost.
• Removed red outline that could sometimes remain on objects after they were repaired at an outpost.
• Fixed an issue where changing greenhouse flora types in Outposts could disconnect the water input.
• Resolved an issue with environmental hazards persisting inside outpost structures built in hazard areas.
• Fixed an issue where greenhouse plants sometimes didn't move correctly when the greenhouse was relocated.
• Fixed issues where stairs could sometimes be deleted when deleting objects placed on them at an outpost.
• Addressed an issue that allowed the player to reach unintended locations by stacking furniture in Outposts.
• Resolved an issue with storage container auto foundations appearing where stackable containers already exist in Outposts.
• Fixed an issue with Outpost wires not moving correctly when a wired structure was moved.
• Addressed an issue that could cause habitat modules to float when supporting structures were removed.
• Fixed an issue that could unintentionally affect the ambient audio of Outpost items.
• Fixed an issue with inner-system cargo ships not unloading resources to capacity.

QUESTS

• Back to the Grind: Fixed an issue that could cause the camera to unintentionally return to first person when exiting the interview seat with Imogene.
• Breaking the Bank: Fixed an issue where unselected Dialogue options would incorrectly gray out when talking to Chief Purser Murata.
• Breach of Contract: Resolved the issue where Dr. Keala may not have been present at the intended location.
• Crew Encounter: Resolved an issue that could cause Betty Howser to not appear in Jake's bar to be hired.
• Echoes of the Past: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Delgado to get stuck while traversing the canyon.
• High Price to Pay: Fixed an issue where progression could halt if a United Colonies character was hit during the escape.
• Hostile Intelligence: Resolved the issue that could cause the Steam Tunnels to become inaccessible if the mission area was left for a long time.
• Into the Unknown: Addressed an issue that could cause Vladimir to no longer give the Player Temple locations.
• Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue where the temple location would not populate when receiving the "Go to" objective.
• Legacy's End: Fixed an issue that could cause Huan Daiyu to not be positioned as intended at the end of the mission.
• Legacy's End: Fixed in issue that could cause the Crimson Fleet Prisoners to have incorrect idle lines while standing in the Brig of the Vigilance.
• Legacy's End: Resolved an issue with returning to the Key if a freed prisoner was killed.
• Loose Ends: Addressed an issue that could cause the scene between Neshar and Neon Security to not occur as intended.
• No Sudden Moves: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Petrov to get stuck walking to the artifact.
• One Small Step: Addressed an issue that could cause Vasco to appear stuck in the floor of a commandeered Crimson Fleet ship.
• One Small Step: Miners should no longer fire on the player in the Vectera mines.
• One Small Step: Resolved an issue that could prevent fast travel to the ship from the world boundary.
• Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue that could cause idle animations to play on a corpse.
• Sabotage: Fixed an issue that could cause manipulated characters to move in an unintended way.
• Start-up Stopped: Addressed an issue that sometimes caused the quest not to initiate.
• The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could cause player to incorrectly receive an unintended objective.
• The Devils You Know: Improved where characters were looking in some scenes.
• The Mantis: Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Razorleaf to disappear.
• The Old Neighborhood: Addressed an issue that could occur when using area of effect attacks in Moara's ship.
• War Relics: Addressed an issue that could cause Unit 99 to appear stuck.
• Left Behind: NPCs will no longer talk about being attacked by wildlife on lifeless planets.
• Legacy's End: Resolved an issue that could cause NPCs to be culled depending on where the player is located.
• Grunt Work: The Terrormorph should no longer get stuck if lured into the room Hadrian is hiding in.

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[Space Lynx]

AAA game finally gets update for maps, enjoy navigating with maps. Only took 6 months after launch. Welcome to 2024, the timeline where hell and chaos rule supreme.

 

[razaron]

I'll wait until 6 months after creation kit comes out to give it another go.

 

[Space Lynx]

I'll wait until 6 months after creation kit comes out to give it another go.

with Todd games, It's best to wait 3-4 years after original launch date before playing them. that's how I did Skyrim and Fallout 4 and it was a smart move both times, I played Starfield briefly and had fun, but def going to give it a full playthrough in 2 years or so from now. I'm in no rush, I have plenty of backlog.

 

[64K]

It's laughable at this point how out of touch with their customers Bethesda is. Probably the one thing that could resuscitate Starfield (the mod tool kit) is still nowhere to be seen.

 

[Rakhmaninov3]

with Todd games, It's best to wait 3-4 years after original launch date before playing them. that's how I did Skyrim and Fallout 4 and it was a smart move both times, I played Starfield briefly and had fun, but def going to give it a full playthrough in 2 years or so from now. I'm in no rush, I have plenty of backlog.

Seems to be the way to go these days. Cyberpunk, Starfield, you name it, so many have been broken and buggy on launch.

Does anyone know if this update will fix the economy issues in the game? Later on, few vendors have enough money to buy valuable items from you.

 

[vantila]

Starfield was a surprising letdown. I was hyed for it but I didn't had unrealistic expectations. Somehow, with all the resources they have they managed to release something bad. Are they lazy? Are they inefficient? Starfield world building and level design can't even compare with From Software or CDPR games anymore, what is wrong with them I don't know but I wish it wasn't like this. I wish Starfield was great.

The bottomline is that they are making worse games while using relatively same amount of resources as CDPR or From Software.

 

[dgianstefani]

with Todd games, It's best to wait 3-4 years after original launch date before playing them. that's how I did Skyrim and Fallout 4 and it was a smart move both times, I played Starfield briefly and had fun, but def going to give it a full playthrough in 2 years or so from now. I'm in no rush, I have plenty of backlog.

I told all my friends this but as usual hype won out and they played it day one then got bored after two hours.

Seems to be the way to go these days. Cyberpunk, Starfield, you name it, so many have been broken and buggy on launch.

I'm literally waiting until I have a RTX 50xx card to play Cyberpunk.

 

[thesmokingman]

Dude thought he was gonna win something at the awards, remember that lol?

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Yup, patient gaming is the only way to fly nowadays.

Wait for the complete edition with all patches and DLC for $10 1-2-3 years from now and enjoy.

I've personally found I actually like games and the hobby of gaming more this way since the games are obviously in better shape when I play them and for $10 or less I feel less pressure to justify or nitpick my purchases the way I would if the game was $60/$70/$80. I'm actually playing through Shadow of War and between getting the complete edition dirt cheap and completely missing the whole MTX garbage the game initially launched with, I am having an absolute blast.

A mid game for $10 can still be very enjoyable. A mid game from $70 would piss me off to no end.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Starfield was a surprising letdown. I was hyed for it but I didn't had unrealistic expectations. Somehow, with all the resources they have they managed to release something bad. Are they lazy? Are they inefficient? Starfield world building and level design can't even compare with From Software or CDPR games anymore, what is wrong with them I don't know but I wish it wasn't like this. I wish Starfield was great.

They're both, but mroe importantly, they do not care about the work they do nor their consumers. Over 12 million people bought that sucker of a turd, after the controversies surrounding fallout 4 and 76. Why change?

The bottomline is that they are making worse games while using relatively same amount of resources as CDPR or From Software.

It doesnt matter, if they are selling 10+ MILLION copies it could just contain pictures of bricks. Consumers get what they pay for.

 

[Vayra86]

Yup, patient gaming is the only way to fly nowadays.

Wait for the complete edition with all patches and DLC for $10 1-2-3 years from now and enjoy.

I've personally found I actually like games and the hobby of gaming more this way since the games are obviously in better shape when I play them and for $10 or less I feel less pressure to justify or nitpick my purchases the way I would if the game was $60/$70/$80. I'm actually playing through Shadow of War and between getting the complete edition dirt cheap and completely missing the whole MTX garbage the game initially launched with, I am having an absolute blast.

A mid game for $10 can still be very enjoyable. A mid game from $70 would piss me off to no end.

I was strict on that philosophy for years, and in the last few years I caved several times and every time it was a huge letdown.

Although I did adjust it now. I find that indie/smaller studios are much more capable of living up to expectations. I tend to buy into an early access shortly before the real launch here and there in that segment. That hasn't been a letdown thus far. And its cheaper, to boot.

They're both, but mroe importantly, they do not care about the work they do nor their consumers. Over 12 million people bought that sucker of a turd, after the controversies surrounding fallout 4 and 76. Why change?

Truth.

 

[Random_User]

with Todd games, It's best to wait 3-4 years after original launch date before playing them. that's how I did Skyrim and Fallout 4 and it was a smart move both times, I played Starfield briefly and had fun, but def going to give it a full playthrough in 2 years or so from now. I'm in no rush, I have plenty of backlog.

Unfortunately, with Todds and Emil's games, one can wait a decade, and the games will be the hot garbage, full of old unfixed bugs, and laking the most basic and crucial features. Theres's no hope, that Bethesda will roll out the update, that will fix and add everything needed. Most likely will add a bit of stuff, but add even more issues, on top of existing pile of problems. It would be very desirable, to finally satisfy the scammed owners of Starfield. But it was seen from the pre-launch videos, that the game is going to be fail. No way they will add so many stuff that game still missing. Anyway, it still has the same animation and core as all the Bethesda games, since Morrowind and Oblivion. Good thing is, that the game is less story related, and is more space exploration. But even here, it's probably get some Elite Dangerous instead.

As the recent F4 update was a turd. The game lost the only pillars and shell, that was holding from falling apart. Now it will require months, until the moders will update and troubleshoot their mods, and make them compatible. Also, after nine years, the game is unable to either change the brightess/gamma without relying on mods. There's no fullscreen/windowed switch, with basic Alt-Enter shortcut, that majority games have no problem with. So many essencial stuff in missing from the game, and it relies on the mods heavilly. I don't even mention the dubious scrips and writing.

Also, the Creation club is utter scam. Most stuff in there is basically worse, than free mods from Nexus. And the Bethesda management is so greedy and stubborn that they still can't add mod support for Steam Workshop for their Fallout games, instead of their own dumb one.

 

[Launcestonian]

Starfield is a game for mature gamers, not for the young crowd. That's why on steam forums, you get plenty of comments belittling & cursing the game overall. The audience on those forums is obviously for the quick run n' gun shoot em up crowd of gamers or for the speed freaks that like driving games, etc, etc...
There is a thread in the Starfield discussions there about how old you are. A perusal of that thread is quite revealing as to the ages that gamers admit too & why they like or not like the game. It's ultimately a a RPG that demands time & patience to build up a character & enjoy the fun of it, not everyone's cup of tea - I get that.
I'm just pleased at this point in the game's life that Beth are paying attention to improving it despite the whims & cries of impatient gamers that crave instant satisfaction from anything they turn their energies too. Still its a sign of the times that a generation of gamers who bath in a world of instant gratification with entertainment can now get more of that gratification from Bethesda.

I haven't perused the whole change log of the new patch, but I had to abandon a playthrough cause' of a bug in the 4th last part of the MQ - not to worry, the game is a lot of fun for me so start again on a higher difficulty with the new patch.

 

[Minus Infinity]

I'm always a late adopter of games, so never was going to play this immediately even if it were flawless gem. I reckon by the time I get around to this circa 2026 it should be a highly polished turd with mods galore.

 

[stimpy88]

It needs to be a whole new game rather than a bug fix.

 

[Flyordie]

I had to stop playing due to all the bugs. Its ridiculous how many bugs there were during my time playing it.

I do plan on jumping back into it though. Maybe late this summer?

 

[64K]

Unfortunately there's no patch for boring.

 

[Prima.Vera]

The game was OKish, but the endgame was a total letdown and the most boring and flat ending from any games I have ever played. It just felt like I wasted all of those gameplay hours for nothing. Sorry, uninstalled it and done with it, same as Diablo IV.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Starfield is a game for mature gamers, not for the young crowd. That's why on steam forums, you get plenty of comments belittling & cursing the game overall. The audience on those forums is obviously for the quick run n' gun shoot em up crowd of gamers or for the speed freaks that like driving games, etc, etc...
There is a thread in the Starfield discussions there about how old you are. A perusal of that thread is quite revealing as to the ages that gamers admit too & why they like or not like the game. It's ultimately a a RPG that demands time & patience to build up a character & enjoy the fun of it, not everyone's cup of tea - I get that.
I'm just pleased at this point in the game's life that Beth are paying attention to improving it despite the whims & cries of impatient gamers that crave instant satisfaction from anything they turn their energies too. Still its a sign of the times that a generation of gamers who bath in a world of instant gratification with entertainment can now get more of that gratification from Bethesda.

I haven't perused the whole change log of the new patch, but I had to abandon a playthrough cause' of a bug in the 4th last part of the MQ - not to worry, the game is a lot of fun for me so start again on a higher difficulty with the new patch.

I see how you could think that, the elderly ARE easily scammed, after all.

But no, the reality is that Starfield was just another janky Bethesda game, with all the same problems as those that came before.

 

[SN2716057]

I'll maybe get it when it's in the 5 euro section on Steam..or gifted.

 

[boomheadshot8]

I'll maybe get it when it's in the 5 euro section on Steam..or gifted.

You can get it for free

 

[SN2716057]

You can get it for free

bender knows

 

[Magician]

I really liked Starfield, but it definitely had its problems. My biggest one wasn't bugs (on PC, not that far from launch, I only had a handful): it was boredom.

A lot of the stories and side missions were flat out dull. And in an RPG, that's a huuuge problem.

But on the flip side, it had moments of brilliance (the ship building is excellent for example, and there were some gems with the faction missions).

The update is welcome though, and I'll probably treat Starfield in the same way as other modern RPG's:

"I'm bored."
"Oh, I have Starfield installed."
"Not really playing everything else. Let's shoot some people and marry Andreja!"

 

[boomheadshot8]

I really liked Starfield, but it definitely had its problems. My biggest one wasn't bugs (on PC, not that far from launch, I only had a handful): it was boredom.

A lot of the stories and side missions were flat out dull. And in an RPG, that's a huuuge problem.

But on the flip side, it had moments of brilliance (the ship building is excellent for example, and there were some gems with the faction missions).

The update is welcome though, and I'll probably treat Starfield in the same way as other modern RPG's:

"I'm bored."
"Oh, I have Starfield installed."
"Not really playing everything else. Let's shoot some people and marry Andreja!"

it's missing something like Fallout's games, but it's not a fallout