Summary
- The ship builder in Starfield is considered a highlight of the game, allowing players to create unique designs and recreate iconic famous vessels like the Millennium Falcon.
- The ship builder in Starfield has size limitations, but these can be circumvented with mods for more intricate designs. However, the base game tools are sufficient for most designs - such as AustinFliesKites' Boss Galaga ship, which captures the game's pixel art style.
- When using the ship builder in Starfield, players need to consider both design and gameplay aspects. Different designs offer pros and cons, such as increased storage or faster engines, and players should be mindful of how the parts fit together.
A player used the ship builder in Starfield to design a vessel inspired by Namco's classic arcade shooter game Galaga. Though Starfield has offered fans an exciting experience as a conventional Bethesda sandbox, its ship builder is widely considered to be its highlight feature, with the community feverishly sharing their custom designs and faithful recreations since launch. From building the Borg Cube in Starfield to recreating the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, the ship builder is flexible enough to account for nearly any concept a player might think of – though there are size limitations to consider.
While these limitations can be circumvented by using Starfield mods, the base game tools are sufficient for most designs. Known for being one of the most critically acclaimed arcade shooters of all time, Galaga launched in 1981 for the Japanese market, with Midway Manufacturing handling its release in North America. It went on to become a top-seller, with critics and players alike praising its innovative features and addictive gameplay. Its quaint pixel art style carries a timelessness that makes it ideal for the modularity of Starfield's ship builder.
A Starfield player named AustinFliesKites managed to build a Galaga ship in-game, using a blocky color scheme and habitat parts to channel its pixel art style. More specifically, the design attempts to recreate a Boss Galaga, one of the game's more powerful enemies, which not only take multiple shots to be killed but can also use a tractor beam to capture the player's ship.
Though many players opt for design over gameplay, there is a performance aspect to consider when using the ship builder in Starfield. Different designs can have all sorts of pros and cons, from bigger storage to faster engines. Starfield players are not only encouraged to let their creativity loose when modifying their ship (or building one from scratch), but to also be mindful of how the parts fit into the larger whole. Habitats can increase the number of crew slots, for example, but they can also weigh a ship down – which then necessitates adding more landing parts to compensate.
While players can capture enemy vessels to obtain powerful ship reactors or weapons, investing in the right perks in Starfield can allow characters to construct and attach those parts from the comforts of a landing pad. Ultimately, this feature may end up becoming even more complex with the release of Starfield's official modding tools, allowing fans to build more unconventional designs inspired by the arcade classics such as Galaga.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.