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Starfield's May update finally fixes a hugely annoying feature

The new maps are the star of the show.

Bethesda Game Studios

• Cole Luke

Published: Thursday, 16 May 2024 at 11:34 am

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It’s safe to say that Starfield didn’t quite nail the landing, but Bethesda has been chipping away on improvements, and the latest May update has revamped a much-maligned aspect of navigation to seriously improve how the game plays.

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There are huge performance wins for Xbox Series X owners, too, which should make for a noticeably smoother experience on Microsoft’s flagship console.

Unfortunately, the pint-sized junior Series S is still relegated to 30FPS.

All said, the improvements made set the scene for the upcoming Shattered Space DLC, which Bethesda has described as "massive".

But we can still expect a land vehicles for planetary excursions and mod support before that arrives, giving us even more to be excited about.

Yet, if you’re itching to get back into the new-and-improved Starfield, or have been waiting for fixes before jumping in, read on to see what’s new in the latest update!

What changed in the Starfield update?

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Starfield has finally received improved surface maps that make it far easier for players to navigate planets and cities. Previously, it was kind of a guessing game as to where things were, as points of interest were only signposted by a blue dot.

Now, Starfield’s maps are presented as fully 3D from a top-down perspective, not unlike Google Earth.

Navigating the map will be far quicker too, as players can now fast-travel via different locations using the map or scanner.

Starfield. Bethesda Game Studios

There are also new difficulty modes to amp up the challenge, but also quality of life upgrades such as being able to access ship cargo from anywhere.

There are new modules to use in ship customisation, too, to help freshen up the experience.

Those playing on Xbox Series X are in for a visual treat, as well, as you can now choose between a variety of different performance modes, allowing you to dial in the experience to be exactly how you want it.

Bethesda went over all the major additions in a YouTube video which we have included above, but there’s quite a bit more - so check out the full patch notes below!

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Full patch notes for the new Starfield update

Neon City. Bethesda

Below are all the Starfield patch notes in full, straight from Bethesda itself, so you can see exactly what’s new in update 1.11.36.

• 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 customise 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 prioritise Visuals or Performance, adjust Frame Rate Target, and toggle VSync (Series X).

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Read on for a full list of fixes and improvements!

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 customise 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 set up to use it. If you have it set up 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.

• Prioritise: You can now prioritise 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.

  • Prioritising Visuals keeps the highest resolution while maintaining full detail for special effects, lighting and crowds.
  • Prioritising 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.

• VSync: You can now toggle between VSync off or on. Choosing off will separate the game frames from the monitor's refresh rate, and may result in screen tearing. Toggling On will synchronise the frame rate to the monitor's refresh rate avoiding screen tearing but limiting number of frames.

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.

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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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Authors

Cole LukeFreelance Writer

Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to Radio Times Gaming. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.

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