Starfield players call out major missed opportunity with stealing ships
BethesdaStarfield features dedicated ship vendors that can be used to buy or sell ships. However, players on Reddit have criticized the devs for failing to make selling ships feel more rewarding.
Starfield uses its sci-fi setting to great effect and lets players explore a vast galaxy filled with over 1000 planets. Each of these planets serves as an open world of their own through distinct landscapes and atmospheric hazards. But to travel to these locations, players have to make use of spaceships.
The game goes all in and makes these ships an important aspect of the core gameplay loop. Travelling across the galaxy in any capacity, or even hopping to different star systems requires players to make use of ships. These vessels are also essential for dogfights against enemies in space, which can be some of the best combat encounters in the game.
Besides utility, the presence of ships also allows for a bit of role-playing as a ship-stealing pirate. Starfield even has a pirate faction named the Crimson Fleet, which is a pretty seamless fit for players interested in adopting this playstyle.
BethesdaUnfortunately, the game fails to make stealing ships feel rewarding, as there’s no way to sell a stolen ship without paying additional credits to register it. Even the game’s dedicated pirate faction doesn’t purchase unregistered ships, which can easily discourage players from playing like a pirate.
A discussion surrounding the topic broke out after a Reddit post by user ‘DARK_YIMAIN.’ The OP had some harsh words for the devs as they criticized the rewards for stealing ships. They said, “How could they possibly think this is what the players wanted? No, really, how bad can you be at designing videogames, to end up making this choice consciously?”
“You want your players to go steal a goddamn SPACESHIP, sell it for mere pocket change. Is it fun? No. Is it rewarding? No. Is it stupid and absolutely pointless? Yes!,” they continued.
Some users in the comments seemed to agree with the OP’s sentiment, with one user saying “I hear you. It seems like the point of stealing ships is more for the XP and loot, and keeping it to use, rather than flipping them for credits. The game in general isn’t very supportive of chaotic or evil RP.”
Others leaped to Bethesda‘s defense and felt that the decision helped stabilize the game’s economy, “For the same reason as to why stealing cars in GTA isn’t the best way to make money; it would break the game.”
Many even said that there’s no point in earning a ton of credits in the game, “Let’s pretend that there are no other ways to make ridiculous amounts of money. OK, you get millions by selling stolen ships. So what now? How you will spend them?”
Going by these opinions, it looks like Starfield’s economy could use a rework to make piracy feel like a rewarding playstyle. The game could also use some high-priced items that feel useful enough to grind towards. And there definitely should be a way to sell unregistered ships, especially to an ‘evil’ pirate faction like the Crimson Fleet.
For more on Starfield, check out the “perfect” NPC players want as a romance option and the best weapons in the game.