Starfield players explain why “lame” location didn’t live up to the hype

Aryan Singh
Red Mile in Starfield

Starfield features various cities and settlements spread across different star systems, but not all of them are similar in scope. Players online have even pinpointed one location that they felt was a “massive letdown.”



Starfield comes with Bethesda’s biggest universe yet, one that is packed with 1,000 planets. Each planet usually offers unique geographic conditions, wildlife, and even atmospheric hazards. But not all of them host interesting locations as the game’s major settlements are distributed among a handful of planets.

This includes New Atlantis located on Jemison, Cydonia on Mars, Neon on Volli Alpha, and more. These cities also differ in scope, as New Atlantis is a sprawling metropolis while Cydonia is a significantly smaller mining settlement. While interesting quests within smaller settlements can easily make up for their modest size, some players online feel that the Red Mile failed to provide any.

Players arrive at the settlement during the Freestar Rangers’ faction questline, and eventually, they’re tasked with beating the dangerous Red Mile challenge. The quest is built up as a high-stakes run with monstrous creatures blocking the way. But in practice, the quest was relatively easy for many players and even a bit disappointing for some.

A discussion about the Red Mile location emerged following a Reddit post from user ‘PoooopPee.’ Titled “Why is Red Mile so lame’, the OP called out the location for being underwhelming. Users flocked to the post in droves and many seemed to share the OP’s complaint.

One user said, “The amount of Hype for the Red Mile was beyond a joke, they hyped it up as this big bad den of sin with gambling and vice, and all we got was run across a Valley with some monsters to kill.”

Another player stated. “I was so excited when I got there and saw the gambling, and I was like ‘finally something to waste all these credits on!’ And then the immediate disappointment when I realized it was just set dressing. But honestly, my entire experience playing this game was excitement followed by disappointment on repeat.”

Some users even deemed the location as a reflection of the overall game, “They really know how to introduce a cool concept that they then proceed to do absolutely nothing with. It’s like 90% of the game.”

This isn’t the only location in Starfield that players have felt let down by, as some also find Neon to be underwhelming. It remains to be whether Bethesda fleshes out the Red Mile through future updates.

For more on the game, check out our picks for the best weapons and best ships in Starfield.

About The Author

Aryan is a Games Writer at CharlieIntel who specializes in sports and racing games, including EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, and Forza. He's also a big fan of massive RPGs such as Starfield, Elden Ring, and Cyberpunk. Aryan has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and previously wrote for sports websites Pride of London, Sportsmanor, LWOF, and Thick Accent. You can contact him at [email protected].