Summary
Starfieldupdate 1.11.36 is now available for download on the Xbox Series X/S and PC. This release expandsStarfieldwith more difficulty options and some new gameplay features, among other novelties.
Bethesda’s latest open-world RPG has been treated to a double-digit number of patches since its September 2023 launch. Near the end of last year, the developerrevealed itsStarfieldcontent roadmap for 2024, which saw it commit to putting out one major update roughly every six weeks.
Starfield Adds Informative Surface Maps by Popular Request
The newly introduced 1.11.36 patch is the third major revision since that schedule kicked in, arriving two months afterStarfieldupdate 1.10.31rolled out in mid-March. While the changelog attached to the previous patch numbered over 500 items, this latest one has around 120. That’s not to say it’s lacking in meaningful additions, including improved surface maps that aren’t just a collection of icons and abstract linework, but actually reflect the terrain they’re meant to represent. Bethesda previously said it opted to redesign the game’s local maps by popular request.
New Starfield Difficulty Options Are Here, Including Some Light Survival Mechanics
Update 1.11.36 also expands onStarfield’s difficulty settingsby offering players much more granular control over their experience in the Settled Systems. These additions can be found on the “Gameplay Options” screen of the Settings menu. While many of them simply allow for fine-tuning damage based on its source and receiver, some can also be used to enable light survival-like mechanics. E.g., players can now turn on a requirement to eat and drink, increase environmental damage, or make ammo have weight.
The current version of the sustenance system is a bit simplified compared to the recentFalloutentries, whose meters have been replaced with a binary hungry/thirsty check. But fans who have been asking for more survival mechanics inStarfieldare likely to see this as a step in the right direction. The new gameplay options can also be used to make the game even easier than its previous lowest difficulty setting, though it’s dubious whether many players will choose to do so, asStarfieldwas never seen as a particularly challenging game, to begin with.
Want to make ground combat harder but ship combat easier? You can do just that!
The mid-May update also adds a Ship Decoration mode to the game, allowing fans to personalize their spacecraft interiors using the same system that was already in place for furnishing Outposts. The patch itself has been in beta testing on Steam since the beginning of May. PC players who participated in the beta but now want to move back to the stable channel can do so by opening the game’s properties in the Steam client and disabling its experimental branch under the Betas tab. TheStarfieldland vehicle that Bethesda teasedas part of its latest beta announcement isn’t actually part of this release, but more news about its development is expected to follow in the coming months.
Feature Highlights
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.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
