Since I want to play the first Starfield expansion right at release time, I prepared accordingly. Here I’ll tell you what you should definitely do beforehand, too.
When Shattered Space is released next Monday, the first major expansion for Starfield, I’ll start playing right away. Not only because I want to tell you as soon as possible how good the story DLC is. I’m also really looking forward to the classic Bethesda open world that awaits us on Va’ruun’kai.
That’s why I started preparing for my visit to House Va’ruun a few days ago. And to make sure you have as much fun as possible with Shattered Space right from the start, I have some tips for you to help you get off to the perfect start in the add-on.
Hire Andreja
Even if you prefer to explore the galaxy as a loner or only with your trusty robot, you should at least take your fellow Constellation, Andreja, with you into the expansion Long before she joined the explorers, she was part of House Va’ruun, the religious faction you visit in Shattered Space.
Andreja not only knows the customs and culture of the isolated religion, she will probably also be helpful if you want to convince someone in conversation. As is usual for Bethesda games, there will certainly be a lot of new dialog for the companion because of her story, which she will unpack in conversation with the followers of House Va’ruun.
There could also be differences here if you have completed Andreja’s companion quest – depending on your decision. But I don’t want to spoil anything for you here.
Find out more about Va’ruun
If you are wondering what House Va’ruun is all about, there are two ways to learn more about this mysterious faction. Either read my lore article on the religion or start the Vanguard questline.
Although the Vanguard has nothing to do with House Va’ruun at first, it is still worth starting the quest series before Shattered Space. That’s because you can visit the New Atlantis History Museum in the first mission. During your visit, you will learn some exciting background information about the history of the colonized systems and their relationship to House Va’ruun.
If you were hoping for more than a museum visit, then you won’t be disappointed. Because at a later point in the quest line, you’ll sneak into the House Va’ruun embassy in New Atlantis. An exciting mission awaits you here, during which you’ll learn more about Va’ruun.
Incidentally, the Vanguard quest line is worth playing through even without Shattered Space. It is one of the most exciting stories told in the role-playing game. So be sure to sign up as a Vanguard!
The right equipment
Last but not least, the question of the right equipment for the expansion remains. After all, like the main game, Shattered Space throws a lot of enemies at you. And they will also be quite high level, as the expansion is aimed at experienced players. To make sure you don’t have any problems in combat, two weapons are definitely worthwhile, which I still use today:
Breach or Big Bang
Among the new game mechanics in Shattered Space are portals that can open up in your immediate vicinity at any time. A weapon that can reliably take out opponents at close range is therefore a must.
Two of the strongest options here are the shotguns Breach and Big Bang. If you don’t already have one of these, visit your favorite arms dealer and purchase a variant with the name affix Modern
These do the most damage.
Magpulse
The Magpulse is a good choice in almost any situation. Fully upgraded, it is precise, causes high damage and, unlike shotguns, remains effective at longer ranges.
Again, if you haven’t found a Magpulse yet, check out an arms dealer with a lot of choices (you’re guaranteed to find it at the store Kore Kinetics
in neon). Again, look for the name affix Modern
to get the strongest variant.
By the way, if you haven’t started Starfield for a while before the expansion’s release, be sure to pick up the brand new ground vehicle that was added to the game for free in one of the last updates. To get it, simply visit a ship technician at one of the spaceports and select the appropriate dialog option.
While you won’t necessarily need the vehicle in the handcrafted environment of Shattered Space, it is still useful for cutting down long walking distances.
