Starfield Shattered Space will lean into mystery and horror in a hand-crafted world, because Bethesda wants to remind us that "space is scary"

During my time as a member of Starfield's Constellation, I've also become a Freestar Ranger, worked undercover to take down the Crimson Fleet, and joined the ranks of the United Colonies Vanguard. But if there's one missing piece to the Settled Systems puzzle, it's the Great Serpent-worshipping faction, House Va'ruun. It's the one group in the galaxy I've heard so much about, yet seen very little of – but that's all about to change. Bethesda promises to at long last lift the lid on Starfield's religious zealots in Shattered Space, an upcoming expansion which the studio describes as a self-contained experience that will bring us to the faction's elusive home planet, Va'ruun'kai. 

During a chance to take a closer look at the Starfield Shattered Space DLC, I get a taste of what's in store in the "hand-crafted" world, from the strange events that will lead us there, to the feuding groups within the faction vying for power, and the way it's going to capture how "scary" space can be. As an unusual faction that plays such a big part in the history of the Settled Systems, I've long been hunting for Va'ruun missions in the base game, and Shattered Space offers plenty of reasons for me to dive right back into Starfield.

Experimental

Ever since I stepped foot in the Va'ruun embassy as part of a quest in Starfield, I've been dying to learn more about the faction. Not only am I curious about the mysterious deity-like figure, The Great Serpent, but I'm looking forward to visiting their elusive homeworld to find out why the group was cut off from the Settled Systems. As Bethesda outlines in a presentation on Shattered Space, the upcoming expansion is set to really lean into horror and mystery for the story we'll be exploring in Va'ruun'kai. 

There couldn't be a more fitting faction to capture the fact that "space is scary", as the team puts it. After all, there's always been an unsettling edge to the zealots who would sometimes pop up on planets and attack me with their own distinctive weapons. How we'll come to be on their own planet also dials into the mystery aspect, with the story of DLC set to explore what happens when the search for knowledge "goes too far". 

When a secret experiment with grav drive technology is said to go terribly wrong, the result is a "massive tear in the fabric of spacetime", leaving a vortex in its wake. What’s exciting is we’ll be arriving on Va’ruun’kai in the midst of the aftermath, shortly after it’s all happened. Residents have gone missing, different groups are vying for power, and it’ll ultimately be up to us to decide the fate of House Va'ruun. 

As someone who's already curious about the faction, I'm instantly drawn to the mystery – but I'm similarly intrigued by the horror side. Due to the experimentation's fallout we’ll encounter gravity anomalies in the world, and the vortex will bring across creatures in "terrifying ambushes" – resulting in combat that will "amp up” aggressiveness from the fights we're used to in Starfield.

I only get to see glimpses of the planet and its capital city of Dazra, which is said to be "unlike anything" in the base game. Everything looks vibrant and very alien, with curious architecture and new enemies to face.

House Va'ruun always felt primed to be explored in depth, and I'm glad this mysterious faction is finally being spotlighted. I can't wait to explore the serpentine spacefarers' elusive home planet and discover more about the group and this secretive experiment. If I needed another reason to get back into my spacesuit following the vehicle update, this is absolutely going to be it. 

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