Starfield players hail new lighting mod as a "game changer" for overhauling shadows leading to immersive exploration

A new Starfield mod is being hailed as a "game changer" for overhauling the game's lighting.

The mod in question is called 'Shadowy Shadows - Fluffy Flora Dark Nights and Gorgeous Godrays,' and it's already amassed over 1,300 downloads on NexusMods since it launched earlier this month. It's aiming to completely change the game's lighting system for even better shadows, while the player is out and exploring the vast reaches of space. 

The fruits of the modder's labor can be seen below, in both before and after screenshots. In truth it's a really impressive creation, bringing depth of field with multiple darker colors to Starfield. The player hails it as a "game changer," and a mod that makes exploration more "immersive" than ever before. Starfield's main premise is exploration, so that's a pretty great bonus.

This mod is a game changer! Makes exploration much more immersive. (Shadowy Shadows on Nexusmods) from r/Starfield

There's even a video clip of the Shadowy Shadows mod in action just below. There's all sorts of biomes shown off, including snowy mountains, lush grasslands, and more, all of which look a damn sight better than they did before thanks to the 'ini' tweaks the Shadowy Shadows mod plays around with. 

Modded shadows and forest density from r/Starfield

The tweaks in particular mean Starfield shouldn't, in theory, suffer any performance-related problems when the mod's running. That's only in theory though, so it's worth a little warning that in some specific environments like densely-packed forests, your game could well take a bit of a battering.

The mod is apparently inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and "real life," which is a pretty solid set of inspirations. One of the chief aims of the mod is to make shadows "darker," and "render at a further distance," which the screenshots and video clip above look like they've achieved. 

Read up on our guide to the best Starfield mods if you're after other gameplay-boosting mods to install.