Starfield quests will always have "some better option you might miss"

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

You probably won't play through Starfield quests in the best possible way at first, according to lead quest designer Will Shen.

Shen spoke at length about Starfield and, more specifically, its quest design in a new interview from Bethesda, explaining how Bethesda draws from its "old school RPG roots: lots of dialogue choices, referencing the player's skills and background, a variety of combat and non-combat activities, and highlighting our brand-new setting in a way that signals where to go for what kind of stories you want to experience."

He goes on to suggest a level of replayability in Starfield that we haven't heard teased until now, calling the concept of player choice a key theme in designing the world.

"Choice is always a big one," he said. "Both the choices players will make, but also what choices the people and the world can make in response. So when I'm writing things out, I usually go 'okay, the player just did X, how would their allies and enemies respond? What's the best move they could make? If they can't make that move, why not?' There's always some better option you might miss, but if it makes sense at least from the game's perspective, you'll hopefully get the feel that the story is responding to you."

This is the second time Shen's talked Starfield this week, with a recent video interview revealing that Starfield's random encounters will involve whole procedural mini-quests. He also explained how Starfield will explore "what happened to Earth" before humanity settled on Mars - an area you'll be able to explore in the game.

Shen also revealed that Starfield lets you join all of its factions at once, "kind of like in Skyrim." And yet despite some similar elements, Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently insisted Starfield isn't a reskin of Skyrim.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Skyrim
Skyrim's iconic opening was done by Starfield's quest lead, but only after he was brutally called out for "everything we're doing wrong" in front of the Bethesda team
Starfield
10 best games like Starfield to get swept up in when you're ready to leave Constellation
The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt
Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tap into the same thing that makes The Witcher 3 so compelling – and it's something I'm always looking for in RPGs
Three knights riding on a scenic dirt path in the hills of Bohemia in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
"Instant gratification in gaming has become a problem" – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dev says the RPG is meant to feel like a spiritual successor to Oblivion and Morrowind
Avowed screenshot of the godlike envoy with branch-like antlers, pink hair, and mushroom decals framing her eyes. A bow is on her back.
Some of Avowed's most memorable smaller instances are reminding me of the magic of Red Dead Redemption 2's random encounters
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
Blood of Dawnwalker devs explain how the vampire RPG's "narrative sandbox" builds on what they were "known for crafting" in games like The Witcher 3
Latest in RPG
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
A Dragon Age character stares out against a blue background.
BioWare makes a return to Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a surprise PC update, months after layoffs and a seemingly final patch
Baldur's Gate 3 the vampire Astarion covered in blood
Baldur’s Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon warns games industry that "AI will have deep ramifications" if not properly regulated: "I believe in experiencing life and art through human expression, not software"
Yasuke riding through a village looking for Knowledge in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' prologue is the most gripping in franchise history, but I'm fixated on the tiny details
Naoe perched in front of a castle in Assassin's Creed Shadows
I've spent 20 hours in Assassin's Creed Shadows chasing drip and decor, and it's proving to be my biggest source of motivation in the RPG
Cabernet screenshot showing vampire protagonist Liza sucking someone's blood
Cabernet is the kind of vampire RPG I've been looking for since Masquerade Bloodlines, and I'm already plotting my next run 6 hours in
Latest in News
A screenshot from MindsEye showing a character leaning out of a car, shooting another car with a gun.
GTA veteran says the games industry needs to "get smarter" about what people actually want: "There are so many games, and I think we're starting to feel the effects"
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Yasuke looking over the water to a shrine during sunset in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has an entire island stuffed with adorable kittens you need to check out, and it's based on an actual Japanese cat paradise
phase zero key art showing zombies in a hallway
Former Witcher 3 and Dying Light devs reveal their Resident Evil homage, complete with PS1-style fixed cameras
Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System was only created because WB Games wanted something to combat Batman Arkham Asylum's second-hand sales, exec says