Starfield is not without its flaws, with that being the particular talking point as of late, though its shipbuilding system is not one of them. The Xbox exclusive features one of the most robust ship construction systems we’ve seen, making it a fun mini-game for players to sink their teeth into – and what a hit it has been. Out of over 61,053 years spent playing the game, it’s staggering that almost 3,000 of them were spent crafting the perfect Starfield ship, whether it’s a fan-favorite vessel from other franchises like Star Wars or even a floating phallic object, it’s hard to deny how captivating this system really is.
Say what you want about Bethesda’s Starfield, but it’s evidently gripped many Xbox gamers with its massive universe to explore, deep Starfield ships system, and fun outposts mechanic. With the potential for a Starfield vehicles update in the future, alongside many other teased additions, one of the best RPG games is on course to get even better – hopefully changing the minds of those calling Starfield boring.
In Bethesda’s ‘Starfield End of the Year Update’ blog, the developer has revealed a heap of fascinating statistics, such as the somewhat concerning revelation that just 12% of Starfield players have completed the game 5 million times, how players have scoffed at over 18 million Battlemeal Multipacks, or the staggering 22,284,331 days played since launch – 61,053 years in slightly more tangible terms. However, the 26,027,845 hours spent in the Starfield ship-building system are perhaps the most remarkable.
Yes, players have spent a whopping 2,971 years in the ship-builder alone – though that’s not nearly how many hours Baldur’s Gate 3 fans spent making characters even before the Xbox release. Nevertheless, with over 5% of overall playtime spent in this single system, it’s clear that players value the fun, Lego vibes of putting a ship together piece by piece. The infused personality and potential for wacky constructions with Starfield’s ship customization is undeniable, including the incredible Star Wars ships recreated in Starfield.
However, the true excellence of this system comes from the fact that, although having a strong ship is vital in a handful of the Starfield factions quests – namely the UC Vanguard and Crimson Fleet – space combat and exploration are rather lackluster. As an aspect of the Xbox RPG that was highly anticipated before release, it’s a shame that piloting your ship isn’t quite as exciting as players would have liked – something we comment on in our Starfield review. As such, having nearly 3,000 years invested into the ship-building mechanics suggests players simply enjoyed finding new parts and figuring out how to best to attach them – we certainly did in our own playthrough, constantly tweaking our designs, adding parts, and upgrading certain stats, even if it wasn’t all that necessary.
With many of the best Starfield ships also being free ships, it certainly is surprising to see so many players sink countless hours into building the perfect ship without an obvious need to. We can only imagine that a similar number of hours were spent in the Starfield outpost building system and hunting down the best Starfield outpost locations, further showing that perhaps freedom and creativity are the real hook of the Xbox RPG, rather than an emotional narrative or gripping open world. While you might disagree with it being one of the best open world games, it’s no doubt one of the best Xbox games and best Xbox Game Pass games out there. As always, keep an eye out for all the new Xbox games and Xbox exclusives on the way, as Starfield will have some steep competition in 2024.