Bethesda’s Starfield has a Steam Beta right now, allowing PC players to check out – and test – the next major Starfield update ahead of its release on both PC and Xbox consoles – which is all very exciting. If you’re hoping to see some major changes made soon and some new features introduced, though, we have a bit of bad news for you; the only thing of note in the new Starfield beta notes is that the next update will add eating – which is something it sort of already has.
Of all the new Xbox games we’ve been fortunate enough to play this year, Starfield stands out as one of the best – and most impressive when it comes to scale. You could even argue that it’s one of the best RPG games of all time. However, that doesn’t mean it’s quite perfect – and Bethesda is well aware of that fact. While some of you want to see this small Starfield New Game Plus change introduced – to encourage you to actually engage with the mode – or the Starfield Advanced Old Earth spacesuit updated to look a little more like the stuff actual astronauts wear and use, Bethesda is deciding to add eating to Starfield in the next major title update.
If you’re reading that and you’re finding yourself a little confused, you’re not alone. You can already eat in Starfield, right? Otherwise, why has Bethesda shoved Chunks and sandwiches into every corner of the Settled Systems?
Well, you technically can eat in Starfield – but, you can’t eat in Starfield. As the latest Starfield beta notes reveal, Bethesda is introducing the “ability to ingest food and drink items upon finding them in the environment” in the next Starfield update. When this update rolls out, and we quote, “you can enjoy those Chunks immediately or save them for later”.
Now, we’re not saying this is completely useless, because it will help players in a pinch “ingest” consumables to restore health. However, at the moment, all you actually need to do is pause the game and then consume these items through your inventory screen. So, it’s not like it’s actually impossible to take advantage of food and drink items right now. This update will just mean that you don’t have to pause your game – which isn’t really something that was much of an issue to begin with, in our opinion.
Xbox players, though, thankfully have a little more to look forward to when it comes to this update. Bethesda’s introducing a number of bug fixes, including one where NPCs would walk around without clothes on and another that would just stop letting you fire your gun. If you want to use one of the best Starfield weapons in a firefight without the worry that it will stop working, this is welcome news.
Bethesda is also going to make stealth gameplay “a bit more forgiving”, but it hasn’t actually detailed what that entails yet. We expect, though, that it will make players a little harder to detect – meaning they can take advantage of the stealth mechanics more freely without being punished. One of the best Starfield builds out there revolves around stealth gameplay, and this update should make that strategy even more viable moving forward.
Right now, we don’t know when this update is expected to go live. Bethesda has only said it will arrive “later this month” – meaning it will drop at some point in November 2023. Nice and vague, then. The fact that this update doesn’t actually introduce too many major features or changes should mean it doesn’t spend too long in beta before being released for Xbox players. So, while you might have to spend the next few days pausing every time you want to enjoy a Midnight Delight or a Chunks Potato in Starfield, you shouldn’t be waiting too long to see that change.
In other news, we now know what the sound of the Starfield player voice originally sounded like – thanks to Sam Coe himself – and there’s a new Starfield gaming chair on sale that is the perfect gift for the holidays (and that includes buying gifts for yourself). Oh, and you should definitely check out the other best Xbox Game Pass games while you’re at it; Starfield is great, but there’s so much more on offer for you to enjoy.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools like a New Atlantis map for exploration.