Starfield: Terran Armada

It's been over a year since I last played Starfield, and jumping back in after such a long break naturally left me feeling a bit lost, wondering where I was, why my gear looked the way it did, and trying to shake off the rust and recall all the nuances and features. The reason for my return is that Bethesda has released not only the Free Lanes update, but also a proper expansion with a new campaign.

This is intended for those who have already done most of the game, and to stand a reasonable chance, it's recommended that you are at least level 50. To get started, you need to travel to the Settled Systems, specifically Akila City, to listen to a radio broadcast. It turns out that a new faction appears to be posing a massive threat, and I'll choose to be a bit vague about the background as there's quite an exciting story behind the so-called Terran Armada, which has also given the expansion its name. But to summarise, it's about missing soldiers from the Colony War, who have apparently bided their time and built a formidable robot army, which they are now ready to deploy.

Something that sets this story apart from all previous ones in Starfield is that several new features added to the game via updates (primarily Free Lanes) are now implemented within the narrative. The most obvious example of this is the so-called incursions, which essentially mean that an area is under attack. As I have no control over when these appear, they feel vaguely akin to classic random encounters in Japanese role-playing games. To resolve these, you usually have to activate Cruise Mode (also a new feature), which allows you to fly freely through space, after which you can access them, lock onto missions, attempt to shoot down and board ships, and more.

Unfortunately, however, there are a few too many of these elements. This means that what is initially a rather pleasant feature soon starts to feel like a grind rather than something new and fresh, likely to give Terran Armada a longer playtime and to give players the chance to accumulate the new "currency", X-Tech. Furthermore, the incursions are quite similar and repetitive, meaning you run through areas you quickly learn to recognise, albeit with slightly different layouts.

Another element that also feels a bit overused is the robots that make up your main enemies in the expansion. The problem with robots in any game and any context is that they are all the same. Sure, there are a few different models, but shooting at them is never quite as satisfying, and it automatically becomes less engaging when the same enemy keeps popping up time-and-time-again.

And speaking of robots, there is a new companion in Terran Armada, who is also a robot. This one, however, has different loyalties and is somewhat reminiscent of K2SO from Star Wars: Rogue One. It acts as a sort of missing link between your side and the enemy and it also serves as a tool to drive the story forward whilst I infiltrate bases and take part in the aforementioned space battles.

One final point I'd like to add to the cons is that Terran Armada doesn't really have any new, expansive and exciting environments to visit on the same scale as Dazra City (from the previous expansion, Shattered Space). Although there are new areas, these are often smaller bases, stations, and zones that you travel between, rather than exploring a new, large area that really brings a breath of fresh air. It's functional but not particularly inspiring.

Terran Armada never feels bad, but it doesn't really become engaging either, and perhaps Bethesda itself has realised this, as the expansion costs half as much as Shattered Space. If you've really been dreaming of a new weapon, some new parts to build spaceships with, and some new equipment, then you'll surely be more satisfied than me, because that's essentially what you get. As usual, the side quests are the best part, and I'd particularly like to give a shout-out to "Help Wanted". The name gives a clue as to what it's about, but the seemingly straightforward mission gradually becomes more complicated than you might think. Bethesda has a knack for being more experimental with these stories and I wish they'd had more confidence in this sort of unexpected narrative.

All in all, you get around eight hours of gameplay for your money, much of which is unfortunately quite repetitive, with both similar incursions and too many robots being part of the problem. Whether or not you should buy this ultimately depends on whether you truly love Starfield and want more, but if you're hoping that Terran Armada will be the thing that reignites your passion for the game and makes you re-evaluate your opinion of Starfield, then I'm afraid I have bad news.