Starfield gets a new beta update on Steam with bug fixes, a 'Very Low' display setting, and no new content

Two months after annoying everyone by promising that its development team was still "hard at work" on "exciting things" for Starfield that it refused to talk about, Bethesda rolled out a decidedly unexciting new update in Steam beta that adds a Very Low display setting, makes a few changes to the Creation Kit, and fixes some bugs.

There's really not much to say about this one. The new display setting may be a boon for players whose PCs struggle with Starfield, although I can't say that I find the prospect of playing at the worst possible visual fidelity all that terribly appealing. The ability to add new icons via the Creation Kit is fine, I suppose, and the increase in allowable upload size presumably opens the door to bigger, more complex Creations in the future. Bundling Creations in the store? I'm sure some mod makers will find that useful.

Beyond that, though, today's update is entirely a tune-up, and that's sparked a fresh wave of annoyance among some players, who find it all pretty thin given that it's been six months since the last Starfield update rolled out on Steam. Some are happy to have proof that the game is still being worked on, but there's also an undeniable feeling on the Starfield subreddit and Steam forums that, well over a year after Starfield's launch and six months since the last update, Bethesda should have come to the table with more than this.

Interestingly, while there's no mention of it in today's Steam update, Bethesda did tease some upcoming new content today on its website, although it's being developed by someone else: Watchtower is a new mod from Kinggath Creations, "Fallout 4's best modder," whose previous work includes bringing Doom weapons and armor to Starfield in At Hell's Gate. Watchtower sounds like a significant piece of work—here's the lowdown:

A new faction has emerged from the shadows to protect humanity from potential threats with excessive power – and they’ve identified you as their latest target. Join forces with a fellow adventurer hunted by Watchtower, befriend their contacts and work together to pilfer Watchtower’s technology and turn it against them.

And yes, we have a teaser:

Watchtower is set to go live on May 20—Kinggath said on X that it will be a paid mod, but a cost hasn't been announced.

As for today's Starfield update, it's currently available in Steam beta: If you're not in that and want to be, right-click on Starfield in your Steam library, select "Properties," then "Betas," and then the "beta" option from the dropdown menu. Note that this will install an entirely new, beta build of Starfield on your PC, and that saves on the beta branch will not be compatible with the live version until the update is in full release.

The full patch notes are below:

FEATURES

• Added Very Low display settings to improve performance on some devices.
  
• Creation Kit: Added the ability for Creators to add new icons to the game.
  
• Creations Store now supports bundling Creations.
  
• Creation Kit: Creations up to 2GB in size can now be uploaded.

BUG FIXES

GENERAL

• Creations: Resolved a possible error when restoring load order if a large number of mods were installed and then deleted.
  
• Creation Kit: Resolved a possible crash when loading a plugin with an ingredient form.
  
• Addressed a possible control lock that could occur when changing views at the same time as sitting in a pilot seat while landed.
  
• Addressed a rare movement lock that was possible during forced dialogue scenes.
  
• Addressed a control lock that could occur if a vehicle Creation was disabled while a loaded save depended on it.
  
• Addressed a rare control lock that could occur when immediately opening a menu after loading a save during take-off.
  
• Fixed an issue that could prevent exiting a vanity camera (PC).
  
• Fixed a possible crash related to moving or removing buildings at the Main Outpost in Andraphon.
  
• Resolved a rare crash that could occur when entering the Unity.
  
• Addressed an issue where rapidly pressing quicksave could result in some quicksaves being removed.
  
• General crash and stability fixes.
  
• Creations UI fixes and improvements.

GAMEPLAY

• Skills: The Cargo Link and Robots build limits from the Outpost Management skills should now persist after going through the Unity.
  
• Weapons: The Space-Adept legendary effect no longer has a negative modifier for terrestrial damage.
  
• Gameplay Options: Addressed an issue with some interiors that prevented cargo access.
  
• Gameplay Options: Clarified the status effects text for Malnourished and Hydrated.
  
• Fixed a Grav jumping issue that could occur after being hailed in Freestar or UC space.
  
• Fixed a rare issue that could impact items displayed in the Razorleaf.
  
• Resolved an issue with missiles that could prevent XP awards.
  
• Fixed a player placement issue that could occur if a new creation was installed and a save was loaded into the UC Vigilance.
  
• Resolved an issue where creatures could get moved to water if they ever became stuck.
  
• Addressed an issue where dropped items could lose there stolen status.
  
• At Hell's Gate: The Crucible Blade no longer damages ships in orbit when used inside a ship.
  
• At Hell's Gate: The Crucible Blade audio will now play correctly after loading a save or fast travelling.
  
• The Bounty Board in the Tracker's Alliance HQ now has the correct audio interactions.

GRAPHICS

• Updated resolutions to include 32:9 and 32:10 resolutions as well as more 16:9, 16:10, and 21:9 resolutions.
  
• Performance: Resolved an issue that could cause frame rate to drop when opening the scanner on long play sessions.
  
• Celestial bodies should now remain visible in the sky after entering and exiting an interior.

QUESTS

• All That Money Can Buy: Fixed a rare issue that caused the Trade Tower elevator to be inoperable.
  
• In Memoriam: Addressed an issue where completing "At Hell's Gate" with Sarah as the companion could prevent completion of the quest.
  
• Perfect Recipe: Shonda will now recover if she was downed while collecting Ashta meat.
  
• The Starjacker: Adjusted dialogue options that appear for characters playing after entering the Unity.
  
• Top of the L.I.S.T. - Resolved a control lock that could occur after selling survey data to Phil Hill.
  
• Trackers Alliance: Resolved an issue where bounty scanner quests could time out.
  
• Trackers Alliance: Fixed a rare issue where either killing or stunning the target would not complete the bounty missions.
  
• Worlds Apart: Fixed an issue that allowed the player to leave the planet too quickly after exiting the temple.

LOCATIONS

• Mannequins will now persist as intended in the New Atlantis Penthouse.
  
• Player should now be able to modify the shelves and cabinets in the Core Manor in Akila City.
  
• Resolved an issue that could prevent scanning some flora.
  
• At Hell's Gate: The Plasma Research Facility now shows up on the surface map.
  
• Fixed a visible opening in the Deserted Biotics Lab.
  
• Vent Hazards are now displaying correctly on Jemison.

UI

• Ship Builder: Resolved an issue with the ship upgrade menu when only one module is available for upgrade.
  
• Ship Builder: Addressed a selection issue when using large fonts.
  
• Ship Decoration: Updated the names of Empty ship modules.
  
• All buttons should now work in the Vehicle Builder menu with large fonts enabled.
  
• Localization: Text for the Dehydrated debuff is no longer cutoff in Spanish and Polish when large fonts is enabled.
  
• Localization: The bounty boards in the Tracker's Alliance HQ are now localized consistently.
  
• Localization: Strings for both Hydrated and Dehydrated status effects regarding sneak attacks are fully localized.

VEHICLE

• A keyboard binding is now available for the boost button. (PC)
  
• A marker for the vehicle will now show up on the player's compass.
  
• Resolved a camera issue that could occur for players with maxed out Surveying skill.
  
• Improved logic for exiting the vehicle when partially obstructed.
  
• The vehicle will now deploy when landing at locations other than spaceports or landing pads.
  
• Addressed a visible artifact with the Rev-8 when boosting in foggy conditions.

SHATTERED SPACE

• Va'ruun outpost modules are now available to players after entering the Unity.
  
• Skills: Killing enemies inside gravity bubbles on Dazra will now count towards the Gymnastics skill.
  
• Addressed an issue with the buttons on the lift on the Mourning level in Dazra.
  
• Weapons: The Penumbra now deals bonus headshot damage.
  
• Performance: Addressed an issue that could cause slight stutters in the Well and outside Dazra.
  
• The Va'Ruun Schimaz's blade is no longer pixelated on the Data Menu.
  
• Fixed a lens flare flicker with the Citadel on Dazra.
  
• Zealous Overreach: Adjusted Mirek’s dialogue options to account for characters that have been through the Unity.
  
• Zealous Overreach: Resolved issue that could occur if the player cleared Shadow Station Epsilon prior to speaking to Ekris.