Summary
SinceStarfieldis a Bethesda RPG, players are given immense control to be who they want to be within its universe. They have numerous tools to design their unique character, they can make all sorts of decisions that affect the flow of the story, and they are able to do almost anything they want within the game’s massive open world. While it may not be as freeform as some RPGs, the player freedom inStarfieldhelps it stand out from the crowd.
Starfieldmay be built around the concept of player freedom, yet it seems to be lacking in one key area. While players can decide who they want to be, they cannot really decide what they want to wear. The game prioritizes stats over looks, and it does not seem to give players a way to change their outfit appearances at all.Transmog has become an important part of RPGsover the years, so it seems strange that Bethesda would omit the feature from its biggest RPG to date.
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Starfield Could Use A Transmog Feature
Just like with every RPG,Starfieldis filled with cosmeticswaiting to be discovered. Players are able to equip various everyday outfits as well as spacesuits and space helmets. Most of the outfits look vastly different from each other, which lets players express themselves however they want within the game’s world. However, these outfits are also tied down by stats that could give players an edge during theirStarfieldadventures.
Every outfit inStarfieldhas its own stat block that players will want to be aware of when they are dressing up for their adventure. Many of them also have unique bonuses for things like health, intimidation checks, and O2 levels. While this is nothing new for RPGs, Bethesda has left out the ability to actually transmog outfits. Instead of letting the player decide how they want to look, they are forced to wear whatever outfit is the most useful depending upon how they are playing the game.
The lack of a transmog option feels like a strange choice asStarfieldseems to put a lot of emphasis on player freedom. They can build their own ships, make all sorts of game-changing decisions, and even havethe ability to decide their character’s backgroundfor the very first time. These are all great additions to the Bethesda RPG formula. However, not including transmog seems to go against that entire approach. It prevents players from truly being who they want to be, and that needs to be fixed.
Transmog is an important part of RPGs these days, which is whyStarfieldneeds to include it. That said, it’s fully likely that the mod community will attend to that request in some way. Players should have the freedom to apply whatever look they want to an outfit and not be locked to whatever appearance that outfit has for its stats alone. Whengames likeHogwarts Legacy,World of Warcraft, andCyberpunk 2077have transmog mechanics, there does not seem to be a good reason whyStarfieldleft it out.
While it is too late to go back and add the feature at launch, Bethesda should definitely consider adding it in a futureStarfieldupdate. The studio may have never included a feature like this in its past single-player RPGs, but it is about time it did. Giving players the ability to transmog would takeStarfield’s freeform gameplay to new heights, as long as it does not come in the form of purchasable cosmetics akin toFallout 76’s Atomic Shop items. The feature should simply be a free addition to the formula, and players would likely run wild with it.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
