Four Starfield romance options are enough, says Dragon Age’s Lead Writer

When game director Todd Howard confirmed that there would be only four Starfield romance options, a slew of fan criticism followed. Now, the lead writer of Dragon Age has come forward to defend Bethesda’s decision to limit the number of romanceable companions.

Todd Howard explained that the four main characters of the Constellation faction were the only ones to support “full questlines” and “romance.”

Fans were less than thrilled in the face of the announcement, with many questioning how a universe with 1000 planets could only contain four romance options.

However, the Lead Writer David Gaider of the Dragon Age game series, which has widely acclaimed romance options, spoke out in defense of Starfield on Twitter. Dragon Age has long been an RPG-defining series, and featured romance options that have pushed the boundaries of love and introduced consequences to poorly thought-out actions.

With the original Dragon Age: Origins game having only four romance options itself, Gaider said of Starfield, “I’d say this is a good thing, and hopefully speaks of a “quality over quantity” mindset.”

In contrast, 2015’s Fallout 4 launched with seven love interests, and added an eighth with the Nuka World DLC. However, Fallout 4’s romance was shallow at best, with players able to romance every character at once without penalty. The characters may have come from different backgrounds and locations, giving player’s considerable choice in partners, but there was little reason to keep a companion around once you’d maxed out your relationship with them. So, hopefully, focusing on four key NPCs from the same faction will mean more nuanced relationships that don’t end with dumping them on a remote planet for all eternity.

In an interview last year, Todd Howard spoke about Bethesda’s new approach to relationships in Starfield. “In our previous stuff, you just work your way up, they like you more and more and more and more, and [then] you’re in a relationship. When you make them upset, you drift out of the relationship like it never happened. We wanted [a system] where you can be in a relationship, we’ve committed to each other in some way, but I just did something that really made you angry and as opposed to just drifting out of that status you’re in a temporary ‘I don’t like what you did’ state.”

In our opinion, Bethesda’s decision to limit Starfield to only four romance options is a step in the right direction, as Gaider would agree. Deeper and more meaningful relationships can be explored by both the developer and the player by focusing on four NPCs.

Disappointed fans will almost certainly be able to turn to Starfield mods to fill the void if they’re looking for a romanceable pirate or robot. There’s also a very good chance that more meaningful relationships outside of the Constellation faction will be introduced via Starfield DLC, including the first confirmed expansion: Shattered Space. Fortunately, you can keep up to date with all the latest Starfield romance knowledge and more by following us on Google News.