Redditors think they’ve pieced together Starfield’s opening already

Ever since the Starfield Direct showcase on June 11, 2023, eagle-eyed Starfield fans have been theorizing what the Starfield tutorial will look like and how the game will open. In only a few short days, one group of Redditors have created a very convincing theory.

From what we have seen from the Starfield Direct showcase, you – the player – begin your adventure as a miner for Argos Extractors. In the course of your duties, you encounter an Artifact – an alien object mentioned several times throughout Starfield’s development, and the key to the main story. Upon finding the Artifact, you are hurled into a series of events which require you to travel the Settled System in search of more Artifacts.

However, it is not clear where in this sequence of events you create your Starfield character.

But this didn’t stop numerous Redditors from digging into the details from the showcase. Redditor Matthew_Al-Wahid theorized that Starfield will begin with “either a starting cutscene, or you initially play as a helmeted character” at which point you “interact with the artifact”. The Artifact “knocks you out” and the pictured NPCs “bring you back to the ship/station.”

Starfield Redditor Bat-Stranger posted a screenshot from the Starfield Direct showcase event which further supported this sequence of events. “[Bethesda] might not have spoiled the very start of [Starfield]” during the June 2023 showcase. Noting the Artifact under an NPC’s arm, Bat-Stranger thinks that this particular scene “happens after you find the artifact”.

It is then in the Starfield Direct showcase that you are presented with a data-tablet clearly demonstrating the character creation menu, and the Starfield tutorial concludes.

However, Bat-Stranger’s observation fueled a great deal of speculation from other Redditors. While many agreed on the sequence of events – mining for resources, discovering the Artifact, and then creating your character – others disagreed, believing that you customize your character first before finding the Artifact.

The Redditors who disagreed with Bat-Stranger widely believe that the data-tablet is Bethesda’s “are you sure this is the character you want to make?” moment, as Redditor Mookies_Bett speculated.

It is common practice in previous Bethesda titles to create your character at the beginning of the game before running through a tutorial. Once the initial tutorial is completed, you are given the option to reconsider any of the stats, traits, and skills of your character before venturing into the wider world.

As a result, it wouldn’t be strange if Starfield allowed you to create your character first, run you through the tutorial, and then give you a second chance to reconsider any of your choices once you’ve encountered the Artifact.

We at Starfield Db have put together our own theory of how Starfield’s opening could play out. However, if you’re worried about spoilers for Starfield’s story, you might want to check out our comprehensive Starfield weapons and planets database instead, which have been freshly updated with all the latest data from Starfield Direct.