Starfield Shattered Space DLC

Starfield Shattered Space is the first piece of Starfield DLC, and the first story expansion pack. Todd Howard recently revealed in a video interview that the Shattered Space expansion will launch in Fall 2024.

It was believed that the DLC would arrive sooner given historical DLC timelines, and a recent upload to the Starfield Steam page that may have signalled the developer’s testing of their first expansion, or prestaging the DLC for release. However, it may well be that the game’s overall player count has pushed back the release date.

As a story expansion, Shattered Space is expected to add new gear, locations, NPCs, and story elements. Based on existing storylines, it is likely that the first DLC expansion will expand upon currently under-utilized factions like the House Va’ruun, or develop end-game content found within New Game Plus.

On this page:

• What is Starfield Shattered Space?
• Starfield Shattered Space release date
• Starfield Shattered Space DLC price

What is Starfield Shattered Space?

Shattered Space is the first story expansion for Starfield which, taking into account previous Bethesda expansions for Fallout 4, Skyrim, etc, indicates two major possibilities for what the Shattered Space DLC will be: an extension of the main story (like Fallout 3’s Broken Steel expansion), or a side quest (like Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC).

Taking the name of the DLC literally, there are a few theories that seem credible:

1. The player may well revisit an established event in the timeline
2. The peace of the universe is “shattered” by a sudden war
3. The very fabric of space and time is destroyed as a result of the player’s actions during the last Starfield mission

Taking these in order, in the Starfield timeline, a scientist (spoilers if you haven’t completed the main storyline) by the name of Victor Aiza creates the Grav Drive, which enables faster-than-light travel for spaceships. However, in creating the drive, Aiza knowingly destroys the Earth’s magnetosphere, and in so doing forces humanity to abandon the planet.

Aiza’s discovery of an Artifact on Mars, and the subsequent meeting with his alternate Starborn self, fuels this disaster. This event could be the “shattering” of space that the DLC explores, and better establish the driving force behind Starfield’s setting.

If the DLC doesn’t concern Earth, but rather a large-scale war, teh DLC may well focus on the major Starfield faction which was barely explored in the main storyline. House Va’ruun are a faction of religious zealots who once waged a holy war known as the Serpent’s Crusade against the rest of humanity. The vast majority of the faction mysteriously vanished before the start of the game’s story, and the faction is rumored to live outside of known space on the mythical planet of Va’ruun’kai. Va’ruun’s re-emergence in the first story expansion could “shatter” the peace that the Settled Systems enjoys, possibly igniting another war on the same scale as the Colony War.

However, both of these theories seem less likely than a major expansion on Starfield’s end-game, which Bethesda placed particular importance on in numerous interviews leading up to the game’s release. If this is true, then the Shattered Space DLC may well resemble a huge expansion to the end-game, focusing on the player’s elevation to the status of a Starborn – a transcendental being who hops from one parallel universe to another in an endless search for the Artifacts, and for power.

In general, the New Game Plus mode restarts your game’s progress and introduces some new dialog options. From time to time, you may even encounter some parallel world wackiness such as Starfield companion Sarah Morgan turning up as a houseplant. When you, the player character, enter New Game Plus mode, you essentially ‘shatter’ the timeline, as a version of you that shouldn’t exist suddenly appears in a parallel universe. For this reason, the DLC may well expand upon this idea, and give players more content to enjoy when they reset their world.

At present, all of this is speculation based on what we’ve seen of Bethesda over the last 18+ years. If you have some of your own thoughts on what the DLC might consist of, be sure to let us know over on our Starfield forum.

Starfield Shattered Space release date

The Shattered Space DLC is expected to arrive as early as September 2024. In a recent video interview, Todd Howard revealed that Shattered Space will receive a Fall release, but did not specify which month the DLC would arrive in.

On February 28, 2024, an “Unknown App 2721670” was uploaded to the Starfield Steam entry, as can be seen on SteamDB. The package in question, though unnamed, was uploaded to the game’s DLC section, hinting that Bethesda is pre-staging the Shattered Space DLC for Steam.

We originally predicted that Starfield would receive its first DLC package within six month’s of the game’s release because of Bethesda’s previous DLC release schedules. Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Skyrim, and more all saw DLC within three to six months after release.

This is where Starfield is atypical of other Bethesda games. The game’s launch was rocky to say the least despite the developer’s steady rollout of Starfield updates. These updates have been addressing a mountain of Starfield bugs, and so may well have created a delay in the DLC’s release date.

Of course, Starfield has also seen a massive drop in its player count, which may have incentivized Bethesda to release their DLC later to give themselves more time to add content and bug test their first expansion.

Starfield Shattered Space DLC price

Starfield Shattered Space is expected to cost between $10 and $20 at the time of its release, depending on the scale of the DLC’s story. As a direct comparison, Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC was $20, and is about the same expected size as Starfield’s first major DLC package.

Of course, players who purchased the Starfield Constellation edition and other premium Starfield pre order editions are entitled to the first DLC package when it releases in 2024.

With no official release date for the Starfield Shattered Space DLC pack, you’ve got plenty of time to master the universe in your own way. Or, check out our Starfield mods guide to find some non-official content to keep things interesting as you rocket around the Settled Systems. Before the DLC arrives, it’s a good idea to get accustomed to the world of Bethesda’s latest epic RPG. We can help you out there, with our Starfield map hub, where you can find interactive versions of the Akila City map, Neon map, Cydonia map, and more. Or, if you’d rather concentrate on leveling up for the possible challenges at hand, see our guide to Starfield XP farming.