Starfield, Bethesda‘s sprawling space epic due out in 2024, looks set to redefine what players expect from an open-world RPG. With over 1000 planets to explore, deep crafting and customization systems, and a gripping main story arc, this is a game that could devour hundreds of hours of your life—in the best possible way.
And if you‘re the type of intrepid gamer who loves chasing achievements, Starfield‘s list of challenges is guaranteed to keep you busy long after the main quest is over. From the tantalizing "Life Begets Life" to the cryptic "War of Angels", there‘s an incredible variety of goals to shoot for that will test every aspect of your space adventuring skills.
Designing the Perfect Achievement
Before we dive into the specific achievements on offer, it‘s worth taking a moment to appreciate the art of achievement design. Since their introduction in Microsoft‘s Xbox 360 back in 2005, achievements have become a ubiquitous part of the gaming landscape. Today, virtually every title, from small indie projects to big-budget AAA releases, features its own set of trophies or badges to unlock.
But not all achievement lists are created equal. The best ones add an extra layer of motivation and reward to the game, encouraging players to explore every nook and cranny of the world, experiment with different playstyles and tactics, and push themselves to conquer ever-greater challenges. Poorly designed achievements, on the other hand, can feel grindy, frustrating, or just pointless.
Bethesda‘s approach to achievements has evolved significantly since the early days of Oblivion and Fallout 3. Those games featured relatively short achievement lists focused mostly on major story beats, with a smattering of challenges related to exploration, combat, and side activities. More recent titles like Skyrim and Fallout 4 have expanded the scope considerably, adding more achievements tied to factions, companions, crafting, and miscellaneous feats.
With Starfield, it looks like Bethesda is taking things to a whole new level. The game boasts over 50 unique achievements spread across multiple categories, each one tailored to a different playstyle or aspect of the game world. Whether you‘re a combat specialist, a crafting fiend, a silver-tongued diplomat, or an obsessive explorer, there‘s something here to keep you engaged and motivated.
The Thrill of the Hunt
So what can achievement hunters expect from Starfield? Let‘s break it down by category:
Main Story: Unraveling the Cosmos
The 17 story-based achievements serve as your roadmap through Starfield‘s central mystery. Starting with the deceptively simple "One Giant Leap" (enter space for the first time) and culminating in the ominous-sounding "Legacy‘s End", these milestones will take you on a cosmic journey filled with twists, turns, and mind-bending revelations.
But the main quest is just the beginning. Starfield features several major factions you can ally with, each with its own questlines and rewards. The Freestar Rangers offer a tantalizing "Deputized" achievement for those who want to play space cop. The fanatical Vanguard will challenge you to earn "Supra Ultra" status in their ranks. And if you prefer a life of crime, the outlaw Crimson Fleet has an enticing "Rook Meets King" trophy waiting for any aspiring space pirate.
Boldly Go: Explore the Galaxy
Of course, one of the main draws of Starfield is the sheer scope of its explorable universe. With over 1000 planets to visit across 100 star systems, this is a game that rewards wanderlust like no other. And the achievement list reflects that, with no less than 12 unique challenges related to exploration and discovery.
Some, like "Boots on the Ground" (land on 100 planets) or "Stellar Cartography" (visit 20 star systems), are relatively straightforward, rewarding you for simply seeing as much of the cosmos as possible. Others will require more finesse. "Cyber Jockey" tasks you with hacking 50 secure terminals, while "The Stars My Destination" will only pop once you‘ve laid eyes on every last corner of the galaxy.
And then there‘s the tantalizingly cryptic "War of Angels", which challenges you to collect 20 "Quantum Essences". What are these mysterious items, and where can they be found? Only the most dedicated explorers will be able to unravel this secret and claim the prize.
Live off the Land: Gather and Craft
Resource gathering and crafting have always been integral parts of Bethesda‘s RPGs, and it looks like Starfield is doubling down on these systems. The "Life Begets Life" achievement, which requires harvesting a staggering 500 organic resources, hints at the importance of biologicals in the game‘s crafting economy.
Meanwhile, the "Replicator" feat for constructing 100 unique items and the "Soldier of Fortune" trophy for modifying 50 weapons suggest an incredibly deep and flexible crafting system that will let you customize your gear to suit any playstyle. And let‘s not forget about base-building: the "Industrialist" achievement is a tantalizing reward for any would-be space tycoon who manages to extract 500 units of resources from their network of outposts.
So how do you tackle these resource-hungry challenges efficiently? Focus on upgrading your carrying capacity early on so you can haul more loot on each expedition. Invest in skills and perks that highlight harvestable items in the world or grant bonuses to yield. And don‘t forget to set up some automated extractors at your base—they‘ll keep the resources flowing even while you‘re off adventuring.
Master of Mayhem: Combat Challenges
While Starfield‘s combat mechanics are still mostly a mystery, the achievement list makes it clear that fighting will be a big part of the game. The straightforward "Another Bug Hunt" and "Dark Matter" feats task you with eliminating 300 creatures and human enemies respectively—a significant step up from Skyrim‘s paltry 50-kill achievements.
But true combat mastery in Starfield will likely require more than just brute force. The "Soldier of Fortune" achievement for modding 50 weapons hints at the importance of tailoring your loadout to different situations and enemy types. And the mysterious "War of Angels" achievement, which seems to be tied to collecting rare artifacts, suggests that some of the game‘s most powerful gear may only be available to those who seek out special challenges.
To dominate the battlefield in Starfield, focus on building a versatile skill set that allows you to adapt to any combat scenario. Invest in perks that enhance your favorite weapons and abilities, and don‘t forget to spend some time tinkering at the crafting bench to perfect your gear. Most importantly, pay attention to your enemies‘ strengths and weaknesses—knowing when to switch up your tactics can be the difference between glorious victory and a long trip back from the nearest respawn point.
The Final Frontier
With so many challenges to tackle and secrets to uncover, Starfield is shaping up to be a completionist‘s dream (or nightmare, depending on your perspective). And while the achievement list revealed so far is already extensive, I suspect there are still some surprises lurking in the depths of space.
Previous Bethesda games have featured a handful of secret, unlisted achievements that only reveal themselves after certain criteria are met. Fallout 4, for example, had a hidden achievement for reaching level 100, while Skyrim reserved one for maxing out every skill tree. It‘s a safe bet that Starfield will also hold back a few of these ultra-rare feats for truly dedicated players to discover.
There may also be some fun, whimsical achievements that play off the game‘s sci-fi setting. Perhaps there‘s one for romancing every available companion, or for pacifying a hostile alien creature with your trusty space harmonica. With Bethesda‘s track record of tongue-in-cheek humor, anything is possible.
To Infinity and Beyond
When Starfield finally launches next year, it‘s going to be a monumental event for gamers everywhere. This is Bethesda‘s first original IP in over 25 years, and the studio is clearly pouring everything they have into crafting a universe that rivals the beloved Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises in scope and depth.
For achievement hunters, the game represents an exciting new frontier to conquer. With so many challenges spread across such a vast and varied world, unlocking every last one will be a true test of skill, dedication, and creative thinking. And with the tantalizing promise of secret achievements waiting to be discovered, the thrill of the hunt will likely keep completionists engaged long after the credits roll.
But more than just a checklist to be completed, Starfield‘s achievements look set to enhance and deepen the core game experience in meaningful ways. By tying challenges to specific playstyles, factions, and activities, the developers are encouraging players to fully engage with every aspect of the world they‘ve created. The result is an achievement list that feels less like a grind and more like a roadmap to getting the most out of this incredibly ambitious RPG.
So whether you‘re a diehard achievement hunter or just a casual explorer looking to chart a unique path through the stars, Starfield has something to offer. With its sprawling universe, deep systems, and wealth of challenges to unlock, this is a game that could keep you captivated for years to come.
As Bethesda‘s first foray into a brand new cosmos, Starfield represents a bold step forward for the studio and for the gaming medium as a whole. By building on the lessons of the past while pushing the boundaries of what‘s possible in an open-world RPG, the developers have set the stage for an unforgettable adventure—and an achievement list that will go down in gaming history as one of the most rich and rewarding ever crafted.
I, for one, can‘t wait to strap into my customized ship, chart a course for the farthest reaches of the galaxy, and start ticking off those boxes. See you in the stars, fellow traveler.
