Starfield combat: Weapon types and mod system, explained

Bethesda’s space RPG, Starfield, is well on its way, with the game now scheduled to release on Sept. 6. Like any game coming from the North American studio, it will have numerous complex gameplay elements, including a variety of weapons and mods.

Players will focus on searching for unknown artifacts in the main story, but that’s not all. In the meantime, they will have the chance to explore new locations, form unique relationships, customize ships, and take part in many fights, both in space and on newly-discovered planets. And they’ll have to be well-equipped to survive the latter.

The developers showcased a fair bit of gameplay during June 11’s Starfield Direct. One of the main focuses was the game’s combat. Bethesda explained how complex it is, and shed light on some of the many weapons and mods.

Starfield’s weapon types

In Starfield, players will have a number of weapons at their disposal to take down enemies. During the latest trailers and Direct show, we had the chance to see some of the game’s numerous guns in action.

Related: Todd Howard confident Starfield will be a ‘modder’s paradise’

While not every type of weapon was shown, since that would take hours, we got enough information to have a good idea of what kind of inventory we will be able to use.

Here is every weapon type we will be able to use in Starfield (so far):

• Rifles
• Pistols
• Axes
• Knives
• Swords
• Sniper rifles
• Grenade launchers
• Shotguns
• Grenades
• Energy blasters
• Submachine guns
• Machine guns
• Laser rifles
• Laser pistols
• Beam rifles
• Ballistic weapons
• Mag weapons
• Landmines

That’s only what we saw in Starfield Direct. We’re sure Bethesda has so much more in store when it comes to weapons, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Will there be mods for weapons in Starfield?

Weapons aren’t the only combat aspect which will include a ton of variety in Starfield. Everyone who has ever touched a Bethesda title has surely modified their weapons with numerous attachments, and the case won’t be different this time around.

During June 11’s Direct, the Starfield developers also gave quite a lot of information about weapon mods in the game. We were reassured there will be plenty of them, and each of our weapons will be customizable in a few ways.

Here are all the weapon mods types (so far):

• Sights and scopes
• Magazines
• Different ammunition
• Muzzles
• Grips
• Barrels
• Suppressors
• Receivers
• Internals

Once again, that’s just a small glimpse into what’s waiting for us in Starfield. Yet, with such a vast selection already shown, we’re certain we will be able to modify our guns and melee weapons in more ways than we could have ever imagined, which was somewhat confirmed by the developers themselves.

“We probably have more mods and more weapons in this game, than, I want to say any other game we’ve done before. A lot of variety,” Tim Lamb, a lead producer on Starfield, said in June’s Direct show.

Are there any other gameplay features affecting combat in Starfield?

The combat in Starfield won’t be just limited to using weapons and modifying them. There will also be external factors.

Bethesda revealed gravity will work differently on each planet, which will impact how we move and fight on each of them. Some will have almost zero gravity, allowing for chaotic battles, others will have gravities slightly lower than Earth. In many scenarios, we will be able to use booster packs to almost fly around the battlefield, if we want to.

There’s more too. The gameplay so far also sheds light on environmental aspects like barrels with liquid nitrogen-type of fluid. Once shot with enemies nearby, these will freeze our opponents for a while. Some planets also seemed to have sandstorms of some type, which will make it harder to navigate battlefields.

With so many options and features affecting our gameplay, Starfield is shaping up to be one of the best games of the decade.

Luckily for us, we don’t have to wait for it much longer. Starfield is scheduled to release on Sept. 6 and will be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one.