Starfield devs confirm it has “over 20” named characters you can explore the galaxy with

Starfield developers recently revealed details regarding the game’s recruitable companions. It looks like you’ll be able to bolster your crew with a plethora of uniquely gifted individuals.

Starfield developers hosted a recent Q&A on Bethesda’s dedicated Discord and revealed a bunch of new info on the game. Standouts included how jail will work in Starfield and whether or not pacifist runs will be possible.

One of the most interesting things we saw however was the reveal that Starfield will include more than 20 recruitable crew members. All of which will have their own unique skills and passive benefits to your own gameplay.

Director Todd Howard has previously confirmed that the game will only have 4 core romance options. These will likely be your fellow Constellation companions given what devs said in the Q&A.

Starfield developers on recruitable companions

“There are over 20 named characters who can join your crew,” explained lead quest designer Will Shen. “Four of them are from Constellation and have the most story and interaction with the player, but all of the named characters have their own backgrounds and can follow you around.”

Shen expanded on the perks and backgrounds of these named characters and their potential benefits. “You might meet a character that’s especially good at rifles, and you hire them to watch your back. Or you might meet an Astrodynamics expert that will increase your grav jump range.”

Lead designer Emil Pagliarulo explained that while these companion’s skills “don’t level up”, there will be different ranks for their abilities. These named characters’ skills will also flesh out their own stories and develop them as members of your crew.

“Some (skills) are there for flavor, to highlight the companions’ backgrounds and interests. But you’ll really feel the benefit of the ship- and combat-related ones,” Pagliarulo insisted. “Getting a boost to your shields, or seeing your companion laying down fire with a weapon they’re proficient in, are pretty sweet moments.”

Starfield is right around the corner and after finally going gold, the game is now available to preload for Xbox and Windows users. The file size is massive, likely due to all of these fleshed-out characters and their stacks of dialogue options.

If you want to cram as much information about Starfield before release as your brain can handle, Check out Dexerto’s other coverage in the lead-up to launch.

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