Bethesda announced today on Twitter that the "biggest update ever" to Starfield is headed to Steam beta testing next week. However, this is not the beginning of the big gameplay update Bethesda promised in December, but rather a very ordinary patch that will have "over 100 fixes and improvements" for graphics, gameplay issues, and quest bugs.

"This update includes numerous fixes to quests. Eye of the Storm issues such as not docking with Legacy or not initiating data transfers, and issues with Temples not showing up in Into the Unknown no longer prevent Constellation from exploring the universe," Bethesda tweeted.

"Additionally, this update brings improved stability and a number of graphical improvements, from additional widescreen support to improved textures, lighting, and shadows.

The sun disk geometry (whatever that is), shadows on planetary rings, bulldozed objects that reappear when returning to an outpost, inaccessible ship hatches, and asteroid issues that are apparently still chasing some players around like lost puppies are also be addressed in the update.

Before-and-after images showcasing the visual improvements were also released. This extraterrestrial view is some pretty sweet eye candy.

Likewise, this biggest update feels a bit small. The major gameplay update Bethesda committed to in December 2023, which includes new survival mechanics and "a whole new way to get around," is not currently scheduled to start flowing until February, and since this patch looks like a standard fixer-upper, the Twitter announcement There is a bit of disappointment in the reactions to the announcement: while there are plenty of people who are happy that work is continuing, there are also fans who are waiting for more substantive changes.

The full patch won't be revealed until next week, so it's possible that our socks (or at least one of them) will come off, but Starfield players looking forward to something really big will still have to wait a bit longer.

The update will first be available to Steam's beta branch on January 17, so you'll need to opt in if you want to try it out beforehand; Bethesda has not stated exactly how this update will work, but official DLSS support has been added Starfield's previous Steam beta update, which added official DLSS support, required a completely different build of the game: beta players could continue playing anywhere in the main game, but progress earned in the beta build did not carry over. My guess is that the same is true for this update beta, but I have inquired and will update if I hear back.