Starfield’sShattered SpaceDLC has met with an unexpected outpouring of fan disappointment. Released on July 11, 2025 - just over a year after the base game’s initial launch -Shattered Spacewas supposed to breathe new life into a stagnatingStarfield. It would explore the underdeveloped House Va’ruun faction from the base game, introducing new locales, weapons, armor, and lots more in a terrifying story that had more flavor on one planet than the base game had in an entire galaxy.
ButSteam reviews forShattered Spaceare poor, and have trended downward since launch:releasing with Mixed reviews, it’s since plummeted to Mostly Negative with over 1,400 reviews, the second-lowest rating aSteamgame can get besides Overwhelmingly Negative. Criticisms ofStarfield’s DLC cover a wide range of gripes, from those that have always existed with the base game, to a whole new world of problems introduced by the DLC. Though many of these complaints are justified, some players may have put unfair expectations onStarfield’s first DLC.
Why Shattered Space Is “Mostly Negative” On Steam
Base Game Concerns, Content Shortages, & The Illusion Of Choice
In a Reddit thread discussing the reasons forShattered Space’s Mostly Negative rating, userCarinwe_Lysaexpresses a common criticism:Starfield’s DLC was just poorly executed. Sure, House Va’ruun is a fascinating faction, based only on what players know of them from the base game. They worship a mysterious entity known only as the Great Serpent, they live on a hidden planet where they grow powerful hallucinogens, and they believe they’re the chosen ones, destined to bring the entire galaxy under their thumb.
Then, the player gets there, andhalf of House Va’ruun’s capital city (Dazra) has been blown to smithereensin the massive unexplained explosion that makes up the DLC’s inciting incident. And what remains of Dazra is scarcely any more interesting. For an isolationist society,Va’ruun’kai’s major landmarkssure do look a lot like those in the base game’s major cities, including, for some baffling reason, a Chunks. House Va’ruun uses the same ship parts as everyone else. They have a few unique pieces of clothing and weaponry, but, Carinwe_Lysa points out, they feel more like reskins of items from the base game.
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In a response, user-Darkstorne-points out that’s an ongoing issue withStarfield-the setting is bland, and none of the factions have cohesive, sensible cultures that meaningfully interact with the world around them. They point out Design Director Emil Pagliarulo’scomparisons betweenShattered SpaceandMorrowind, suggesting there’s a fundamental misunderstanding about why players enjoyed the latter.Morrowind’s Three Houses slot right into the setting - each feels distinct, and forged by its environment. The three houses inShattered Spaceare almost identical beyond surface-level differences in policy, so they’re nowhere near as interesting to explore.
Others, likeTalkingFlashlightin the same thread, criticize the quality ofShattered Space’s writing. Although they admittedly like the DLC, and believe it delivered on the “more traditional Bethesda experience” promised by its handcrafted single-planet setting, they were surprised to find thatAndreja, the base game’s House Va’ruun-affiliated companion, doesn’t interact with the events of the DLC near as much as they expected. The problem isn’t limited to Andreja, either; many of the side quests are simply boring. Others give players the illusion of choice, but their ultimate decisions don’t feel near as impactful as they’re presented to be.
So, betweenShattered Space’s failure to resolve issues with the base game, dearth of meaningfully new content, relatively short length, and uninteresting writing,many players simply feel it wasn’t worth the $30 price tag, or the year-long wait. Read any of its Mostly Negative Steam reviews, and these same critiques will be repeated ad infinitum, indicating a critical consensus onStarfield’s first DLC.
Has Shattered Space Failed To Deliver?
Some Expectations May Have Been Set Too High
Looking back at the early reveals and marketing for the DLC, it’s clear thatShattered Spacesomewhat misrepresented itself in its first trailers. Showing players descending through abandoned space stations, while disembodied voices delivered cryptic monolgues. Unfortunately, it’s become apparent since the DLC’s release thatShattered Spaceexpends all its spookiness in the opening moments: once the player actually makes it to Va’ruun’kai, it becomesjust another boringStarfieldquestline.
Players are rightfully disappointed at this, butexpectingShattered Spaceto fix the base game’s tedium was more than a little unfair. At most, it might’ve provided a short reprieve from the doldrums ofStarfield’s main storyline. It was never going to retroactively resolve pre-existing issues.
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That said,Shattered Spacewas marketed on the strength of its handcrafted world. Players have every right to be disappointed by its relatively short length and uninteresting worldbuilding. WhileShattered Spaceproducer Tim Lambwas reluctant to draw such comparisons directly, this promise evokes the brilliantly realized worlds of older Bethesda games and DLC, likeOblivionorFar Harbor. Expectations certainly pointed towards a more classically Bethesda experience, which the DLC didn’t deliver in either quality or scope.
What Needs To Happen For The Next DLC?
Starfield’s Second DLC Can Improve
Bethesda has announced that it plans to release more DLC forStarfield, and definitely hasthe potential to do better with its next installment. The very fact thatShattered Spaceuses handcrafted environments suggests that Bethesda is listening to player opinions, and it needs to continue doing so. Speaking of handcrafted environments, that’s one thingShattered Spacecertainly delivers, even if what’s there isn’t particularly interesting or substantial. It’d be the wrong lesson to return to procedural map generation the next time around;Starfield’s second DLC should still have a handcrafted, condensed map.
There just needs to bea little more creative risk-taking when it comes to designing the people and culture who inhabit it. Some truly different new ships, clothing, weaponry, side quests, et cetera, would make all the difference in Bethesda’s DLC. Comparisons to other Bethesda games and DLC should be completely off the table - not only because they create unrealistic player expectations, but also because the next DLC should be unlike anything Bethesda has ever made before.
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And honestly, if the nextStarfieldDLC is roughly on par withShattered Spacein terms of length,it may be time to start thinking about lowering the price. $30 has become standard for video game DLC, but not every DLC is created equal. Players could equally spend that $30 onCyberpunk 2077’sPhantom LibertyDLC, which includes game-changing options for character builds, a thrilling story where choices actually matter, and a new map with a distinct identity. By comparison,Shattered Spacemight be more fairly priced at $15 or $20.
At this point, the damage is done - it’s time to writeShattered Spaceoff. This first effort at DLC was a stumble, and while many players' expectations were too high, it’s pretty clear thatShattered Spacefailed to deliver where it counts. At this point, all players can hope for is a better second swing when it comes time forStarfield’s next DLC.
