Starfield receives extensive patch update ahead of Premium Edition early-access launch – details revealed

Into the Starfield patch notes.

Starfield_ShipInterior

Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a rather extensive update for the Starfield pre-install on Xbox Series X/S and PC totalling 15.46GB of precious SSD space.

Well, according to a new leak via Insider Gaming, the patch includes a range of improvements and fixes with a primary focus on Xbox Series console performance and stability improvements, among other things. This confirms previous speculation about a day-one patch, and Todd Howard mentioning a “couple of final tweaks” at Gamescom 2023, not forgetting to reinforce previous murmurs stating that Starfield will be the least buggiest Bethesda launch yet.

Designated 1.7.23, the leaked day-one patch addresses various performance, visual and gameplay bugs, including pesky quest-related issues, meaning we shouldn’t encounter any game-breaking quests during the initial playthrough. Great stuff. Additionally, Steam Deck users receive virtual keyboard support, though there’s no mention of the all-important Steam Deck-verified stamp of approval – we’ll have to wait for Valve for that information.

Nonetheless, a full patch breakdown can be found down below:

Performance and Stability Fixes

  • Improved stability related to suspending and resuming the game. (Xbox Series X/S) 
  • Fixed rare crash that could occur when viewing the credits after completing the game.
  • Fixed crash that could appear when repeatedly loading some saves inside of ships.
  • Various stability and performance improvements. 

Visual Fixes 

  • Fixed an issue where sometimes hair would not appear on characters. 
  • Improved distant object appearance when transitioning to the surface of a planet. 
  • Addressed an issue that sometimes caused face animations to move abruptly. 
  • Fixed an issue where rarely in certain views white flashing boxes could appear in the Handscanner. 
  • Fixed an issue that would cause an undesirable texture blend near the coastline. 
  • Fixed an issue that would cause textures to degrade unnecessarily. (Xbox Series S) 

Gameplay Fixes 

  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause Companions to float in the air. 
  • Fixed an issue that could cause some ship modules to become misaligned. 
  • Fixed some issues that would prevent touch-down points from turning red in Ship Builder. 
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the player to appear incorrectly when equipping items. 
  • Addressed an issue that could prevent the Isolation skill from behaving as intended. 
  • Adjusted the distance the player is able to access and store cargo in their ship. 
  • Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause a long delay on the Press any button screen. 

Quest Fixes 

  • Fixed rare issue that could cause ship patrols not to appear for “First to Fight, First to Die.” 
  • Addressed a rare issue where the Contraband scan would not occur potentially preventing landing at New Atlantis. 
  • Fixed an unlikely issue that could prevent landing at New Atlantis during “Deep Cover.” 
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent Heat Leeches from counting as killed after completing “A Legacy Forged.” 
  • Fixed how a location would appear near a hidden Earth landmark. 
  • Fixed a rare issue that could potentially trap the player in The Facility. 
  • Addressed an infrequent issue where a Spacer Ship didn’t correctly appear for a radiant quest. 
  • Fixed an unlikely issue that could appear during “Revelation” depending on how the player interacted with the Emissary. 
  • Addressed an issue with the Deimos Slim bottom ship module that is used on the Razorleaf. 
  • Fixed rare issue that could prevent companions from accompanying the player after “No Sudden Moves”. 
  • Addressed a rare issue that could impact “Power from Beyond.”

That’s about it. Starfield is just around the corner and launches on August 31 for Premium Edition members and September 6 on Xbox Series X/S and PC, while the official review embargo lifts eight hours before release. We await with bated breath.