I’ve been a fan of Starfield since day one, having spent many hundreds of hours covering and enjoying the game for various outlets since launch. Here we are, more than two years post-release, and it’s only getting better with time and age, like most Bethesda titles. But this one isn’t solely reliant on the modding community, which is still somewhat lackluster. No. Instead, Bethesda is taking a hands-on approach here. They’re releasing major, albeit slow-to-release, updates that change the game. Here’s a look at the Starfield Free Lanes update patch notes, featuring an inside look at everything added, changed, and improved!
Starfield Free Lanes Patch Notes
Features
- Free Lanes: The player can now use cruise mode to travel in open space or to POI locations between planets inside a star system.
- Added X-Tech crafting support to Weapons and Armor. This allows players to further customize the legendary effects on their equipment.
- Added Additional Quality Tiers to weapons and suits.
- Added Rank 4 Legendary effects for weapons and suits.
- Added Upgrade modules. These can be installed to improve one attribute of a weapon or Suit.
- Added New weapon skins that can be applied to select weapons at a workbench.
- Added a buildable ship optimization terminal. The player can spend X-Tech to improve several attributes of their ship.
- Added Ship Equipment schematics. This new equipment can be added to the ship builder after it is discovered.
- Added Legendary Enemy Modifiers. Legendary enemies can now appear with new modifiers that make them more challenging.
- Added Legendary Enemy Modifiers settings into Gameplay Options, so players can adjust when they start appearing.
- Added Quantum Entanglement Device. This gives players the ability to transfer some items when they choose to go through Unity.
- Starborn Powers can now be upgraded with Quantum Essence.
- Quantum Essence can now be added to the Favorites menu for quick access.
- Starborn ships now reward the player with Quantum Essence when destroyed.
- Added the Database menu, which allows for better location, resource, and recipe tracking based on a character’s knowledge of the Settled Systems.
- Added Outpost Quality of life improvements, such as a Shared Outpost Container (allowing players to house and access inventory from various outpost locations), Production Rate information, and a more precise placement mode.
- New vehicle: Moon Jumper.
- Added new Player House – “Château des Étoiles”.
- Added Colony Wars Action Heroes, which provide benefits when found.
- Added Colony War Action Heroes display cases as buildable objects.
- Muria Siarkiewicz is now available to join the player crew.
- Added an additional 3rd person Ship Camera distance that allows more of the ship to be visible.
- Added Always Show Landing Camera setting for those who want to see their ship land at known locations.
- Added Anchorpoint Station, a new POI that can be found in the Algorab system.
- Added New Dungeons, Space Encounters, and Points of Interest throughout the game.
- Adjusted the distribution and cooldown timers for placement of points of interest on Planets.
- Added additional photomode poses for the Rev-8.
- Terran Armada DLC Now Available.
General
- Steam – Disabled DLC will no longer reinstall when launching the game.
- General crash and stability fixes.
Gameplay
- Improved loot found in containers with Expert and Master level locks.
- Reactive Equipment – Resolved an issue with the sound effects for the Reactive legendary effect.
- Addressed an issue that could cause NPCs to calculate weapon damage inconsistently.
- Fixed an issue with CombaTech magazine accuracy bonuses not applying consistently.
- The player can now jump while reloading the XM-2311, Old Earth Pistol, and Livingstone’s Pistol.
- Bounty targets in cities should now be properly interactable.
- Resolved an issue that could potentially cause non-combat background music to no longer play.
- Photo Mode – Addressed an issue that could cause issues when entering photomode while also entering an interior.
- Photo Mode – Addressed an issue that could cause the player’s right foot to display awkwardly.
Quests
- Friends Like These – Players should now be able to return the Terrormorph data at the end of the quest.
- Guilty Parties – Addressed an issue where this quest could not start after completing “Background Checks”.
- Missed Beyond Measure – Addressed an issue that could cause the player to be locked with an invalid companion.
- One Giant Leap – The player’s helmet should now be visible.
- Refurbished Goods – All weapons required by the quest should now be able to be found.
- Refurbished Goods – Turning in this quest will no longer take incorrect items from the player’s inventory.
- The Hammer Falls – Addressed an issue that could cause the player not to receive the Star Eagle ship upon completion.
- Two Tales, Two Cities – Addressed a situation where the player could potentially be control locked if choosing to arrest Tahir.
Locations
- Resolved an issue that could cause some beds in Akila City to not grant Rested Bonus as intended.
- Characters should now correctly sit in chairs in the Explorer’s Refuge.
UI
- Improved an issue that could make Weapons Workbenches difficult to place in houses or ships.
- Added visual improvements to the Ship Repair UI.
- Ship Builder – Addressed an issue that could prevent unique or stolen ships from being renamed.
- Ship Builder – Resolved an issue that could cause a duplicate ship model to persist on the landing pad after modification.
- Ship Builder – Hopetech All-In-One Berth 2×2 furnished version is now available in-game.
- Ship Builder – Improvements to UI in Large Font Mode.
- Outpost – Improvements to UI in Large Font mode.
- Players can now use the escape key to back out of renaming an item in a workbench. (PC)
- Fixed a typo with the Scan Jammer’s description.
Shattered Space
- The Oracle has updated music.
Creations
- A Perfect Recipe: Resolved an issue that could prevent the Ashta from spawning.
- Updated the description for Plushie Andreja.
- At Hell’s Gate: Plushies can now be placed in Plushie cases.
- The “Plushie Case – Mount” can now be placed closer to the “Plushie Case – Stackable” variant.
- Allied Winter Camo Skins will now show up on the Creation menu when installed.