Summary
- Starfield offers players an unprecedented level of freedom and choice, with several able factions, customizable ships and characters, and an open-world galaxy to explore.
- Like previous Bethesda RPGs, Starfield will feature a system of crime and punishment, with organ smuggling being one of the most disturbing crimes players can commit.
- Committing crimes in Starfield can have severe consequences, including bounties placed on your head by factions and high fees for getting caught red-handed. The legal system in the game will likely introduce new space-age crimes not found in previous Bethesda RPGs.
Bethesda RPGs have always been praised for the degree of freedom they allow, but open-world galaxy to explore in Starfield. That alone should be enough to keep most players busy, but for those who want to go off the beaten path, Starfield allows for that, too.
Crime and punishment have often been major factors in previous Bethesda RPGs. Oblivion had the now-infamously overzealous guards, whose catchphrase, "Stop! You violated the law!" struck fear into the hearts of millions. Skyrim carried over a system of bounties, jail time, and fences for stolen goods from its predecessor. It's no surprise to hear that Starfield will use a similar system of law and order, but its most heinous offenses rival the worst thing anyone could do in Skyrim.
Starfield Lets You Participate In The Black Market Organ Trade
During a Discord Q&A, lead designer Emil Pagliarulo revealed that smuggling organs will feature in Starfield. Naturally, the organs ported in this unregulated trade are considered contraband, and ships will need special parts to get them past security. While it's not clear whether players will actually be harvesting the organs themselves or simply delivering them, this is one of the most disturbing crimes they've ever been able to commit in a Bethesda RPG. The most dastardly deed possible in Skyrim, by contrast, is cannibalism. Trading organs might pale in comparison to eating them, but if organ trading is possible, there may be far worse crimes to commit in Starfield.
Starfield's Crime Comes At A Cost
Crime may pay, but it can also cost the perpetrator dearly. There will be several factions in Starfield for players to run afoul of. Multiple of these can put bounties on criminals' heads. As always in Bethesda RPGs, three options are available: pay up, go to jail, or resist arrest. It's likely that the factions differ on what constitutes a crime and which ones are more serious than others, but organ smuggling will probably upset anyone involved in trading or medical regulations. Even so, it's a pretty outrageous offense, so don't be surprised if getting caught red-handed incurs multiple high fees.
The legal system in Starfield sounds pretty similar to those in Oblivion and Skyrim. Still, it'll doubtless include a whole new host of space-age crimes that wouldn't be possible in The Elder Scrolls' medieval fantasy setting. For the moment, organ harvesting seems to be the worst crime possible in Starfield, but further dirty dealings will probably be revealed after its release.
