GamesRPGStarfieldStarfield Shattered Space doesn’t always play to Bethesda’s strengths, but two small side quests didWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGStarfieldStarfield Shattered Space doesn’t always play to Bethesda’s strengths, but two small side quests didWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Bethesda)

For me, much the same can be said forStarfield Shattered Space. The firstStarfieldexpansion introduces a new planet, and brings us closer to the most elusive faction in the Settled Systems. While I was excited to at last learn more about House Va’ruun and see the homeworld for myself, the highlight of my experience once again ended up being some smaller side quests that took me away from the core storyline.
Brothers divided
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Questing(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)Our guide to theStarfield Shattered Space The Duelquest
Questing
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)Our guide to theStarfield Shattered Space The Duelquest
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Our guide to theStarfield Shattered Space The Duelquest
Yes, it’s quite extreme to call for a duel to the death against your own brother, and yes, it’s quite a lot of pressure to put me as on outsider to try and resolve it, but I found myself getting way more invested in its outcome than several of the quests centered around aligning the houses of Va’ruun. At the heart of the quest is a very human tale of love, loss, and miscommunication. Tasked with gaining a better understanding of each brother’s perspective and hearing their side of the story, you first learn that Borhal is understandably upset that his brother Amila tried to sell off an urn containing their mother’s ashes. This comes after “endless years of dishonors and pain”, as Borhal puts it. As insensitive as Amila’s actions sound, and as easy as it is to at first initially side with Borhal, the more I talked to the pair and gained insight into their lives, the more I sympathized with both of them equally.
Relatively speaking, the side quest doesn’t directly impact me as the player or ask me to do anything too demanding, but I felt rewarded for my efforts when I later stumbled upon a conversation that showed me the consequences of the choice I’d made. In a short space of time, the quest had actually made me care about the outcome of the brothers' conflict, and I can’t say I felt as engaged with some of the main story quests in the expansion.
A familiar tune
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Shattered Space is definitely home to some side quests that are more hum-drum – like going back and forth to fetch several samples for a scientist couple at an outpost – but as I progressed further, I came across another side quest that would become my second biggest highlight. Since the strange vortex experiment has caused lots of people to go missing, causing a lot of unrest and division in the city of the Dazra, I find myself lending a hand at a clinic.
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I can’t say Starfield Shattered Space or its side quests measure up to expansions and questlines we’ve seen in the likes of Skyrim or Oblivion, but every now and then it delivered something memorable that stuck with me. As I’ve often found in Bethesda’s RPGs, it’s often the little storytelling moments that shine through the brightest, and that’s definitely true for this expansion.
Here are all the newStarfield Shattered Space weaponsand where to find them.
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