It would be fair to say that none of Bethesda’s games would have anywhere near their legendary longevity if it weren’t for their active and dedicated modding community. Starfield, however, has come without the usual packed-in set of developer tools that accompanies their releases, making modding possibilities limited. Less than a week after Starfield‘s wide release, the game’s director (and face of the studio) Todd Howard has officially addressed the modding situation.
Bethesda’s in-house Creation Engine, modular and versatile as it is, has allowed modders to do truly amazing things—we’re not just talking about turning every dragon in Skyrim into Macho Man Randy Savage here. The caveat is that for transformative mods, such as altering core game systems or adding long, intricate questlines, access to the same developer tools Bethesda itself uses is required. Typically, these tools, dubbed the “Creation Kit,” have come with every copy of their corresponding game, but the Starfield version has been noticeably absent.