New Side Quests Make Starfield's Outer Space Gameplay Way More Exciting

screenrant.com:

players disappointed by the lack of options afforded by the game's outer space sections are in luck becausea new mod aims to provide the community with more activities to accomplish while cruising around the cosmos in their ship. While the sci-fi RPG does have a handful of combat encounters that prompt users to engage in zero-gravity dogfights, they're all rather simple and repetitious, never offering much in the way of variety or depth. The player base has long requested more options for these encounters and one talented creator has responded to those demands with an excellent add-on.

Over on Nexus Mods, user kaosnyrb shared the «Dark Universe — Crossfire» mod that adds 50 new space encounters to that are largely dedicated to expanding on faction warfare. Some of the new encounters include boarding a Crimson Fleet ship while the pirates are busy assaulting someone else, traveling to a sector where two groups are already battling, and even fighting a special boss ship that's putting out a unique signal to draw in would-be combatants. The goal is to transform space exploration into something that's generally more exciting but also populated by special events and moments.

While 's ship-building system is no doubt impressive and one of the game's biggest successes, it's a pity that actually using the vessel is so lackluster. While players can go to great pains to kit out their transportation with unique parts, including engines and weapons, most of the events one can encounter in the cold vacuum of space are very basic. They either end with a tense negotiation or with a clunky dogfight; some do break the mold but these are usually reserved for story moments and they're fleeting at best.

Starfield has hundreds of unique ship parts, some of which can only be acquired by completing quests, that offer special bonuses and stat boosts.

It's also not like much can be discovered while roaming between planets given that most interstellar transport is relegated to loading