Can You Land on a Planet from Orbit in Starfield? Exploring the Realities of Space Travel
The question of whether you can seamlessly fly from space to a planet’s surface in Starfield has been a hot topic since the game’s announcement. The short, direct answer is: no, you cannot manually fly your ship directly from orbit to the planet’s surface in Starfield. While the game offers a vast and immersive universe, the mechanics of landing are more akin to a fast-travel system than a direct piloting experience.
While this might disappoint some players who dreamt of meticulously piloting their spacecraft through a planet’s atmosphere, understanding the system Bethesda implemented, and the reasons behind it, can help manage expectations and appreciate the breadth of gameplay that is available. Instead of direct atmospheric flight, players must orbit the planet first and then select a landing location from a map interface. This process is a form of fast travel, disguised within the game’s UI and mechanics.
The Landing Process in Detail
To land on a planet in Starfield, here’s the process you’ll follow:
- Navigate to the System: You’ll use your ship’s starmap to travel to a specific star system.
- Orbit the Planet: Once you’ve reached the desired system, you’ll need to get into orbit around the planet you wish to explore.
- Choose Your Landing Spot: After orbiting, the game will display a map interface where you can select a pre-determined landing zone on the planet’s surface.
- Fast Travel to the Surface: Once you’ve selected your location, the game will then initiate a transition, quickly transporting your ship to the planet’s surface and initiating gameplay.
While your ship does have an orbital flight mode where you can boost and manoeuvre, the game’s engine prevents it from actually entering a planet’s atmosphere. It artificially restricts your ship’s maximum range to 9,980 meters, rendering it impossible to pilot your ship toward the planet’s surface.
Why No Direct Atmospheric Flight?
The decision to exclude seamless atmospheric flight was a conscious design choice by Bethesda. Todd Howard, the head of Bethesda Game Studios, has explained that such a feature is “not that important to the player” and would have required a significant amount of engineering effort that would ultimately not have enhanced the game experience for the majority of players. Instead, Bethesda focused on crafting a massive and diverse universe with over 1000 explorable planets, each offering unique resources, challenges, and stories.
Frequently Asked Questions About Landing in Starfield
To further clarify how landing works in Starfield and to address related questions, here are some frequently asked questions:
1. Can you manually fly between planets in Starfield?
Technically, it is possible to manually fly towards planets, but it’s incredibly impractical. The game mechanics and the sheer vastness of space mean it would take an exceptionally long time to reach another planet this way. The game is intended for fast travel between planets.
2. Can you fly your ship in atmosphere in Starfield?
No, your ship can only be piloted within orbital space in a star system. There is no atmospheric flight available, and you cannot break the orbital barrier. The gameplay reveal confirmed that your ship’s movement is restricted to orbit and space.
3. Why can’t I land on a planet immediately after arriving in a star system?
You first need to enter orbit around the planet before selecting a landing location. You can’t just select a landing point when first arriving in a system.
4. Can you land on Earth in Starfield?
Yes, you can land on Earth! Navigate to the Sol system, find Earth, and then you can set your landing target after being in orbit around the planet. There are several designated landmarks to discover on Earth’s surface.
5. Can you land on Venus in Starfield?
Yes, Venus is one of the many planets with a rocky surface you can land on.
6. Can you land on the moon in Starfield?
Absolutely! You can visit the moon (Luna) in the Sol system. The Apollo Landing Site is available as a landing destination.
7. Is there anything special on Earth in Starfield?
Yes, there are 10 notable landmarks on the Earth’s surface. They include recognizable structures that survived after the planet’s collapse.
8. Why are the planets so barren in Starfield?
Many planets in Starfield, including Earth, are barren due to the lore and background story. Earth, in particular, experienced a catastrophic event that rendered it largely uninhabitable by the year 2330.
9. What happened to NASA in Starfield?
The NASA Launch Tower and Cape Canaveral are in ruins due to a catastrophic event. You can find the decrepit remains of these structures as a landmark on Earth.
10. Can you land on Phobos in Starfield?
No, Phobos is classified as an asteroid and, therefore, cannot be landed on.
11. How many planets are there in Starfield that you can land on?
There are over 1000 planets in Starfield spread across 100 star systems. Not all of them are suitable for landing, but a significant number are.
12. Can you steal ships in Starfield?
Yes, you can steal enemy ships! You will need the Targeting Control Systems skill to be able to directly target and disable enemy ships, allowing you to board and take them over.
13. How many cities are there in Starfield?
Starfield features four major cities: New Atlantis, Akila, Neon, and The Key. The Key is a space station run by the Crimson Fleet.
14. What is the purpose of the 1000 planets in Starfield?
The abundance of planets is designed to offer players a sense of choice and vast exploration. Each planet presents different opportunities for resource gathering, quest completion, or simply exploring its distinct environment.
15. Is Starfield like No Man’s Sky?
While both Starfield and No Man’s Sky feature space exploration, Starfield is an evolution of Bethesda’s RPGs, like Fallout and Skyrim, emphasizing storytelling and character development more than sandbox exploration alone.
Conclusion
While Starfield does not allow for the direct and seamless flight from orbit to a planet’s surface, the system implemented allows players to dive straight into the action quickly with an incredible number of locations available. The sheer amount of content and depth of exploration more than compensates for the lack of manual atmospheric flight. Bethesda’s focus on creating a truly enormous and richly detailed universe makes Starfield a compelling space RPG that has more to offer than just manual flying capabilities.