Summary
While all Bethesda RPGs share a lot of the same DNA, that’s especially true for the developer’s most recent releaseStarfield, which seems to take the best parts of bothFalloutandThe Elder Scrolls, combine them, and put a sci-fi twist on everything, making it simultaneously Bethesda’s most familiar and fresh experience to date. But of all its influences, the most prominent seems to be2006’sElder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, which clearly runs through the vast majority ofStarfield’s many complex mechanics and systems.
WhileThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis probably the most popular and iconic entry in the long-running fantasy franchise, many long-time fans actually prefer its predecessor,Oblivion. ThoughSkyrimwas still a sprawling RPG with plenty of intricate gameplay systems, it did lack a few ofOblivion’s most beloved features, and now some of those features have managed to find their way intoStarfield, albeit in a slightly new and improved form. One of the best examples of this isOblivion’s Birthsigns, which have been remade asStarfield’s Traits.
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Starfield Takes Oblivion’s Birthsigns to the Next Level
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionstill features one ofthe best character creators in a Western RPG, and it’s where players will find the game’s Birthsigns. After choosing their character’s name, race, and physical features, players will be prompted to choose a Birthsign for their character. There are 13 Birthsigns inOblivion, and each one offers a strong advantage, but also comes with its downsides. For instance, The Apprentice Birthsign grants the player a 100 point bonus to their Magicka attribute, but also gives them a 100% weakness to magic.
Oblivion’s Birthsigns could end up being an incredibly important aspect of some player’s early-game builds, essentially dictating how they played the game’s early hours. These Birthsigns were also very varied, granting players not only stat boosts, but also a range of different special abilities such as a paralyzing kiss, or the ability to turn invisible.Oblivion’s Birthsignswere quite simple, but they added a decent amount of replayability to the game, and they were sorely missed inSkyrim.
Thankfully, Birthsigns are back in full force inStarfield, though they’re called Traits now. Right at the end ofStarfield’s character creator, players can choose to add up to three Traits to their character. Though they’re called something different, these Traits essentially act in the same way asOblivion’s Birthsigns, granting the player a bonus but coming with a cost. In many ways,Starfield’s Traits are even more varied thanOblivion’s Birthsigns, with them not only including stat boosts and special abilities, but also some unique mechanics such as having in-game parents that players can visit, but they also need to support those parents financially.
Much like Birthsigns,Starfield’s Traits add a whole new layer of replayability to an already massive game, and the ability to mix and match three of them at once makes that layer even more complex and interesting. But by far one of the best features ofStarfield’s Traits system is that it’s completely optional, meaning that those who don’t want to risk having any adverse side effects, or those who simply want to seeStarfield’s universe as it was originally intended can do so.Starfieldis all about player-choice and freedom, and it’s great to see that exemplified so clearly with its excellent character creator, one which is sure to go down in history as one of Bethesda’s very best.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
