Starfield’s upcomingShattered SpaceDLC could have massive implications for its UC SysDef/Crimson Fleet storyline. Everyone knowsShattered Spacewill significantly develop one faction- House Va’ruun, the clandestine religion largely untouched in the base game. That’s abundantly clear from everything about its marketing and early trailers. But as it turns out,Shattered Spacemight not have a singular focus: it may also take the time to develop various other subplots.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers forStarfield’s SysDef/Crimson Fleet storyline.]
The problem is that some ofStarfield’s storylines don’t have such clear-cut endings. One in particular - the conflict between the SysDef enforcement agency, and the Crimson Fleet of space pirates - can end in one of two ways: with the destruction of either faction. However, the latest transmission from Bethesda suggests that might not be the case in the DLC.
Players Will See More Of The Crimson Fleet In Starfield: Shattered Space
The Space Pirates’ Return
According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) byBethesda Game Studios,players can expect to see more of the Crimson Fleet inStarfield’sShattered SpaceDLC. The post lists the Crimson Fleet among two other enemy types - Zealots and Spacers - who may pose a threat to players as they explore the DLC’s planet.
Starfieldplayers are no strangers to random encounters, including the occasional raid by Crimson Fleet pirates. What’s interesting, though, is that the conflict between SysDef and the Crimson Fleet always ends with one of those factions completely dissolved. But even if the player has defeated them in the finale of that questline,the Crimson Fleet apparently comes back for the DLC.
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Sothere’s obviously more in store for this inter-faction conflict inShattered Space, but exactly what that’ll look like is open to interpretation.Starfieldcould take this storyline down many different routes in the DLC, and players' previous choices might come back to bite them.
The Crimson Fleet Needs A New Angle In Shattered Space
Starfield’s Original Space Pirate Leader Is Out Of Commission
First and foremost,the Crimson Fleet will need a new leader inShattered Space. Its original captain, Delgado, is unavailable for one reason or another, no matter how players left things in the base game. If they sided with SysDef, he’s either dead or in prison; and if they sided with the Crimson Fleet, they’ve made a pact with the pirate faction to ensure they’re no longer randomly attacked. Either way, though, Delgado is no longer likely to pose a threat to the player character, soShattered Spacewill have to approach the Crimson Fleet from a different angle.
This opens up numerous opportunities, andhow the Crimson Fleet is portrayed could vary from save file to save file based on how the player resolved things with Delgado. For example, if a playerkilled Delgado at the end of that storyline, a new leader could rise up in his place, perhaps one with a more violent streak. If they imprisoned him, it could even be implied that Delgado and the surviving members of the Crimson Fleet staged a massive prison break, and were able to regroup before going after the player in revenge.
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Of course,Shattered Spacewill also take place in a new part of the galaxy, the hidden planet of Va’ruun’kai, which could have further implications for the future of the Crimson Fleet.Perhaps there’s a different branch of space piratescloser to that particular expanse of space, and they haven’t heard (or simply don’t care) about all the good deeds the players have done for their allies closer to home.
And there’s always the possibility that, despite their former alliance, a survivingDelgado may turn against the player character in theShattered SpaceDLC. The original Tweet specifically mentions that the factions who attack the player in this expansion are trying to “take advantage of the situation” - the situation, presumably, being whatever crisis the people of Va’ruun’kai are going through at the time, in order to gain control of the long-isolated planet and increase their control in that particular part of space.
Delgado isn’t exactly known for being trustworthy, and perhaps something about Va’ruun’kai makes it valuable enough to him that he’d consider betraying old friends in order to seize it. Either way, though, players will have a Crimson Fleet threat to deal with in the DLC, which suggestsanother faction’s impending returnto go along with it.
UC SysDef Could Also Reappear In Starfield: Shattered Space
The Space Pirates' Foil
In addition, the resurgence of the Crimson Fleet could point toa bigger role for SysDef in theShattered SpaceDLC. With the Colony War over, the Crimson Fleet has become the biggest thorn in the United Colonies' side by the timeStarfield’s events begin. The two factions hunt each other throughout the galaxy, with the UC’s interplanetary police force SysDef taking on the brunt of the space pirates' assault.
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No matter how things turn out with the Crimson Fleet,SysDef is still implied to be extant somewhere in the galaxy after the player completes their storyline, even if they’re significantly weakened by a Crimson Fleet victory. So there’s a great possibility for their return inShattered Space, with or without the Crimson Fleet.
But still, it’s clear that the Crimson Fleet is moving onto bigger and better goals in the DLC, though, andSysDef might follow them into that new section of space. No great friends of the enigmatic House Va’ruun themselves, the United Colonies might have some interests of their own on Va’ruun’kai.
Their chapters of the story might vary based on previous player choices as well, as they may have to contend with leadership changes in the Crimson Fleet, or still be reeling from a large-scale prison break. Players may be forced to choose sides in this intergalactic conflict once again, all while contending with the mysterious threat looming over Va’ruun’kai.
Shattered Spacehas many options for variability - its achievements already suggest players may have some difficult choices to make in the DLC. The resurgence of the Crimson Fleet seems to provide a unique opportunity, though, for the DLC to go down entirely different paths depending on the player’s choices during the base game. No matter what, though, players will certainly see more of the Crimson Fleet inStarfield; all that remains to be seen is the context in which they appear.
Source:Bethesda Game Studios/X (Twitter)
Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios presents Starfield - the first original IP from the studio in twenty-five-plus years. Set in the year 2310, the United Colonies and Freestar Collective are observing a shaky truce after a war set 20 years prior. The player will customize their character as a member of a space exploration team called Constellation while navigating The Settled Systems and the conflicts between the warring factions. According to Bethesda, players can explore over 100 systems and 1000 planets to find resources and build their ships, living out their own sci-fi journeys.
