Starfield: Romances and Relationship
Character romances and relationships in Starfield will boast a more intricate system compared to previous Bethesda games. Similar to other space-oriented RPGs like Mass Effect, Starfield offers NPCs with whom players can establish relationships—and possibly more. In the discussion below, we will delve into everything known about Starfield relationships and romance, which are said to encompass more depth and complexity than one might anticipate.
Starfield romances and relationship systems explained
Todd Howard has confirmed the following details about romances and relationships in Starfield:
- Multiple romanceable NPCs will be featured throughout the Starfield single-player campaign.
- Relationships will be “more complex, in terms of whether they like you or they don’t like you.”
- Temporarily upsetting romantic partners will be possible, instead of solely causing permanent changes or ending the relationship.
Bethesda’s primary focus for Starfield relationships appears to be complexity rather than the number of characters available for romance. In an interview, Todd Howard emphasized that some Starfield relationships would be “more complex” compared to those in other Bethesda games, highlighting a greater focus on emotional depth over simplistic like/dislike sentiments.
Howard: “We offer a variety of companions, and for them, we delve into a deeper level of complexity – not necessarily super-complex-romantic, but more intricate than before. It’s not just about whether they like or dislike you. They can be in love with you while disapproving of a particular action, being angry with you temporarily, and then return to loving you. It differs from merely drifting out of the romantic status; instead, you experience a temporary ‘I don’t like what you did’ phase.”
As of now, it remains unclear how many characters will be available for romance in the final version of the game or what restrictions may apply. Nevertheless, it is evident that Bethesda acknowledges the appeal of romantic relationships in their games. It is highly probable that this feature will be partially integrated with the Starfield dialogue system, which we have elaborated on in the attached link.