Starfield fan writes essay-length post exploring how interstellar cybernetics could mirror Skyrim’s magic


A mage in Skyrim next to a character in Starfield.
Credit: Bethesda

For those who’ve invested thousands of hours into the likes of Skyrim and Fallout 4, the release of Starfield, which is now pencilled in for September 6, can’t come soon enough.

Regardless of what you want to see from the next showcase of Bethesda's venture into space, how many mods you plan to install once it arrives or whether you think you’ll be playing as ‘The Novakiin’, the idea of being able to delve into a freshly curated game has RPG lovers of all stripes intrigued.

Recently though, a few of the fans who’ve spent the last few months speculating and worrying about the game have been enjoying reading through one spacer’s incredibly in-depth idea regarding how it could use cybernetics to mimic the effects of Skyrim’s spells and enchantments.

Are you hoping to acquire a bunch of useful cybernetic powers in Starfield?

This essay-length proposal forms the subject of a recent thread on the Starfield subreddit, which was kicked off by a post from user Le_Botmes, who wrote out a lengthy speculative dissection of how cybernetics could be incorporated into Starfield in a manner that would allow it to serve as a key mechanic similar to Skyrim’s magic.

Having identified the multitude of different things that the spells of Tamriel can be used to achieve, such as damaging foes, healing yourself and even becoming invisible, as well as discussing how certain mechanics from the Fallout series deliver similar effects with a less fantastical guise, they delved into how equippable implants could do the same for interplanetary explorers.

Some of their more exotic proposals included a Cyberpunk 2077-style hacking system in place of illusion spells like frenzy, the ability to summon and control robotic turrets instead of conjuring up a Daedra to aid you in combat and even being able to manipulate zero-gravity environments in a manner that mirrors telekinesis magic.

The thread in the Starfield subreddit.
click to enlarge

Naturally, their fellow Starfield stans were pretty enthralled by the post, which concluded with Le_Botmes declaring: “I'm sure I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of all the possibilities that Cybernetics presents us.”

For instance, user WaffleDynamics responded: “Well done, I'm eager to see how close you've come to the mark. Pretty close, I'm betting.”

Regardless of whether you think Le_Botmes’ interesting ideas would make good additions to Starfield, make sure to follow us for lots of guides to its world and mechanics.

You can also check out our latest mods of the month for some killer Skyrim and Fallout mods that’ll help tide you over until it arrives.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Gaming News, Starfield, Role Playing Games, Skyrim, and Fallout pages.