Starfield planets and Starfield locations have already been partially revealed, with over 1,000 different environments supposedly explorable in the upcoming RPG from Fallout and Skyrim developer Bethesda. There is one, however, that has fans particularly concerned, as our own Solar System, named Sol in the game, appears on Starfield’s map, and could possibly present some significant challenges to Starfield gameplay.
As we have seen already in the Starfield gameplay trailer, various considerations must be taken into account when it comes to exploring the game’s many different planets, including atmosphere and gravity. Previous clues from the Starfield gameplay footage have also suggested the possibility of survival mechanics like eating and disease, but a few eagle-eyed fans are doubtful that one planet, Venus, would make exploration and inhabitation possible at all.
The mean temperature of our very own Earth is 15 degrees celsius. Compare that to Venus, at a scorching 464 celsius, and Starfield players are concerned that any of the game’s suits, ships, or systems would allow us to properly explore our closest galactic neighbour. “Given that our solar system (Sol) seems explorable,” writes one fan, sharing the temperature data, “Venus is probably going to be one of the most dangerous planets to explore in the game. The majority will likely be frozen as opposed to really hot. And most within that range probably won’t have as heavy of an atmosphere as Venus”.
“By and large Venus is an anomaly,” adds another fan. “Most rocky bodies don’t have very thick atmospheres, and the ones that do usually need a magnetosphere to hold it in if the planet is close to the sun, or else the atmosphere would get stripped by solar winds. Venus, sans a magnetosphere, and closer to the sun than earth, somehow has the thickest and deadliest atmosphere of any rocky body in the solar system.”
“I expect we can research special suits to survive down there,” adds a third Starfield fan, “maybe with reverse engineered alien materials.” “I hope they don’t,” says the original Reddit poster. “I want to be allowed to melt my spaceship and die a terrible death”.
With such enormous potential in terms of exploration and variety, it’s possible that there will be other Starfield planets even deadlier than Venus, begging a range of questions about the different options and tools players will be able to use for survival. Perhaps some planets will be completely off limits, where others will only be accessible for a short period of time owing to their conditions. Alternatively, you may need to reach a certain level and obtain specific high-end gear before you can venture into some of Starfield’s zones, with the more brutal planets containing tougher enemies and greater rewards.
Unfortunately, until Bethesda offers some advance on Starfield’s first gameplay trailer, we will have to wait to find out more. In the meantime, check out everything we already know about Starfield guns, as well as Starfield skills and Starfield traits. You might also want to find something from our list of the best RPGs on PC, to help kill time before you first attempt to land on Venus.