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Last week’s Xbox and Bethesda Showcase shone a spotlight on Starfield’s character creation, and it looks like Bethesda’s hidden a neat little easter egg in the system’s sliders.
Following last weekend’s gameplay reveal, fans were quick to pour over the details, like studio boss Todd Howard’s confirmation that Starfield will include banking. Spotted by u/Pomatomaster in the Starfield subreddit (opens in new tab), this eagle-eyed fan noticed the character creation sliders look like gel electrophoresis bands.
For the unaware, gel electrophoresis bands is a research method used in molecular biology, which involves separating DNA fragments based on their size or weight. u/Pomatomaster explains this involves the DNA sample being placed in “a big block of glorified jello”, as an electrical current is run across it to separate these fragments.
fellow_genetics_nerds_rejoice_the_character from r/Starfield
It’s a process also used for sequencing DNA, so – considering how DNA defines our very appearance – it’s only fitting that Bethesda would use this for Starfield’s character creation.
Making this adventure your own
Like most Bethesda games, there’s a wide array of customization options available for our Starfield protagonist. Changeable skin tones, hair colors, body details, eye color, all the usual options you’d expect. This time though, Bethesda’s added ‘Background’ and ‘Traits’.
Backgrounds offer three starting skills. Picking ‘Gastronomy’ lets you create unique food and drink recipes, while ‘Dueling’ gives you 10% extra damage in melee combat. As for Traits, these shape your personality in more subtle ways. If you choose the ‘Introvert’ trait for example, you’ll have more endurance when travelling alone but less with companions. Unsurprisingly, you can’t mix diametrically opposed traits.
Just don’t expect any voice options. Shortly after the presentation, Bethesda confirmed via Twitter (opens in new tab) that it’s opted for a first-person perspective with dialogue, and this time around your character doesn’t speak. Bethesda previously attempted this in Fallout 4, an aspect which wasn’t particularly well-received. As such, news of this change has mostly been positive.