Summary

Starfieldmay provide players with an expansive universe to discover and explore butthose who want a few more romantic options on their expeditions should check out this neat mod. Despite the sheer size of the sci-fi RPG, many players were disappointed to discover that the gamedoesn’t actually feature too many romanceable NPCs. In fact, there are only four characters the player can date and the system governing this process is rather restrictive, eliminating any kind of emotional investment or drama-fuelled stories that usually arise from dateable NPCs.

Fortunately, thanks toTheRealCooperon Nexus Mods,the “Polyamory - Remove Single Romance Limit” goes a long way to makingStarfield’s dating pool more interesting. Per the add-on’s title, those who install it are free to date all four NPCs at the same time rather than restricting themselves to a single love interest for an entire playthrough. It’s no doubt liberating to be able to form connections with multiple characters at once but it’s worth noting that since the system is rather limited, Sarah, Barrett, Sam, and Andreja likely have little to say about dating all of them at once.

Modded Starfield footage with various characters

7 Essential Mods For Starfield & What They Do

Essential mods for the sci-fi-themed RPG, Starfield, feature quality-of-life improvements that aim to streamline gameplay and make it more enjoyable.

Romance In Starfield Is Disappointing

So Many NPCs, So Little Love

From a gameplay perspective,Starfieldis up there as one of Bethesda’s best games yet from a narrative perspective, it doesn’t reach the heights of the studio’s previous titles.One of the major issues is how players interact with NPCs, especially companions, given that most major characters are generally dull and lifeless. While thefour aforementioned romanceable NPCs each have decent storiesattached to their personal quests, dating them has no impact on the world or mechanical advantage, meaning it’s pointless doing so.

This restriction on romanceable NPCsdisappointed many players whenStarfieldlaunched but the limitation isn’t exactly unprecedented. It’s no secret that the spacefaring game is a massive adventure, one filled with a plethora of systems working behind the scenes to provide users with unique experiences.Having a restriction on the number of NPCs that can be dated is a means of compromising some of the less essential gameplay componentsto ensure that vital systems like exploration and space travel exist in their current state.

mixcollage-08-dec-2024-02-24-pm-6140.jpg

Whether or not limiting the dating mechanics inStarfieldwas the right move or not remains open for debate.It’s entirely possible that Bethesda could introduce more romance optionsin a future content update, expansion, or the Creations System. At least players with the Polyamory mod won’t need to make any difficult decisions by only sticking with a single character if more do eventually arrive.