In a twist that has left Starfield players scratching their heads, a peculiar bug has emerged within the game. What initially seemed like harmless fun has escalated into a phenomenon that sees players trailed by an odd assortment of objects, from pet rocks to entire cities like New Atlantis.
The quirk first came to light when players reported being tailed by their own pet rocks, strangely tethered to their ships. Notably, Reddit users ReverendRoo and Ultimastar shared their experiences, dismissing it as an amusing but non-game-breaking glitch. Speculation arose that the game’s coding had, in some way, linked ordinary containers like chests to players’ ships, resulting in this peculiar hitch.
However, as Kotaku delved deeper into the issue, it became apparent that this glitch had more extravagant manifestations, capable of disrupting the gaming experience. In a sequence of escalating incidents, user Same_Cardiologist_59 found themselves confronted by a ghostly cave system haunting their cosmic journey.
The glitch reached a surreal pinnacle when user Royal_Schedule4209 encountered a telepathically-clinging forest attached to their ride—a unique approach to planet terraforming but one likely to trigger security concerns. Furthermore, this arboreal anomaly could potentially harbor invasive species, posing an unforeseen threat.
The most astonishing instances of this glitch were documented by user Punidue, who found themselves trailed by the entire City of New Atlantis, hovering ominously in orbit. This raises questions about the game’s mechanics, prompting theories about advanced forcefield technology or the unfortunate fate of thousands of unsuspecting civilians. Notably, HotPlastic6 and LoStInSpacc also reported similar encounters, with the latter providing video footage of the phenomenon.
While players can theoretically eliminate these ghostly companions with console commands—similar to dispatching asteroids—the trade-off is the forfeiture of potential achievements. Furthermore, if players lack a saved game before the glitch, it could spell doom for New Atlantis, as user drunkboarder explained, “If you go back to New Atlantis you’ll notice you can fall through the ground in some places, all of the loose items in shops are missing, and the Trade Authority kiosk at the spaceport is missing.” This anomaly extends beyond mere visual quirks, disrupting in-game items and geometry.
What adds an intriguing layer to this glitch is the link Punidue drew between it and The Key, the base of the Crimson Fleet, saying, “I boarded a spacer ship, and jumped to The Key to register and modify it. I do so, exit dialogue with the vendor, and talk to her again because I wanted to change my home ship back to what I was using before. After that, the station got incredibly bright and I could not fast travel anywhere. So I got back to the docks, boarded my ship and bam, I was in a glitchy New Atlantis ready for take off.”
Interestingly, this incident echoes a previous bug where a player inexplicably added The Key to their fleet, following the registration of a home ship and the fencing of a different stolen vessel. The overarching lesson? Crime may not pay in Starfield, and it might just result in an unintended city-ripping, save-dooming spectacle.
