[Spoiler][Opinion] Why I only went through the Unity into NG+ at level 120
In Starfield, the goal of the main quest is: Unity. You will be led there and there is speculation about it in many quests. I like the idea of it, and exploring the universe should in principle also be the goal. From a purely philosophical point of view, the idea of parallel universes is very exciting. However, I'm not convinced by the way it's currently implemented in Starfield.
The Powers
Let's start with the powers. The powers are an interesting gaming technique that opens up completely new possibilities. For example, you can gain advantages in combat or simply by collecting plants (Eternal Harvest) or when you are overloaded (Personal Atmosphere). That's good at first, of course. However, in Starfield you are not really required to use your powers in any quest or at any point in order to progress. Why not? There are many games that suggest using the powers you receive to progress in the game. That would make sense here too.
Now the thing is, I spent up to level 120 playing quests, side quests, companion quests, discovering planets, skilling skills, modding weapons, farming items, building ships and so on. At no point was it actually necessary to use the powers. Of course, you can gain an advantage by making yourself more invisible, for example, or by detecting enemies behind walls, but this is just a nice additional feature. Even without using the skills, you can handle any situation.
In addition, from around level 50 onwards I only played on the highest level of difficulty, otherwise it was far too easy for me. And at this point I was barely using my powers.
10x New Game Plus?
Long story short: the main reason for walking through Unity is to amplify your powers. You can start an NG+ (New Game+) up to 10 times and upgrade your powers. But what's the point if you can handle every situation without the strength anyway?
The collections
At level 120 I have now collected / upgraded / expanded a lot of suits, helmets, backpacks, materials, snow globes, magazines, ships, outposts, credits, etc. and have my crew of companions with whom I have done all companion quests. Should I give up all of this so that I can use my powers that I don't actually need for a few seconds longer?
The incentive
Don't get me wrong, I think the powers are good. There's just no incentive for an NG+ if you lose everything you've spent weeks farming and building.
Of course, there are new options for completing quests in NG+, but you basically have to give up everything except your skills and level.
In the end, for me, based on the current gameplay, there are 2 ways to play that make sense.
- Either you know what to expect and want to fully develop your strengths. Then you immediately go through the NG+ 10 times without any digressions and only then start playing the quests normally.
- Or you want to explore and inhale as many components of the game as possible right from the start and play all the quests, side quests that come your way, explore planets, animals, outposts, weapons, collections, build ships, etc. from the start and ignore them at the end the allness remains in the same universe. Since you also have the powers here, just not in greater intensity, you can handle it well.
My wish for the future
I'll go back to my save game before Unity and wait to see what else Bethesda changes in future updates. If you really have to use your powers there, it would make sense to improve them. Or if you just kept your inventory, that would also be an easier step. Starfield, like Fallout or other RPGs, is a collector's game. Taking away the player's collection without really offering much incentive in compensation doesn't seem like the right approach to me.
What do you think? Have you passed through the Allness several times?
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