Starfield — Starfield Update 1.16.236 – April 7, 2026

The Free Lanes update is Starfield’s biggest update yet! Now available on all platforms, it adds the ability to fly between planets within a star system, improvements to ships and outposts, a new Quantum Entanglement Device to transfer items when going through the Unity, the new X-Tech for better customization, the new Anchorpoint Station, and many more fixes and improvements. Learn more about the update (https://bethesda.net/game/starfield/article/7IxZSKYwYm1oDr57rXDx4C/starfield-free-lanes-terran-armada) and read on for the full update notes.

Update Notes

Features

• Free Lanes: The player can now use cruise mode to travel in open space or to POI locations between planets inside a star system.

• Added X-Tech crafting support to Weapons and Armor. This allows players to further customize the legendary effects on their equipment.

• Added Additional Quality Tiers to weapons and suits.

• Added Rank 4 Legendary effects for weapons and suits.

• Added Upgrade modules. These can be installed to improve one attribute of a weapon or Suit.

• Added New weapon skins that can be applied to select weapons at a workbench.

• Added a buildable ship optimization terminal. The player can spend X-Tech to improve several attributes of their ship.

• Added Ship Equipment schematics. This new equipment can be added in the ship builder after it is discovered.

• Added Legendary Enemy Modifiers. Legendary enemies can now appear with new modifiers that make them more challenging.

• Added Legendary Enemy Modifiers settings into Gameplay Options, so players can adjust when they start appearing.

• Added Quantum Entanglement Device. This gives players the ability to transfer some items when they choose to go through the Unity.

• Starborn Powers can now be upgraded with Quantum Essence.

• Quantum Essence can now be added to the Favorites menu to for quick access.

• Starborn ships now reward the player with Quantum Essence when destroyed.

• Added the Database menu which allows for better location, resource, and recipe tracking based on character’s knowledge of the Settled Systems.

• Added Outpost Quality of life improvements such as a Shared Outpost Container (allowing players to house and access inventory from various outpost locations), Production Rate information, and a more precise placement mode.

• New vehicle: Moon Jumper.

• Added new Player House - “Château des Étoiles”.

• Added Colony Wars Action Heroes which provide benefits when found.

• Added Colony War Action Heroes display cases as buildable objects.

• Muria Siarkiewicz is now available to join player crew.

• Added an additional 3rd person Ship Camera distance that allows more of the ship to be visible.

• Added Always Show Landing Camera setting for those who want to see their ship land at known locations.

• Added Anchorpoint Station, a new POI that can be found in the Algorab system.

• Added New Dungeons, Space Encounters, and Points of Interest throughout the game.

• Adjusted the distribution and cooldown timers for placement of points of interest on Planets.

• Added additional photomode poses for the Rev-8.

• Terran Armada DLC Now Available.

General

• Steam - Disabled DLC will no longer re-install when launching the game.

• General crash and stability fixes.

Gameplay

• Improved loot found in containers with Expert and Master level locks.

• Reactive Equipment - Resolved an issue with the sound effects for the Reactive legendary effect.

• Addressed an issue that could cause NPCs to calculate weapon damage inconsistently.

• Fixed an issue with CombaTech magazine accuracy bonuses not applying consistently.

• The player can now jump while reloading the XM-2311, Old Earth Pistol, and Livingstone's Pistol.

• Bounty targets in cities should now be properly interactable.

• Resolved an issue that could potentially cause non-combat background music to no longer play.

• Photo Mode - Addressed an issue that could cause issues when entering photomode while also entering an interior.

• Photo Mode - Addressed an issue that could cause the player's right foot to display awkwardly.

Quests

• Friends Like These - Players should now be able to return the Terrormorph data at the end of the quest.

• Guilty Parties - Addressed an issue where this quest could possibly not start after completing "Background Checks".

• Missed Beyond Measure - Addressed an issue that could cause the player to be locked with an invalid companion.

• One Giant Leap - The player's helmet should now be visible.

• Refurbished Goods - All weapons required by the quest should now be able to be found.

• Refurbished Goods - Turning in this quest will no longer take incorrect items from the player's inventory.

• The Hammer Falls - Addressed an issue that could cause the player to not receive the Star Eagle ship upon completion.

• Two Tales, Two Cities - Addressed a situation where the player could potentially be control locked if choosing to arrest Tahir.

Locations

• Resolved an issue that could cause some beds in Akila City to not grant Rested Bonus as intended.

• Characters should now correctly sit in chairs in the Explorer's Refuge.

UI

• Improved and issue that could make Weapons Workbenches difficult to place in houses or ships.

• Added visual improvements to the Ship Repair UI.

• Ship Builder - Addressed an issue that could prevent unique or stolen ships from being renamed.

• Ship Builder - Resolved an issue that could cause a duplicate model of a ship to persist on the landing pad after modifying it.

• Ship Builder - Hopetech All-In-One Berth 2x2 furnished version is now accessible in game.

• Ship Builder - Improvements to UI in Large Font Mode.

• Outpost - Improvements to UI in Large Font mode.

• Players can now use the escape key to back out of renaming an item in a workbench. (PC)

• Fixed a typo with the Scan Jammer's description.

Shattered Space

• The Oracle has updated music.

Creations

• A Perfect Recipe: Resolved an issue that could prevent the Ashta from spawning.

• Updated the description for Plushie Andreja.

• At Hell's Gate: Plushies can now be placed in Plushie cases.

• The "Plushie Case - Mount" can now be placed closer to the "Plushie Case - Stackable" variant.

• Allied Winter Camo Skins will now show up on the Creation menu when installed.