What’s New

Starfield — Starfield Update 1.16.236 – April 7, 2026

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.

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