Starfield's massive May update--the biggest to hit the game since its September 2023 launch--arrived last week, introducing tons of new quality-of-life features (like improved scanner function and surface maps) and long-awaited bug-fixes for some of the game's most important quests. The May update ostensibly has it all, from options to tweak combat difficulty to increased inventory space and even improved ship-decorating mechanics.

As a fan of Bethesda's previous games (and a huge space nerd), I was excited to get my hands on the update and take it for a spin. Disappointed by the state of the game at launch, I'd awaited this update with bated breath, hoping Starfield would finally get the Cyberpunk 2077 treatment and rise like a phoenix from its buggy, underwhelming ashes. Unfortunately, upon firing up the game, I discovered something incredibly disheartening: Rather than drastically improving Starfield's gameplay, the May update instead makes the game's flaws even more evident and introduces new bugs. Later, I stumbled into an even more painful truth: Although the update itself is available free of charge, some of the update's best quality-of-life improvements come with a surprising price--one that players might not be willing to pay.

Playing on Xbox, I fired up an old save and immediately proceeded to test out the new surface maps and scanner functions. Functionally, the new three-dimensional surface maps do a fantastic job of helping players get their bearings and allow them to survey a planet's topography without having to physically run around to see if there's anything worth finding on it. The new maps don't exactly scream, "Hey, there's a really cool point of interest over there!" but the 3D details that now appear on a planet's surface map mean players can spot buildings, unusual rock formations, and other details that may indicate the presence of an interesting locale they might wish to explore.