Starfield's Terran Armada DLC is here, accompanied by its transformative Free Lanes update

It’s been a rough road for Starfield. Touted as The Elder Scrolls in Space and the next evolution of the Bethesda RPG, it’s struggled to have the same impact as its sister franchise, dwarfed by both Fallout and The Elder Scrolls in terms of both scale and acclaim. Two years and seven months on from launch (yes, it really has been that long), we’ve seen Shattered Space do a little bit of reputational lifting, but Terran Armada – the game’s first big DLC since September 2024 – is is set to reinvent the wheel. With Starfield currently sitting at just 57%-rated on Steam (recent reviews clock in at around 67%), this is Bethesda’s shot at getting out of the yellow – but it is, perhaps, its last one.

As of the time of writing, Starfield’s Terran Armada DLC, as well as the Free Lanes update (which is entirely free) are available to play. The former focuses on the eponymous Terran Armada, a brand new faction for are the self-proclaimed “true” children of Earth. Their ranks, however, are padded out by more than a few eerie-looking robots, and they’re absolutely, definitely not planning on killing you.

Thankfully, you’ll find a new companion in Delta who has been deprogrammed and seems relatively neutral. For now, at least. Then, there’s the new Incursion system, which hopes to deliver some epic space battles with the Terrans, whose mysterious tech makes it difficult to run away if things start to get dicey.

While all of that sounds great, especially as someone who loves a big new narrative adventure, the New Lanes updates is, perhaps, the real gamechanger. It finally adds the much-requested cruise control for your ships (no more crashing into things), giving you more time to get to know your crewmates.

Then there’s X-Tech, a brand new upgrade system that expands across your weapons, ship, and gear. It also lets you reroll your Legendary Effects, letting you really refine your build. There’s a whole new tier of said effects, too, allowing you to achieve the coveted ‘Exotic’ status on your gear when you reach enough upgrades.

There are also new enemy tiers (spoiler: your foes are getting stronger), the brand new Moon Buggy (it lets you bounce, do I need to say more?), and you’ll be able to visit the brand new Starstation, Anchorpoint. You can check out my colleague Aaron’s stellar (ha ha) rundown of all of the update’s content, as well as the full patch notes, here.

As aforementioned, Starfield’s free Free Lanes update and the Terran Armada DLC are available now, with Terran Armada priced at $9.99 / £8.99. Once you’ve reached Akila City in the main storyline, you’ll be prompted to listen to an SSNN broadcast, allowing you to begin the Terran Armada questline. Starfield is also now available on PlayStation 5.

I vividly remember working the Starfield launch, and while it’s certainly been a rocky road to get here, I’m hopeful that the perfect storm of updates and DLC finally switches its trajectory – I do love Bethesda, after all. Plus, the update’s trailer has Keith David as the narrator. Color me sold.