Two and a half months after release, Bethesda continues to keep its newest IP in good standing as version 1.8.86 of Starfield gets sent out. The patch comes with a number of tweaks, as well as Nvidia DLSS support.
Did it not come out already?
Some of you reading this may be confused about the update, as there was one sent out just a couple of weeks ago. However, version 1.8.83 of Starfield was actually released for Steam beta users and was yet to roll out to all players.
As per the official Starfield website, the patch notes for the new update list a ton of improvements to many aspects of the game. On top of fixing some notable issues, Bethesda has also now made it possible to consume food and drink items.
As mentioned above, support for Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling – DLSS for short – upscaling tech has now been implemented. This is something many PC users have been wanting in Starfield since day one. The studio was working closely with AMD to optimize the game for Team Red’s own hardware, so Nvidia users likely felt they were being left behind.
Bethesda says that more improvements are on the way, which you would expect for a new release that’s only been out since September.
Despite the hype surrounding it, Starfield doesn’t feel like it has the staying power of something like Skyrim. Sure, the modding community is bringing its own improvements, which adds to the longevity, but it definitely doesn’t have that air about it that suggests it’ll enjoy the same legacy as 2011’s Elder Scrolls V.
Full 1.8.86 patch notes
Update Highlights
Nvidia DLSS Support
This update introduces Nvidia DLSS support for our PC players. Compatible Nvidia graphic cards can now use DLSS Super Resolution, Deep Learning Anti-aliasing (DLAA), Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, and DLSS Frame generation.
Let Them Eat!
By popular request, we have added the ability to ingest food and drink items upon finding them in the environment. You can enjoy those Chunks immediately or save them for later. The choice is yours.
Fixes and Improvements
Performance And Stability
- Addressed a number of memory related issues and leaks.
- Added some GPU performance optimizations, which will be more impactful on higher end cards.
- Improved renderer threading model, improving CPU usage most notably on higher end systems.
- Various stability and performance improvements.
Gameplay
- Added the ability to eat the food placed in the world.
- Adjusted stealth to be a bit more forgiving.
- Fixed an issue where Andreja’s head would stay permanently cloaked.
- Fixed an issue that could prevent players from firing their weapons.
- Fixed issues where some NPC could be seen not wearing clothes (Note: This issue may resolve itself over time).
- Fixed an issue where already in-progress skill challenges could stop progressing after reaching the Unity and starting a new game.
- Fixed an issue that could temporarily prevent opening the inventory or saving after entering the Unity.
- PC: Fixed an issue where mouse movement could be choppy.
- Fixed a rare issue that could cause the home ship to be lost.
- Fixed an issue where the ship services technician might be missing.
- Fixed an issue where occasionally the camera could shake incorrectly during Traveling, Grav Jumping, Docking, or Landing transitions.
Graphics
- Addressed an issue with how ambient occlusion appeared in ultrawide resolutions.
- Optimized initial shader compilation that occurs on start-up.
- Added the ability to adjust Brightness and Contrast in the Display Settings menu.
- Added the ability to adjust HDR Brightness provided that the system supports it. (Xbox & Windows 11 only).
- Addressed a number of materials that could sometimes present an unintended pattern under certain conditions.
- Fixed various visual issues related to the new FOV slider options.
- Improved the appearance of the eyes on crowd characters.
- Addressed a number of minor visual issues related to lighting, shadows, terrain, and vegetation.
- PC: Addressed additional visual issues related to DLSS.
Quests
- All That Money Can Buy: Fixed a rare issue where players couldn’t sit during the negotiation with Musgrove.
- Blast Zone: Fixed an issue where the hard rocks that need to be cleared out by players will not appear on Ngodup Tate’s land.
- Echoes of the Past: Fixed an issue where the Grylloba Queen could sometimes not be reachable during the objective “Secure the Shuttle Bay”.
- Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue where players’ quest progression could potentially be blocked due to a missing docking prompt.
- Grunt Work: Addressed an issue where progress could appear blocked if “Supra et Ultra” was completed while returning to the Lodge during “High Price to Pay”.
- No Sudden Moves: Fixed an issue that could prevent the entrance door to the Scow ship from being opened again.
- Operation Starseed: Fixed an issue where the key that is needed to exit the facility could sometimes not be present.
- Sabotage: Fixed an issue where David Barron could potentially not be found by players.
- Short Sighted: Fixed an issue where players could rarely become control-locked while speaking with Vladimir.
- The Heart of Mars: Fixed an issue where players might not be able to mine the “The Heart of Mars”.
