The universe of Starfield, Bethesda’s space exploration game, has been a source of wonder and amusement for its players. Among the various quirks and features, one has stood out: the unintentional but charming pet rock bug. Now, with the latest update, it seems these celestial companions are set to drift away into the annals of gaming folklore.
Players of Starfield have been delighting in an accidental feature where asteroids, or as they affectionately call them, ‘pet rocks’, get caught in the ship’s orbit, turning into unwitting travel companions.
Some gamers reported just one rock joining their journey, while others narrated tales of entire asteroid families tagging along. This whimsical bug brought a unique charm to the otherwise vast and empty space.
However, Bethesda’s latest update, 1.8.88, intends to rectify this. The patch notes state, “addressed an issue that would cause space matter to become stuck to [the] player’s ship during space travel.”
More starkly, loading a saved game post-update will result in these space cling-ons being removed, often without a chance for a proper in-game farewell.
Exceptions and Additional Fixes
Saying goodbye to a faithful, but uninvited, companion – the issue where an asteroid could be permanently attached to a player's ship in @StarfieldGame has been fixed.
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Crashes when saving during long playthroughs and an issue involving weapon cases have also been addressed.… pic.twitter.com/pTL8I8FBOH
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) December 11, 2023
Interestingly, Bethesda’s fix has a notable exception. If the object stuck to your ship is not a simple space rock but an entire entity like New Atlantis, it will remain for a while longer. Bethesda acknowledges this with a promise to address it in a subsequent update.
Beyond the asteroid companions, the update brings other important fixes. Players accessing Starfield through Xbox and Microsoft stores can expect improved stability, with a fix for crashes occurring during long play sessions without saving. Additionally, a bug impacting the spawning of weapons in newly created cases after loading a save has also been addressed.
Despite the update, some players have reported on platforms like Reddit that their asteroid friends remain. This has prompted suggestions to check in-game before holding any virtual memorials for these cosmic pets.
