Bethesda has released the latest Beta Update, Patch 1.8.86, for its new space role-playing game, Starfield. This beta patch is around 600MB in size, and you can find below its key features. And, be sure to take a deep breath because its changelog is huge.

Okay okay, I’m just kidding. Bethesda hasn’t actually revealed any release notes for Update 1.8.86. All it said was that this new Steam Beta branch packs additional visual improvements for DLSS. And, that’s it. No game tweaks, no bug fixes, and no general optimization improvements. Nothing.

So I went ahead and fired up the game to check the game out. Sadly, I did not find any particular improvements. And that awful HUD issue is still there. Seriously, what the hell is going on? And I’ll say it again. The previous version of Starfield did not have this issue. Yes, the HUD icons were running at 30fps. However, in this beta branch, they appear to be running at a way lower framerate. It looks bad.

Speaking of Starfield, we’ve got some cool mods to recommend. Last month, we talked about a mod that added new landscape discovery quests. We also shared a mod that adds physics collisions to all the dead bodies in the game. In September, we also shared the Disk Cache Enabler Mod, which helps reduce how much space the game uses on your computer. And there’s also a mod that fixes the game’s dark visuals. If you want to change your field of view (FOV), we have a guide to help with that. Don’t forget to check out the DLSS 2/XeSS and DLSS 3 Frame Generation mods for better performance. And then we have this mod that brings photorealistic eyes to all characters.

Sprinting Stuttering Fix is another cool mod that stops the annoying stutters when you run. Then, you can grab this mod that makes the game run smoother by fixing a bunch of scripts. And don’t forget these two must-have mods that make the game look and feel better with a new User Interface and cooler Particle Effects. On the other hand, this mod lets you travel between planets in real-time. Oh, and let’s not forget this mod that brings a dynamic weather system into the game, as well as this mod that aims to improve the behavior of NPCs. Finally, in order to improve the game’s textures, you can download Starfield HD Overhaul, Starfield HD Reworked, or this 12GB HD Texture Pack.

I’ll be sure to update this post with the release notes, once – and if – Bethesda shares them. For the time being, know that there aren’t any major fixes or improvements!

UPDATE:

Bethesda has shared the complete changelog for this update.

Starfield Update 1.8.86 Release Notes

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”.