Starfield's first expansion, Shattered Space, is set to release on September 30. Starfield: Shattered Space will focus on House Va'ruun, one of the least explored Houses in Starfield. The expansion pack will be set on a single planet, but players will be able to come and go as they please. House Va'ruun's planet, Va'ruun'kai, will become explorable for the first time, and players will finally be able to unravel the mysteries of this secretive House.

This article contains possible story spoilers for Starfield: Shattered Space. Unraveling the mysteries of House Va'ruun requires revealing one of the House's biggest secrets: its worship of the Great Serpent. The Speaker of House Va'ruun, Anasko Va'ruun, has recently been revealed to be a victim of the space-time tear, and the crisis of faith is likely to be one of the conflicts in Starfield: Shattered Space. As more has been revealed about the Great Serpent, more parallels to Sithis from The Elder Scrolls have become apparent, as both deities communicate through a single speaker, possibly through a statue, and have been depicted as a giant snake at some point in their lore.

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The Great Serpent and House Va'Ruun's Worship in Starfield: Shattered Space

One of the most well-known characteristics of House Va'ruun is their worship of the Great Serpent, a part of their culture that is so important that their leader is the only one who can speak to the Great Serpent, and who is known as the Speaker. This bears many similarities to another Bethesda game series, The Elder Scrolls, where the Dark Brotherhood worships Sithis. Although the Great Serpent and Sithis don't appear to have any similarities at a glance, their lore, depictions, and possible methods of communication with their followers have a lot in common.

The Great Serpent in Starfield: Shattered Space is worshiped by House Va'ruun. Their leader, Anasko Va'ruun, is the means through which the Great Serpent communicates to the House. Thanks to a massive tear in space-time, Anasko has gone missing, leaving House Va'ruun in shambles. Despite the Great Serpent's status as House Va'ruun's deity, his return is also seen as a sign of the apocalypse by some in the House. The recent Shattered Space: Deep Dive trailer depicts a statue in House Va'ruun, which could possibly be the means through which the Great Serpent communicated with the Speaker.

Sithis and The Dark Brotherhood in The Elder Scrolls

Sithis from The Elder Scrolls is worshiped by the Dark Brotherhood, a mysterious faction of assassins. Sithis is one of the oldest deities in The Elder Scrolls and is thought to be the progenitor of Lorkhan. Sithis doesn't often appear in any form to his worshipers, but when he does appear to mortals, he is sometimes depicted as a serpent, as seen in The Elder Scrolls: Online, and is depicted as a serpent in some of the other cultures of Tamriel.

Sithis' method of communicating with the Dark Brotherhood is also very similar to the Great Serpent. In The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, the Night Mother communicates to a Listener of the Dark Brotherhood through a statue in Bravil, similar to the depiction of a statue and the title of Speaker in Starfield: Shattered Space. If the Great Serpent does communicate to its worshipers through the Speaker, this will be a clear connection between the Great Serpent and Sithis, with the caveat that Sithis has the Night Mother speak on his behalf.

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10 /10

Starfield
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Action
RPG
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Systems
PC-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
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Released
September 6, 2023
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Engine
proprietary engine
Cross-Platform Play
no multiplayer
Cross Save
no
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.

Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Genre(s)
Action, RPG
How Long To Beat
20 Hours
X|S Optimized
Yes
File Size Xbox Series
101 GB (September 2023)