Starfield unveiled a big update on Monday, officially rolling out DLSS 3 support to PC players, various graphics and performance improvements, the ability to eat food without picking it up first, and a whole lot more.
Bethesda Game Studios had been testing DLSS 3 support in beta for the last few weeks. Update 1.8.86, however, makes DLSS Super Resolution, Deep Learning Anti-aliasing (DLAA), Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, and DLSS Frame generation available to all players with compatible Nvidia graphics cards, satisfying a long-requested feature from PC players.
In another long-awaited addition, the update also adds a “consume” button for food and drinks, allowing you to eat as soon as you find the items in-world or save them for later. Previously, you had to pick up the Chunks, add it to your inventory, and then eat it — a far less convenient process than that of previous Bethesda RPGs. Now, players can eat on sight to their hearts’ content, saving a fair amount of time.
Both of these improvements were previously outlined back in September.
The update also improves the appearance of eyes on crowd characters (hopefully addressing that dead eyes issue); adds the ability to adjust brightness, contrast, and HDR brightness in the display settings menu; and includes various stability and performance improvements. It’s also adjusted stealth to be “a bit more forgiving,” addressing another common complaint.
See the full patch notes below. For more, check out our complete walkthrough as well as our guide to all of the ships in Starfield.
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”
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.