The first character from Starfield has been announced by Bethesda Game Studios. VASCO, a companion robot, has been showcased in a brand new behind the scenes video, introduced by Starfield Lead Artist Istvan Pely.
Described as being “one of our favourite companions in the game”, VASCO is apparently the Constellation’s expeditionary robot, which initially started out as an early model robot built by Lunar Robotics. According to the backstory explained in the video, VASCO was then refurbished and given a Constellation-friendly makeover to ensure it met the requirements for the Constellation’s missions. He has a boxy, biped design, making him somewhat more human-like in his overall look as opposed to some of the other robot designs we’ve seen in previous Bethesda titles such as Fallout.
VASCO is further described as being a “heavy industrial machine” and “a utilitarian”, who should have no problems adjusting to the life of a space traveller. He’s featured in the video with a range of survival and load-bearing equipment ready-fitted to his chassis, suggesting that this won’t just be an idle companion on your adventures. It looks as though he will be able to carry gear for you in a similar way to other companion NPCs have done in other Bethesda games.
Additionally, it’s made clear that VASCO’s a peaceful robot but does come equipped with a set of defensive capabilities, if necessary. Pely also goes on to describe VASCO as being a “reliable companion that an intrepid explorer such as yourself can depend on.”
With the game itself set to launch on November 11th, this could just be the first of more upcoming character reveals. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more companion updates from Bethesda over the coming weeks.
Starfield is expected to launch on November 11th 2022 and will be available for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC.
