Two newly leakedStarfieldscreenshots seemingly revealed one of the game’s loading screens, in addition to providing another confirmation that Bethesda’s upcoming RPG will feature a weapon inspired by the AK series. The images surfaced online shortly afterStarfield’sfile size had been revealed.One of themost exciting aspects from last month’s Starfield Directwas the confirmation that Bethesda’s next AAA game will place a large focus on gunplay. Besides some incredibly detailed shooting and reloading animations, the June 11 showcase revealed a wide variety of weaponry that players will be able to use in the upcoming RPG, ranging from energy blasters and laser rifles to melee armaments and traditional ballistic weapons.RELATED:Starfield Fans Have Interesting Theory About MarsThe extensive gameplay footage featured at the event already confirmed that this varied selection of weaponry will include at least one gun inspired by the Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK) family of automatic rifles, with anewly leakedStarfieldscreenshotnow offering another look at that weapon. While some fans likened the gun to the AK-47, the weapon appears to more closely resemble a member of the AK-100 series. The image emerged from the Discord server of known leaker Idle Sloth alongside ascreenshotshowing one ofStarfield’sloading screens. The latter contains a brief description of the game’s Targeting skill, stating that this ability boosts the accuracy and range of any weapon fired from the hip.
Targeting was one of theskills featured atStarfield’sgameplay reveal in mid-2022, with the contents of the that showcase being in line with this newly leaked description, thus adding credence to the loading screen’s legitimacy. Another interesting implication of this image has to do with the format of the loading screen itself; although the screenshot was heavily compressed, its 936 x 341 resolution seems to suggest thatStarfieldcould support ultrawide monitors at launch. For clarity, there are mods that enable ultrawide monitor support for every one of Bethesda’s 3D RPGs, but none of the studio’s titles have yet offered such functionality out of the box.
The gameplay screenshot also reconfirms thatStarfieldwill have an item rarity system and that its armor pieces will have separate protection stats for thermal, airborne, corrosive, and radiation damage. Similarly, select equipment will apparently boost the player’s physical, energy, and electromagnetic damage.
While it remains to be seen how many AK-inspired weapons the game ends up featuring at launch, the fandom can already count on extensive modding support that’s bound to help bring virtually every imaginable weapon to the upcoming RPG. Bethesda recently reiterated that plan, with one of its top executivesexplaining thatStarfieldwill be a modder’s paradise.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
