Wayshrines play a significant role in one ofStarfield: Shattered Space’s side quests, The Path of Redemption.Starfield: Shattered Spacetakes place on House Va’ruun’s home planet. The House is incredibly devoted to the Great Serpent, and the five wayshrines, which can be found throughout Va’ruun’kai, play a role in showing their obedience and deference to their deity.
Wayshrines aren’t anything new to veteran Bethesda players, and those who have playedSkyrimwill be familiar with the system thanks toSkyrim’s Standing Stones, which confer a single semi-permanent buff when activated.Skyrim’s Standing Stones are scattered throughout Skyrim, and are a core gameplay mechanic that’s also tied to the lore ofThe Elder Scrolls.
Breaking Down the Wayshrines in Starfield: Shattered Space
The wayshrines inStarfield: Shattered Spaceshare characteristics withSkyrim’s Standing Stones.Shattered Space’s wayshrines andSkyrim’s Standing Stones are found scattered throughout the landscape, and grant buffs when activated. WhileShattered Space’s wayshrines are religious in nature, the Standing Stones and wayshrines are both connected to the stars. The wayshrines draw onthe Great Serpent’s loreof dwelling among the stars, and the Standing Stones are closely associated with the belief in star signs that is prevalent in many of Tamriel’s cultures.
Shattered Spacehas five wayshrines. Each wayshrine bestows a unique buff when activated, andactivating all five wayshrines is the objective of the quest The Path of Redemption. Buffs granted from wayshrines only last for two hours, and only one wayshrine can be activated at a time.
The five wayshrines and their effects are:
Skyrim’s Standing Stones Improved On a Previous System From Oblivion
Skyrim’s Standing Stoneswork in a similar way, in that they’re scattered across Skyrim and grant buffs when activated. LikeShattered Space’s wayshrines, they’re also religious in nature, and only one Standing Stone can be activated at a time. However,Skyrim’s Standing Stones have several advantages overShattered Space’s wayshrines in that their effects are permanent until another Standing Stone is activated, and there are thirteen of them to choose from, rather than just five. However,Shattered Space’s wayshrines confer two buffs rather thanSkyrim’s Standing Stones' single buff.
The reasonSkyrim’s Standing Stones work on such a streamlined system is because they’re an improvement on its predecessor,The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s own wayshrine system.Oblivion’s wayshrines were also religious in nature and, in theKnights of the Nineexpansion pack, required a pilgrimage to each of the shrines that could be found by following a map, much like inStarfield: Shattered Space. Each wayshrine conferred a temporary buff.
It’s clear that the wayshrines inShattered Spacewere inspired by the ones inOblivionrather than the improved versions inSkyrim, although it’s unclear why. The two-hour limit on the wayshrine buffs makes the gameplay more limited, while limiting the wayshrines to just five rather than thirteen like inSkyrimis another restriction.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
