Starfield’sShattered SpaceDLC launched in the most Bethesda way possible, with a plethora of bugs ranging from the amusing to the game-breaking.Shattered SpaceisStarfield’s first DLC, focusing on the mysterious House Va’ruun, and set almost entirely on the lost planet of Va’ruun’kai. Players had high expectations for it, especially since itpromised a handcrafted mapand impactful decisions ranging beyond what the base game offers. Whether it actually delivers on those promises is up to personal preference. What is clear, though, is thatShattered Spacehas a whole host of technical issues.
Many were disappointed to findShattered Spaceincredibly bugged at launch. One of the most common (and comedic) bugs affects planet textures, causing them to appear as red and green swirls with the words, “Default Planet Material. The swap hasn’t occurred. You shouldn’t be seeing this,” written on their surfaces in a strangely whimsical font. The planet’s name and associated faction may be displayed as “LOOKUP FAILED!” A similar bug may also affect dialogue, causing the subtitles to appear as “LOOKUP FAILED!”
What Causes Starfield’s “Lookup Failed” Bug & How To Fix It
The Issue Predates The Shattered Space DLC
Starfield’s “Lookup Failed” bug, as shared to Reddit by usermk18mitchabove,actually predates the release ofShattered Space. It’s been around for quite some time, and was introduced with an earlier shader update - it would appeartheShattered Spaceupdatesimply exacerbated a preexisting issue. However, for players just returning to the game for the DLC after a long hiatus, this may be new. The “Lookup Failed” error happens whenStarfieldcan’t retrieve the textures or other data for a planet or a subtitle in its database. Instead, it displays an error message or a default placeholder texture.
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The issue should be easily fixed by simply quitting and restarting the game, but some players may need to put in a little more work. As a next course of action, players should try restarting their consoles or PCs entirely. Next, checkStarfieldfor updates - many players have reported that this issue went away after installing the latest version of the game. Mods may also be the cause of the “Lookup Failed” error, so disabling any active mods and reloading the save may also fix the issue.
If it is caused by an issue with shaders,forcingStarfieldto recompile its shaders may fix the issue if it persists. However, this solution only works on PC, and requires a little tinkering. Players will need to first open the Run command on Windows - it’s easiest to do this by pressing Win + R. Next, paste in the following path: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Starfield, and delete the file Pipeline.data. On reopeningStarfield, it should begin recompiling all the game’s shaders. This can take a while, but should solve graphical issues such as this one. Some players have even reported improved performance after recompiling the shaders.
Other Common Issues With Starfield’s Shattered Space Update
Game Not Launching, DLC Not Starting, Save Not Loading, Etc.
Other commonly reported issues withStarfieldsince the launch of the most recent update include players not being able to launch the game, not being able to start the DLC, or not being able to load their save files. When experiencing any of these issues,the first course of action should be to verify that bothShattered Spaceand the associated update are installed. The game should be on version 1.14.70, and players can confirm that the DLC has been purchased and installed via the storefront of their choice.
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If the DLC still won’t start, players should ensure they’ve met theprerequisites for startingShattered Space. They’ll need to have completed at least the first mission of the main quest, “One Small Step,” and unlocked their own ship and free travel. They’ll next need to head for any unused star system and hang out in orbit for a minute, at which pointthey should receive the distress signal that starts the DLC. If it’s not happening in the first system, try another; if it still doesn’t trigger, there may be a deeper issue.
Bethesda recommends players reach at leastlevel 35 before startingShattered Space.
If any issues persist, try disabling mods and relaunching the game. After that,the next step is to ensure that the game is installed correctly.On Steam, this can be done by right-clicking onStarfieldin the game library, clicking on “Properties,” then “Installed files,” and finally, “Verify integrity of game files.” For those who haveStarfieldvia Game Pass or the PC Xbox storefront, right-click on the game in the sidebar, then click “Manage,” “Files,” and finally, “Verify and repair.”
What’s happening here is the PC scanning all the installed files associated withStarfieldand comparing them with the installation package, verifying that none of them are broken or missing. If they are, it’ll replace them with fresh versions. Many players have reported that on doing so, a handful ofStarfield’s files are automatically replaced, and any issues are resolved on restarting the game. Unfortunately,this fix is only available on PC, and Xbox players will have to skip to the next step: uninstalling and reinstalling the game.
Is There A Fix Planned For Starfield’s Shattered Space Bugs?
Bethesda Has Yet To Acknowledge The Issue
Short of resetting the console to factory defaults, that’s about all that can be done to fixStarfield’sShattered Spaceissues at the time of writing. Bethesda has yet to officially acknowledge the issues that some players are currently having with its DLC, let alone offer any official solutions. However,some kind of patch is likely forthcoming. It’s all too common for DLCs to be patched within the first few days of release, ideally resolving any issues they cause with the base game. Until something like that is announced, though, these solutions are the best players can get.
It’s never fun to pay for and download a DLC, only to discover it just won’t launch. Hopefully, these potential fixes will tide players over until a biggerStarfieldpatch can resolve them for good.
