Highlights
- A widespread bug in Starfield causes weapons to reload slower than intended due to the game applying reload speed bonuses to throwables instead of guns.
- In theory, players can improve weapon reload speed through apparel bonuses and the Rapid Reloading skill. In practice, the aforementioned bug prevents these bonuses from processing correctly.
- The bug can be bypassed by unequipping throwables or installing the unofficial Starfield Community Patch, which is only compatible with the Steam version of the game (for now).
An ostensibly widespread Starfield bug makes weapons reload much slower than intended by making the game attempt to apply reload speed bonuses to throwables instead of whatever gun the player is holding. Although no official update for the game has yet attempted to fix this peculiar Starfield bug, the fandom has already figured out several ways to side-step the problem.
Bethesda’s latest RPG offers two main mechanisms for improving one’s weapon reload speed: apparel bonuses and the Rapid Reloading skill. The former option is somewhat more accessible, not least because there are over a dozen pieces of clothing in the game that offer a 5% reload speed boost, so the chances of stumbling upon one of them before long are fairly high. Alternatively, investing some skill points in Rapid Reloading allows the player to get at least a 30% reload speed buff on select weapons. That bonus is significant enough that Rapid Reloading is widely touted as one of the best Starfield Combat skills.
Throwables Negate Weapon Reload Speed Bonuses in Starfield
However, it turns out that a fairly prevalent bug can prevent both of those bonuses from processing correctly. As recently demonstrated by Reddit user joldsworth04, equipping something like a grenade is a surefire way to miss out on any reload speed bonuses in Starfield. That’s because the game erroneously attempts to apply those buffs to throwables instead of the protagonist’s primary weapon. The first player reports of this issue date back to early September, indicating that the problem has been in the game since day one. Game Rant was able to replicate the bug on Starfield version 1.8.84, which is its latest beta release.
The mechanics of this erroneous interaction allow players to side-step the problem by simply unequipping throwables. Alternatively, the unofficial Starfield Community Patch fixes this and many other bugs. The change resolving the reload speed issue is attributed to Nexus Mods user Argonil, who’s credited for over 30 other fixes included in the popular community patch.
Modding the game is currently only an option for PC gamers, while the Starfield Community Patch is even more restricted due to its dependency on the Starfield Script Extender (SFSE), which supports the Steam version of the RPG, but not its PC Game Pass and Microsoft Store counterparts. But if Fallout 4 and Skyrim are any indication, there’s a decent chance that this community patch will eventually be made available on all platforms after Bethesda launches Starfield‘s Creation Kit in early 2024.
Starfield
Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, Starfield is a sci-fi action role-playing game where players interact with multiple factions, engage in combat, customize their main character and ship, as well as explore a universe that features over 100 systems and 1,000 planets.
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Released
- September 6, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Enhanced
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 101 GB (September 2023)
- Metascore
- 86