Under the exciting idea of exploring new worlds and enjoying total freedom,Starfield’s League of Independent Settlers (LIST) seems like a great chance for settlers wanting a fresh start in space. At first, it looks like a helpful program that connects adventurous people with habitable planets, but things quickly take a darker turn. The initial excitement of escaping the usual life fades as the game reveals LIST to be more of an exploitative scheme aimed at taking advantage of people’s dreams of independence.
Players end up feeling like they are just part of a recruitment system, motivated to sign others up without considering their long-term safety. The story shifts from a heroic space adventure to a harsh reality, showing the risks and difficulties that await those who venture out with minimal LIST help. The game highlights thatLIST’s neglect and lack of careturn what should be a liberating experience into a risky gamble.
LIST Is Introduced To Players The Same Way A Pyramid Scheme Would Be
It Sounds Like A Multi-Level Marketing Scheme
When players first encounter LIST inStarfield, it feels a lot like how pyramid schemes operate. They meet Phil Hill, a recruiter at the shady Broken Spear bar in Cydonia, who doesn’t seem very trustworthy. This first meeting is an idea than presenting a real opportunity, highlighting the excitement of exploring new planets and becoming self-sufficient.
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Right away, players are asked to recruit others, looking for people who are just a bit curious about making a change in their lives. They earn credits for each person they successfully bring into LIST and for surveying new worlds, whichreinforces the pyramid scheme comparison. This approach makes it seem like the focus is on hitting numbers rather than building a genuine community, with little care for the newcomers' well-being compared to the organization’s growth and profits.
Most players generally consider doing the LIST missions to bemust-play questsinStarfield, but there’s likely a reason it pays so much.Overall, the experience feels less like starting a new society and more like convincing new recruits to sell the dream to others. If the dreams are reliable and can be made from a solid foundation, that’s one thing, but they’re not.LIST is not the kind of operationthat cares about its settlers, and that’s alarming.
LIST Leaves Settlers Stranded And Does Not Care About Their Well-being
The League of Independent Settlers inStarfieldpresents itself as a chance for new opportunities, but it quickly becomes clear that they don’t care about the settlers they claim to help. While they market themselves as a way to achieve independence,they abandon any responsibility once people are on new planets. Their focus seems to be more on expanding rapidly than on making sure settlers succeed, which shows in the lack of support after colonization begins.
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This disconnect means that settlers are often thrown into dangerous situations with little help or resources from the very organization that promised them a fresh start. The impact of this neglect is felt not just by those taking the plunge but also by others who might consider joining. As players explore the story further, it becomes obvious thatLIST operates in a detached way, treating recruits and settlers as mere numbers, and the player is there to make sure that style of work continues.
A Typo Is All It Took To Hurt Settlers According To A News Report
They’ve Already Done Wrong
In the in-game news reports ofStarfield, there’s a troubling story about LIST’s operations that had serious consequences for new settlers. A simple typo in LIST’s database led a group of colonists to a planet that couldn’t support human life at all. It’s one of thosenarrative backstories that is easy to missbut is well done overall.
This wasn’t due to unexpected dangers or changes in the environment; it was just a careless mistake. This shows a shocking level of negligence from LIST. This incident highlights how little the organization cares about the settlers, revealing a significant lack of quality control and thorough checks in their processes. The fact thata small error could put hopeful individuals in dangershows that they prioritize profits over people’s safety.
This situation raises important questions about LIST’s competence and casts doubt on their true mission, which should make players wonder if this kind of carelessness is part of a bigger problem. However,players tend not to put any doubton this and are actively helping this organization find more planets to possibly hurt more people.
Starfield May Seem Advanced, But It’s Clearly The Wild West In Space
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Despite having advanced technology and the ability to travel between stars inStarfield, the settled areas often feel more like the Wild West than a futuristic society. The League of Independent Settlers promises to help create organized communities, but thingsquickly turn chaotic. Settlers find themselves mostly on their own, thrown onto a planet with maybe a satellite for communication but little else. They must build their lives from scratch without much support.
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There’s plenty ofbig problems withStarfield, but this kind of storytelling is what players would see inElden Ring. The player isn’t told any of this, they’re shown in bits and clues. However, it’s gone overlooked, and one of thebiggest differences betweenStarfieldandFalloutis the lack of a karma meter. Helping LIST wouldmake that meter go downbecause the player is complacent with the company they’re actively helping.
There’s little oversight from any governing authority, which creates a vast and wild space where the law often disappears, leading to opportunism and exploitation. Similar to the gold rush days, settlers face dangers from bandits and wild animals, leaving them to defend themselves. This harsh environment highlights how fragile society can be, showing that even in the future ofStarfield, things can be difficult for those who are not in charge.
