Starfield Players Can Now Enjoy DLSS without Add-ons Thanks to Latest Update

Starfield players who have a compatible NVIDIA graphics card will no longer have to rely on addons to enable DLSS. That's because Update 1.8.86 adds official support for the feature. This patch also adds a new "Consume" button that lets players devour any food they can find on sight.

Official DLSS Support

Players who have NVIDIA RTX GPUs can now enjoy DLSS, aka Deep Learning Super Sampling, in Starfield. This includes related technologies, such as DLSS Super Resolution, Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing (DLAA), NVIDIA Reflex, and DLSS Frame Generation.

This is a great move by Bethesda because players were forced to install add-ons just to enable DLSS back in the day. Even though some are savvy enough to have DLSS run unofficially prior to this update, installing the upscaler add-on is quite cumbersome for those who don't know their way around a computer.

The addition of DLSS is not the only thing that's noteworthy in Update 1.8.86. This patch implemented a number of performance improvements as well. The game's renderer threading model has been updated, which promises improved CPU usage across the board (though this is mostly noticeable on higher-end PCs). Memory leaks have been addressed as well.

Eat to Your Heart's Content

To celebrate Thanksgiving, the company has finally added a nifty "Consume" button, which lets players eat the food that they see in the world immediately without having to store it in their inventory first. In other words, players can now consume Chunks on sight! Happy Chunksgiving!

Patch Highlights

PERFORMANCE and STABILITY

Added some GPU performance optimizations, which will be more impactful on higher end cards.

GAMEPLAY

Adjusted stealth to be a bit more forgiving.
Fixed an issue that could prevent players from firing their weapons.
Fixed issues where some NPC could be seen not wearing clothes (Note: This issue may resolve itself over time).
Fixed an issue where already in-progress skill challenges could stop progressing after reaching the Unity and starting a new game.
Fixed an issue that could temporarily prevent opening the inventory or saving after entering the Unity.
PC: Fixed an issue where mouse movement could be choppy.
Fixed an issue where the ship services technician might be missing.
Fixed an issue where occasionally the camera could shake incorrectly during Traveling, Grav Jumping, Docking, or Landing transitions.

GRAPHICS

Addressed an issue with how ambient occlusion appeared in ultrawide resolutions.
Optimized initial shader compilation that occurs on start-up.
Added the ability to adjust Brightness and Contrast in the Display Settings menu.
Added the ability to adjust HDR Brightness provided that the system supports it. (Xbox & Windows 11 only).
Addressed a number of materials that could sometimes present an unintended pattern under certain conditions.
Fixed various visual issues related to the new FOV slider options.

QUESTS

No Sudden Moves: Fixed an issue that could prevent the entrance door to the Scow ship from being opened again.
Operation Starseed: Fixed an issue where the key that is needed to exit the facility could sometimes not be present.
Sabotage: Fixed an issue where David Barron could potentially not be found by players.
The Heart of Mars: Fixed an issue where players might not be able to mine the "The Heart of Mars".

Starfield Update 1.8.86 is available on Xbox Series X/S and PC.