Starfield's planets were initially much harsher, until Bethesda "nerfed the hell" out of status effects

If you land and go exploring on one of Starfield's many planets, you might become afflicted with a status effect. It won't bother you too much, though, and you can cure the effect with an item or a quick trip to a doctor.

It wasn't always so easy. In an interview with Game Maker's Notebook, Todd Howard says that environmental damage was initially "punitive", until they "nerfed the hell out of it."

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