Skyrim tradition returns in Starfield - with a twist

A bucket in Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield players are discovering that some of the old Bethesda game tricks work in the developer's epic space RPG too. The bucket trick is back!

Players are celebrating the fact that some playful antics that used to be possible in Skyrim with buckets can now be replicated in Starfield - specifically involving a little light thievery. 

Back in Skyrim, players discovered that if you wanted to steal anything, you could simply drop everything you wanted to take inside a bucket and then carry it out without getting caught. Technically none of the stolen items ever entered your inventory, and because no-one cared about the bucket it didn't actually count as stealing. 

Players over on Reddit have now discovered the same trick works in Starfield, with one user successfully using a bin (rather than a bucket) to physically push an NPCs gun out of a room before pocketing it out of the owner's eye line. They even go back to check there's no raised suspicions too, just for added comedy value. 

In Skyrim, players also used to drop buckets on NPCs' heads to literally block them from seeing any nefarious deeds too. It became so iconic that players are now celebrating the 'hacks' in art form for Starfield too

We've actually tried doing it ourselves in-game and it's surprisingly difficult, especially as the owner was surprisingly angry with me taking the bin once I'd put it down in his shop. You also seemingly can't turn items you're holding so trying to get the bin on his head was also quite the feat. 

For me personally, Starfield's combat is Bethesda's best, because we finally said goodbye to VATS

Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.