Starfield players immediately spot iconic Skyrim meme: “I used to be an explorer”

Bethesda simply couldn’t resist the temptation to incorporate Skyrim’s most iconic line of dialogue in Starfield. On the day of its early access launch, players have already uncovered the iconic Easter Egg.

After years of anticipation, Bethesda’s gargantuan spacefaring RPG is finally upon us. Starfield’s early access launch has arrived and naturally, it’s already dominating the conversation across the internet.

Hundreds of thousands are watching along on Twitch, while likely millions more wait to jump in across both PC and Xbox in the coming days. And while it’s obviously early days yet, it hasn’t taken long for the community to uncover perhaps the most iconic Easter Egg in the game.

Mere hours after the review embargo broke, one particular screenshot has already been making waves online. Naturally, it reveals Starfield’s homage to Skyrim’s adventurer who met an unfortunate fate.

Easter Eggs confirmed.
by u/Kinevi1 in Starfield

“I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee…” This unforgettable line of dialogue captivated the masses back in 2011 and gamers haven’t let it die since. Various other non-Bethesda titles have poked fun at the meme-worth quote and now, Bethesda has immortalized it once more in their latest release.

Given the sheer magnitude of Starfield, there are likely dozens of subtle Easter eggs hinting at earlier Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles just waiting to be discovered. But it didn’t take long for this particular throwback to reach the surface.

“I used to be an explorer too,” a Colonist can be heard saying. “But then I… No, never mind. It’s a long story.”

Tapering off before they detail the possible ruin of their knee as well, this Colonist clearly had some fun mirroring the iconic explorer from the lands of Skyrim.

Exactly why Bethesda has it out for its NPC’s knees, we’ll never know. But there’s no denying this infamous talking point will live on for generations to come.

Starfield’s early access launch is now underway, and if you too want to find this unfortunate Colonist, be sure to check out our launch coverage here.