Guide: Starlink Buyer's Guide - What You Get In The Physical And Digital Editions

Wish I had this guide before I hit the shop on my BD... on well! Got questions? We got answers, drop us a line and we will sort you out.

Aren't they adding more dlc later that you'll have to buy too?

I'm enjoying the game, but I'm really glad I just bought the vanilla Digital Edition instead of an overpriced Starter Pack that comes with less content. It feels more-or-less fully featured for the price of a standard game release.

Not only are the toys much more expensive, but they're far less convenient than just picking things from the in-game menu. Seems like it would be fun for ten minutes before you just get annoyed and play digitally anyway.

Wow, you get a lot more from the digital version, so weird...
I really want the physical copy to have the Fox's ship but the difference between what you will be getting makes it not worth it.

@Razieluigi Good to know and good to have seen this article.
I knew that the digital would have extras but not that much!
Do you recommend the game?

What about the exclusives from GameStop/Target and to mention that all the six pilots come in the bundle with a ship, but the other two can be bought separately. And what about the exclusive pilot Startail, that was a bonus for those who pre-ordered the starter kit on Ubisoft website and also would be VERY useful to mention that the only way to have the Zenith ship is buying the bundle for PS4/XBox?

The article managed to list the prices for every single physical piece, many of them with both dollars and pounds, but it counldn't be bothered to list the TWO prices for the starter and deluxe eShop editions?

Guess Nitnedo isn't giving you a cut of those, huh?

Seriously though, it was nice to do this, but it you want it to appear to be an actual article rather than an advertisement, list the digital prices as well as the physical.

Since I like to think of myself as a put up or shut up kind of guy, here's a link to the US page, apologies to the rest of the world but I only put up so much. Starter pack is $59.99, Deluxe is farther down the page at $79.99, along with a lot of other DLC with prices the article failed to mention.

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/starlink-battle-for-atlas-digital-edition-switch

All the other DLC is included in the Deluxe edition, I dont' see anything extra, but if perchance you bought the physical starter pack and you'd like to get some other pilots and/or ships, it is cheaper to by the DLC where you can get a ship for $13 or a pilot for $4.

Also of note, there is no "season pass", say for $20 or $30, so if you did buy the physical starter pack there is no cheap way to get all of the DLC, it's nearly as expensive as the toys.

I have so many other Toys to Life figures, that it is plain clear Digital is the way to go here, saves me a ton of space, plus I get way more content for the same price as the standard physical starter pack!

@Shiryu I have a question, why no post about YTer OMG? It may be beneath you as you've had your own music making channel for so long, but I was expecting something, at least a dig. Well at least Antimater and his following didn't disappoint.

This game seems fun but I'll probably wait for a sale on the digital version. I don't really want to spend £70 on a single game.

I'm probably gonna get this some day if only because I want a Star Fox game on Switch. I know it's supposedly pretty repetitive, but that usually doesn't bother me. Didn't bother me in No Man's Sky. I'll wait for the deluxe digital edition to go on sale. It's an Ubisoft game, and those usually get pretty good sales.

@NIN10DOXD That's been happening for a while if you ask me, but I won't get into it.

@NIN10DOXD What happened yesterday that was any different than the past 18 months or so of advertisements and stupid arguments since we were all excited about the Switch launch? Oh and you triple posted, may want to delete a pair of those.

I got the physical version for me and my son to play together and he loves it I had no idea it came with an extra digital ship and now I have Christmas ideas to get him with the extra ships and stuff not to mention they light up when you have them on the controller. Not the most cost effective way of doing it but still pretty sic!

@rjejr ...sorry, who?_? I apologize, I'm not really up to current events on YT or Twitch for that matter. Damn, my channel is turning 12... damn, I AM OLD!

Personally I would just want to play the game, I have zero interest in these physical versions with their minimal 6GB physical game card and toys packed in. I don't want to be buying toys, I am too old for that kind of stuff.

@Draxa Not only do the ships light up, but some of the weapons as well! Magic!

what you get is shafted by ubisoft for some dlc desguised as plastic junk

@tourjeff I recommend it, but with caveats. It's a pretty standard Ubisoft open-world "go to the icon and do the thing" game. It's inherently repetitive in the same way that games like Assassin's Creed are repetitive, basically amounting to a gigantic interactive checklist.

The game looks great, and StarFox is a really nice addition. I enjoy the flying and shooting enough that the game just provides a reasonable environment in which to do it.

So I'll have my fun with it. Will it be one of my favorite games of the year? Absolutely not.

@Shiryu say whaaaat!!!! Which ones? I was more excited about that when I saw it then my eight year old, my wife thinks I’m insane lol

@Shiryu Not who, what, the new Switch game, YTer Life: OMG!, article posted a couple of hours before this one. And yes, you are getting old, somebody has to keep me company.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/10/youtubers_life_omg_edition_is_a_thing_and_its_headed_to_switch_next_month

@rjejr ...oh right! I forgot this one was coming to the Switch. Now get off my lawn, you damn kids.

@Draxa I still don't know the weapons by name. xD But at least three of them that I noticed.

@Shiryu awesome thanks! I’ll find em

@Razieluigi Cool, I will probably get it then at the end of the month, you know, on pay day

So how do we get the PS4 physical ship does that mean I have to order the PS4 version to get that physical ship? Or will that ship and pilot come out a later date?

The digital US version is much cheaper than the UK price. I might have to set up a US eshop account.
I still feel like we are over paying for a standard game just because the option with toys is priced far higher. I want to play the game but I think I'll wait until it's on sale.

P.s.does anyone know how easy it is to set up an eshop account for another country?

My "buyer's guide" will be whatever is on the Black Friday circular 😅

standard edition
US eshop $59.99 = £46
UK eshop £69.99 = taking the pi"s!

Think I’m going standard digital version

Really enjoying my $80 deluxe edition. The first hour I was worried it would be too difficult to be fun, but then I started learning how to fly/hover/and jump correctly. Game is actually deeper than I thought and reminds me of Herzog Zwei, Star Wars Clone Wars multiplayer, and Vostok Inc.
Break bases, build your own, set up automated resource gatherers and armies, then go break more things. Combat's pretty fun but scary if you get overwhelmed by numbers or enemies leveled way higher than you.

@Shiryu LoL! Why would you buy all that? 😂😂😂

Pre ordered and bought the retail starter pack (£63 Base.com), as up until a couple of days before there was no information what was in the eshop versions. Loving the game. But if I had the choice again I would pay digital for a lot more in game content.

I am slightly disappointed that you cannot change the controls, update please as I like look on the left stick

@Schizor88 One life, one chance. Go big or go home.

So hang on, if i buy the starter physical pack, does that mean the only way i can unlock the extra content is by buying the physical ships? Or do i unlock them in game? I want that physical arwing, but if i buy it and tons of content is locked out then i wont bother

Pssst... hey kid. Wanna buy some gunsz!?

Come on down to the 0l' Shiryu Guns Emporium, we got your lasers, tazers, missiles, things that go blammo, things that go fzzzt and things we are not even sure what they do... but they all all 100% guaranteed work or your money back*, no questions asked! So is your ship lacking some of the bang? You know where to find us! 555-KABOOM or bust!

*No refunds. Ever!

@Illusion What difficulty level? I set mine to hard and because I got physical too, I'm worried I don't have enough weapon variety to deal with them as bullet sponges.

How can i get the Scramble and Cerberus if I dont live in the US

@Mossii I followed this guide.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/03/guide_how_to_access_the_nintendo_switch_eshop_for_multiple_regions

It's pretty easy. Set up an account for that region and access it on your Switch. Use a ZIP code for a state with no sales tax like Montana. You can then add funds easily using eShop cards which can be bought online. I went with mmoga. It cost £62.85 for $80 of eShop credit.

Once you've made the purchase, you can use your normal account to play the game and then cloud saves still work even though you purchased a different region game.

It worked out a little more expensive than I really would have wanted to pay, but that's only because I usually shop around and buy mostly physical, which can be found much cheaper.

I'm pretty sure there will be more DLC and that will have to be bought from the same region, but the whole game so far at 2/3 the price of my home region is the only way I would bother with all the content. £90 is too much and I was always concerned about the content locked out of the base version.

@Berzerker have you looked at Amazon US? Otherwise your looking at ebay. Dammed online retailers...Scramble was at Target and manage to snag one. Might've missed it if there was no mention of it. Why do they make it so hard to collect them. Worst had to buy the PS4 version to get Zenith and I doubt that will come as standalone anytime in the foreseeable future us collectors. Then Sell the PS4 of the game off.

@Sakura Thank you for all the information and advice. I'm still a bit on the fence with this one but if I do get it I'll be doing the same as you.

@Berzerker Its a regional think. Ubisoft set up exclusivity for the Cerberus and Scramble within local retailers. Ask around your country for them.

@rjejr That's kind of unfortunate. I wish there was a 'digital upgrade'...

@derrin that's the sad truth if they can't Physical they should at least allow digital.

@derrin It does seem odd no bundle.

Still confused...I want to play this game, but seems too expensive

@Shiryu I know you didn't buy all of that at a Target store. The store near me had a few boxed starter sets and no extra toys. Took me 5 minutes to even find them, I was beginning to think the game didn't release here until tomorrow or next week.

And that's where they belong, I dind't touch them until after I took the photo, you can see the $74.99 price on the shelves and no place for the other toys.

@rjejr Wow.
"Hey Bill, where does the plan-o-gram say to stock this 'Sterling' thing?"
"It ain't in there! Looks like some kinda light up robut man to me. Stick 'em near the Lite Brites and Johnny-5"
(Yes, I did imagine that in a Brooklyn accent)

@rjejr Hell no, local major retailer in Portugal. Fnac has Cerberus so I snapped up that quickly after, I am now on the hunt for Scrambler. I'm having Skylander/amiibo hunting flashbacks all over.

@Shiryu I don't need any gunz, but do you have any rubber walrus protectors?

@HobbitGamer Everything... for the right price.

@HobbitGamer This Target near me has just spent about 6 months undergoing a transformation to look like a Macy's inside, so it's all over the place chaotic, but I was expecting a new video game with many toy accessories to get more space than the 2 boxes of "Stranger Things" glasses sets, but they were about the same.

@Shiryu "I'm having Skylander/amiibo hunting flashbacks all over."

You should get Ubisoft to pay you for that post. The article was obviously paid for by them and Amazon anyway.

@Shiryu

@rjejr Nintendo and Ubisoft have absolutely no clue I even exist, let alone I have been a fervours preacher of their ways.

@Dang69 just normal. I'm a big baby 😋
Was tough at first, but I feel its at a reasonable level now. Getting blown away by outlaw fighters everytime I would travel to another world was worrisome. Now not so bad.

I've been excited for this game since it was announced (before they talked about the Star Fox content). I don't have it yet but I plan on getting it at some point. I'm very surprised the digital version is $15 cheaper and comes with 3 additional ships.

Some will go Digital and Some will go Physical that's what I called Nintendo options unless they are Region exclusives only.

Is the digital version cheaper than buying the toys? Because if not, that seems like a rip off. Why should we pay the same price for less product?

I'd buy the digital deluxe version if I thought it included a "season pass" type of deal. Still $5 more than physical starter pack and you get everything is good deal...just too much coin for me to drop all at once.

I think I'm just going digital starter pack for this. The ships are nice, but I can only have so many toys on display in my house, and pride of place goes to my LEGO pieces and Godzilla figures.

@setezerocinco Thanks for posting about The exclusive ships I was going to. I picked up everything Available in the US right now

Got the digital deluxe and have no regrets. My only complaint is the lack of motion controls. It'd make aiming so much easier if I could use motion controls

Why no prices for the digital versions?

Guess you don’t really care about making those convenient to buy, it’s a shame the eShop doesn’t have an affiliate program.

@Shiryu The game is great and in a way I kind of wish I hadn't gone digital deluxe as I have none of the cool looking figures or ships. Your collection looks great by the way.
On a side not once you scan in a ship, character, or figure can you choose to play them digitally without the toy? So you would basically have the option to just insert the game and play? And if so is there some type of code in the package to unlock this feature? I'm curious to find out.

@Mart2k6 $60 for the basic and $80 for deluxe.

I went deluxe just in case new ships, characters, or weapons are added to it. There seems to be indication from Ubisoft the game may expand in the future. Who knows maybe we'll see Samus and her ship down the road.

@Redax Yes the game can be 100% digital with a lot of content for as little as $60.

@Sakura Do you have an address I can use for a good Japan account! Brilliant idea on using a state with no
Sales tax. NH-New Hapshire is another one btw. I live in the US and I should have thought of that!! D’oh!!

But do you automatically get the digital version of the arwing if you buy the physical starter pack? I want the toy. But I don't want to use the toy to play the game.

@Nico07 After 7 days of the initial part scan, if you scan them once more it will be forever unlocked in your collection. So after that week, you can play hassle free without the need to have the toys along for every play session.

Does anyone know, if you buy the physical edition, do you have to buy the physical toys to get the other pilots and ships, or can you unlock them in game?

@Madman1333 Unfortunately, I don't have any idea on Japanese addresses. Perhaps someone in the forums might be able to help?

@Zyph Yes, everything in the physical starter pack is unlocked digitally permanently.

@Nukuleardawg No and yes. The physical starter pack doesn't include all the content in the game. All the extra content is behind a paywall - you don't have to get the toys because it is available for purchase digitally too. Still have to pay for it, though. There is no unlocking of ships, pilots, weapons in game. You can level them all up for free in game, but purchase is required to get the items in the first place.

Last night I got to a place in the game where a stasis weapon was needed to progress more easily. You could beat the enemy with other types of weapon, but not as easily. The stasis weapon is the only type of weapon not included in any form in the starter pack. And, of course, it only comes in a ship pack and is not available as a stand-alone item. What I'm trying to say is that most people will probably need to buy at least this extra pack in order to enjoy the game.

Edit: I think there's another weapon type you don't get in the starter pack, but that one is available in a cheaper weapon pack.

@Sakura Cool thanks!

@Shiryu ok so similar to Skylanders Imaginators on Switch except that you have to wait a week for the second scan. Thanks for the reply.

@Nico07 That is why we are here for.

@Sakura I think the stuff stays unlocked for a week at a time when you scan in the physical items. That way if you have a friend with different items you guys can share them but not forever. At least that’s what I’ve been told by two different people.

NewEgg has a Switch Neon and Starlink Starter in a bundle for $349 + Free shipping.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3873430&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL101918&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL101918--EMC-101918-Index--Combo-_-Combo3873430-S2A16A&ignorebbr=1

Would Buy it in a heartbeat at $49

Anyone else having problems finding the physical versions? I went to my local Walmart and my local Gamestop, and both of them were sold out. Walmart didn't have any in stock and Gamestop's system said they had 8, but the cashier couldn't find any of them. Is it just my local stores or is there a more widespread shortage? You wouldn't think the game would be that popular.

just had a look at the european (swiss) eshop and there is no mentioning of the Arwing or Fox being included. The digital packshot does not show fox's head – is he and the Arwing really included in the digital starter pack?

@Sakura Thank you very much for your reply. I just looked on the Eshop, and wow is this game overpriced. If you got everything digitally in the starter pack then I'd be all for this game , but if you want everything ( Even digital only ) It's £90. Rediculous, why is this not just included in the game, its already on the game cartridge. All the starter kit does is lock it behind a pay wall. I want the full game, and the arwing model, but to do that costs a fortune

Best Method:
1.) Buy Physical Starlink: Battle for Atlas Starter Pack $74.99
(Physical Game, Collectible Arwing, Fox)
2.) Set everything up, start the game, play the prologue (it wil notice the starter weapons and equip them. Complete the prologue and unattach everything during the intro.
3.) After the intro, you are asked to play physical or digital. Choose Digital. You will start with the Arwing and the starter weapons, plus the Zenith ship and Shredder weapon.
4.) Purchase your choice of digital weapons.
(shockwave weapon pack $4.99)
(Arwing = best (Zenith as backup)(more ships = waste $))

@Shiryu Shiryu a few more questions about Atlas if that's alright. I bought digitally first and am now buying a few of the exclusive ships and starter packs as I find them.

Does character and ship progression save to the physical toys transfer between consoles? So for example would I be able to level up Levi on Switch and take that character progression to Xbox One or PS4?

@Nico07 Sadly I have no way to test this for now but the customization and levelling of your character seems to be tied to your save state (because I started a new game often to show the game to friends and all the parts reseted).

Thank you for this guide! Saw a commercial at GameStop and decided I wanted to get the game but didn’t want to needlessly spend over $100 trying to get all the ships digitally.

@Lithalean

Thanks for the great advise, just got the physical game for 30€ price and did according to your guide and now I'm playing the game digitally. Starlink looks like a really cool game and looks fantastic.

Starfox has been really well included in the game and it doesn't feel like it's just as an extra afterthought.