Steam News22 July 202622d ago

The Hotbar, Redesigned

Hey Starfinders ⭐ Last week we drew our weapons, showcasing the Solarian - Morningstar. This week, as promised, we are bringing you the redesigned hotbar.

In this update6

Full notes

Full Starfinder: Afterlight update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

0 fixes2 additions4 changes0 removals

UI and audio
Gameplay

changedThe old hotbarThis is what the hotbar looked like during the March playtest. The character portrait and weapon slots were anchored to the bottom left of the screen, which meant players constantly had to move their attention to the corner to fire weapons or use abilities.

addedThe old hotbarAnd beyond the layout, there was a bigger problem: a classical hotbar would not work for Starfinder 2e. The ruleset is too complex for that. For example, you can amplify spells by spending additional action points, each class adds a set of unique abilities, weapons have multiple ways to be used, and more.

changedThe UX explorationAt the center, your character portrait and weapons, always front and center where you need them. Action points and movement are displayed at the top, so you always know what you can do on your turn.

addedThe new UISteam post imageThe new layout with the visual treatment applied, but now it belongs in the Starfinder universe.

changedThe new UIStill work in progress, but already a clear improvement over where we started, hope you liked it!

changedNext Week:Gen Con is happening and we have a little surprise for you. Stay tuned! 👀

Starfinder: Afterlight changes

changedThis is what the hotbar looked like during the March playtest. The character portrait and weapon slots were anchored to the bottom left of the screen, which meant players constantly had to move their attention to the corner to fire weapons or use abilities.

addedAnd beyond the layout, there was a bigger problem: a classical hotbar would not work for Starfinder 2e. The ruleset is too complex for that. For example, you can amplify spells by spending additional action points, each class adds a set of unique abilities, weapons have multiple ways to be used, and more.

changedAt the center, your character portrait and weapons, always front and center where you need them. Action points and movement are displayed at the top, so you always know what you can do on your turn.

addedSteam post imageThe new layout with the visual treatment applied, but now it belongs in the Starfinder universe.

changedStill work in progress, but already a clear improvement over where we started, hope you liked it!

Hey Starfinders ⭐

Last week we drew our weapons, showcasing the Solarian - Morningstar.

This week, as promised, we are bringing you the redesigned hotbar.

The old hotbar

This is what the hotbar looked like during the March playtest. The character portrait and weapon slots were anchored to the bottom left of the screen, which meant players constantly had to move their attention to the corner to fire weapons or use abilities.

And beyond the layout, there was a bigger problem: a classical hotbar would not work for Starfinder 2e. The ruleset is too complex for that. For example, you can amplify spells by spending additional action points, each class adds a set of unique abilities, weapons have multiple ways to be used, and more.

We needed something built specifically for this system.

The UX exploration

We explored several layout directions before landing on this structure. The bar is split in two: the left side holds your common skills and items, always within reach. The right side is reserved for abilities provided by your class, feats, and background, and it's unique to each class depending on the needs.

At the center, your character portrait and weapons, always front and center where you need them. Action points and movement are displayed at the top, so you always know what you can do on your turn.

Icons unfold upwards to display more options, for example, heal using 1AP, 2AP or 3AP.

The new UI

Steam post imageThe new layout with the visual treatment applied, but now it belongs in the Starfinder universe.

Still work in progress, but already a clear improvement over where we started, hope you liked it!

Next Week:

Gen Con is happening and we have a little surprise for you. Stay tuned! 👀

See you in the Drift 💫

The Epictellers Team

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Source

Steam News / 22 July 2026

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