The Apex Parrothawks in Starfield are essentially the notorious Cliff Racers of Morrowind

In Morrowind, there are flying adversaries known as Cliff Racers that hunt in packs and swoop down upon you like drones. There are so many of them that Bethesda inserted a meta-joke into the lore of Oblivion by canonizing Jiub for eradicating them. Well, Nirn is just one planet. Starfield has 1,000... and they have returned.

Cliff Racers were primarily notorious due to their exceedingly challenging nature to bring down. Even with magic and ranged weapons, they would hover high above, descending sporadically for attacks that often inflicted substantial damage and left you stunned. "UUFF, AGH, UUGH," you exclaim while wildly flailing your arms, helpless to defend yourself. Targeting such a distant foe with precision poses a formidable challenge, especially when there are numerous of them simultaneously. And in Starfield, it is no different with the Apex Parrothawk.

Once you depart New Atlantis to explore Jemison, you are likely to encounter them. I witnessed at least ten of them, wreaking havoc on the ecosystem and slaughtering every herbivore in sight. However, when I attempted to confront them, they hovered high above, refusing to descend. It felt as if I was transported back to Morrowind, albeit with a noticeably less volcanic atmosphere.

I am not the only one who feels the agony of a thousand Cliff Racers tugging at my heels while I yearn to bask in the soothing air of New Atlantis' landscape. On the Steam forums, Knavenformed remarked, "The game has Cliff Racers, come on. I thought it was odd that the avian foes don't circle or swoop down for an attack. They simply hover above you and descend vertically onto your posterior, stunning you and allowing you to take a hit before moving on... These things are just Cliff Racers with a new appearance. It's been a staggering 21 years, and we're still battling Cliff Racers."

Aikido responded, "It's funny, I just mentioned that the game reminds me more of Morrowind than any other past Bethesda game, even in terms of visuals and atmosphere. That's a surprise, but (for me) not an unwelcome one. I adored Morrowind. And yes, the Cliff Racers were a part of it. Just like the robots, which are essentially Guars to me. I swear, some of the planetary regions look like the pastures of Vvardenfell."

So, a fair warning to all the Morrowind fans out there: When you embark on your journey in Starfield, you may find yourselves transported back 21 years to the horrors of the hostile roads of Vvardenfell, where packs of Cliff Racers descend upon you like furious players thirsting for the blood of reviewers.