Sam Coe is more than just Starfield‘s cowboy stand-in. We love him – he’s out there on the frontier, doing what he knows in his heart of hearts, all while raising a daughter all on his own. If you’ve got a bleeding heart for bleeding hearts, it’s hard not to notice Sam Coe.
But how do you woo this former Freestar Ranger? As is the case with the other major companions, helping his woes is the first step to all that wooing. Here’s our Starfield guide for romancing the one and only Sam.
Starting Things With Sam
Sam shares something in common with Barrett – well, something other than mutual affiliation at Constellation. Like Barrett, he won’t join you until a few quests into the main story. Specifically, ‘The Empty Nest’ is where it’ll happen; however, unlike Barrett, whose whereabouts must be ascertained, Sam Coe’s right there at the Lodge with you. He’s even brought his kid. (After all, where else would she go?)
Here’s the catch. Until you’ve actually completed Sam’s side of ‘The Empty Nest’ quest, you can’t start triggering conversations with him, and conversations are key to gradually unlocking his personal quest, and ultimately, his heart. So while you can gather a ton of affinity points before heading to Akila City with Sam… why not get it over and done with?
Affinity, in case you’re unaware, is what gets tracked (behind the scenes) whenever you see a notification in the top-right corner that your current companion likes, dislikes, loves, or hates an action of yours. Since Sam is not some kind of social masochist, you’ll of course want to do things he likes and loves, whilst avoiding the opposite.
- Be humble about his heritage. The Coe surname is a big deal in the Settled Systems, especially across the Freestar Collective. Sam does not want to bask in any supposed limelight over it.
- Say nice things about Cora. She’s his kid, and she clearly means the world to Sam. He’s not going to want to befriend somebody who’s mean to her.
- Just be… good. Be a good person. Be charitable, and don’t ask for payment when payment was never part of a quest’s equation.
Listen To Your Hart
Sam, like other main companions, will ask you to partake in conversations with him periodically as your affinity rises. If you’re with him for a long time, and only do things he likes sporadically, it might feel like it’s taking forever. On the other hand, we had him with us whilst helping folks out, giving them credits to get a new lease on life, that sort of thing, and it was almost comical how quickly Sam opened up.
Eventually, this leads to Sam’s companion quest, ‘Listen to Your Hart’. It’s straightforward enough not to really need its own guide, or at least that’s how we feel about it; just continue to display your human decency, and don’t do the things that Sam obviously does not want to do, either.
After ‘Listen to Your Hart’ is done and over with – and so are the lingering issues regarding a certain someone in Sam’s life – you’ll be able to confirm you’re romantically interested with Sam in the next big conversation.