Quick Links
- Initiating The ‘First Contact’ Quest
- Choosing The Right Solution For You
If you went into Starfield expecting a minimum of divergent quests with big choices to make, you’ve probably begun to realize, there’s actually a good amount of these. While you’re unlikely to bump into any decisions more profound than which gun to have equipped at all those abandoned stations strewn across the Settled Systems, some of the more handcrafted fare will test your resolve.
Take ‘First Contact’, for example – it starts with a neat little sci-fi premise, and depending on how you play things, it can end with a devastating bang.
Reaching Porrima II
Some of Starfield’s quests operate under a familiar Bethesda trend; you can either bump into them naturally, or hear about them from NPCs. It’s possible you’ll find yourself in the latter situation given how Starfield treats its Activities system.
Know how sometimes when you’re walking past some seemingly completely arbitrary citizens, one of them will say something, and at the top-left of the screen you’ve got a new Activity? Learning about the city of Paradiso can happen in this fashion. If this happens, your mission log will give you the coordinates: the Porrima star system, specifically Porrima II. The alternative sequence here, of course, is that you happen to fly there on your own while exploring.
In our experience, the next part went down as follows. We clicked on an unidentified ship in orbit around Porrima II, and as soon as we did, it sent us a hail. We’ve heard reports from folks who didn’t click on the ship, simply landing on the surface, in which case you’re not yet introduced to this colony ship’s group of two-century travelers in need of a planet to call their own. If so, you’ll meet with them soon enough; it’s just that things will go in a separate order.
If you speak with the unidentified ship, which you’ll learn is named the Constant, you’ll be invited to come aboard. Here, you’ll meet the captain, and better understand the scenario. Thereafter, you’ll head down to Paradiso to speak with Chief Sugiyama, who will have sent you a distress call by now regardless. He’s our next goal whether we meet the Constant’s crew at this juncture.
Sugiyama’s hands are clearly tied. He’ll send us to meet with Oliver, Paradiso’s head honcho, who will eventually give you three options. None of these are perfect, but your moral compass will play a large role in dictating your choice.
- You can let the would-be settlers live on the planet, but they’ll be required to provide the corporation with labor in exchange. To us, this isn’t far removed from forced servitude – if, indeed, it’s removed at all.
- You can buy the Constant a new Grav Drive so that they can easily choose a different world somewhere. It’s a shame they’d be leaving a world behind that they were so set upon, but at this point, it’s kind of hard to do more for them.
- You can blow up the Constant’s reactor, killing the crew. Yes, you read that right.
Choosing The Right Solution For You
As evidenced by the above screenshot, we chose to purchase a new Grav Drive. Doing so means chatting with Bennu, who happens to have a Grav Drive on the market for 40,000 credits. There’s really no reason to simply to agree to this hefty sum when there’s an option to attempt a persuasion check.
If you’ve got some wine or spirits on you, plus some Hippolyta, you’ll have an easier time persuading Bennu. All that plus full perks in the Persuasion skill should seal it with ease, but we hardly expect everyone to have gone that far with their builds.
The goal is to beat the persuasion check which lowers the price to 25,000. Hardly pocket change, but in our view, not only the most ethical approach, but also easier to get what’s needed than the settlement offer. Now, head to the Constant, talk to Amin, and do the following:
- Choose Magnetic Flange Pipe Enclosures
- Decouple rather than Recouple.
- Choose Auxiliary Module Assembly.
Head to the next computer to continue!
- Choose Turbopump Port
- Choose Cryogenic Reactor Auxiliary
Now for the final terminal.
- Choose Plasma Run-Off Inhibiter.
- Pick 5 Percent.
Going the settlement route means procuring the following:
- 40 Fiber
- 20 Sealant
- 80 Iron
- Ten Lithium
If you’ve got that all hanging around someplace, and you really think this is the best route per your tastes, by all means, go for it. It sure beats the evil path, destroying the ship.
To do this, head back to the Constant, steal Amin’s key from him, find the Reactor Computer, and choose Emergency Reactor Overdrive.
You may need to wait a moment for Amin to move, so you can steal the key. Alternatively, you might be able to get him walking by initiating dialogue with him and then exiting out.
Things aren’t quite so simple when you want to blow up a ship from within, which is probably for the best, really. You’ll need to head to the bridge and confirm the override at the captain’s computer. Make a run for it back to your ship, as everyone will be trying to shoot you as soon as you leave the computer. To be fair, it’s justified.
Get your reward for whichever path you’ve chosen, and ‘First Contact’ comes to a close. Oh, and needless to say, your companion probably won’t be thrilled if you murder a bunch of innocent people here!