Not everyone in Constellation is a gun-toting, space-faring cowboy with daddy issues. No, sometimes Starfield will throw some rich old bloke at you and ask you to give him a hand in some greasy backroom corporate dealings to retrieve yet another artefact. Worry not action-fans, there’s more to this quest than meets the eye.
As this is a Constellation quest, you won’t be able to start it until you’ve completed the prerequisite quest. In this case, ‘Back To Vectera’. Once that’s all done, head back to The Lodge on New Atlantis and prepare yourself for your first trip to Neon. This guide will help walk you through the complexities of underworld life.
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Go To The Lodge
Head to The Lodge and talk to Walter Stroud – the old chap in the dashing suit. He wants your help in securing an artefact from a potential seller. The issue? It’s all hush-hush sleaze, which means he needs you to help him land the sale and resolve any unforeseen issues. Accept the quest and Walter will ask you to head to his office on Neon with him.
Heading To Neon
Neon is not far from New Atlantis, and we were able to jump there in a single bound. Head to the destination, land, and then talk to Walter at the dock. He will direct you to Stroud-Eklund, his company office. He needs to grab some money before heading to the exchange.
Follow your tracker to Stroud-Eklund. You will encounter Walter’s wife, Issa. They have a rather interesting relationship, but she’s willing to help. She asks you to scout the location, gather information on the seller, and check on the security situation. Walter will hand you a chunk of Credits to cover any expenses. Once all of that is done, report back to Walter and Issa.
Astral Lounge Security
Our first destination is the Astral Lounge. This is where the deal is going down, so securing the location prior to the exchange is key. Head to the bar at the back of the club and talk to Boone Morgan. He will reveal that the doors to the club are high-tech and can’t be tampered with (a lie). Not only that, he will offer VIP access and guaranteed security for 4000 Credits.
You can attempt to persuade Boone, but let’s be honest here, 4000 Credits is an insignificant sum of money and Walter has already covered it. If you fail to persuade him, just pay the cash.
With Boone on board and his security at your disposal, all you have to do now is head up the elevator to the VIP room where the meeting will take place. Hack the door panel (Novice) and set up an emergency lock. This ensures whoever comes into the room can only leave if you allow them. Very sneaky.
Gathering Information On The Seller
Leave the Astral lounge and head down the street to Newill’s Goods. Talk to James Newill. He will complain about his competition and then eventually move on to talking about the deal he set up with Walter and this mysterious seller. He won’t give that information up for free, however.
You can persuade him without much issue, but if you fail, a bribe of 2500 Credits will cover it. Again, this is pocket change, so get the information however you want.
James will reveal that the seller has been holding up nearby, giving you the coordinates. Follow your tracker to a storage container and hack open the door. Inside there is a computer. Read the emails. These emails confirm that the seller is desperate, which gives you plenty of leverage in the meeting.
Returning To Walter & Issa
With everything done, return to Stroud-Eklund and talk to Walter. He will ask to meet you in the Astral Lounge as it is almost time for the meeting. Head to the Lounge and he will ask you to find the seller – he doesn’t know what they look like, so gives you a password to help locate him.
Musgrove is at the bar leaning on the wall with a suitcase on his person. Talk to him and drop the password. He will then head to the VIP lounge. Let Walter know the meeting is going ahead and then head to the Lounge yourself.
Retrieving The Artefact
There are two ways this meeting will go down, and both result in you getting the artefact. Walter makes it clear he wants the artefact no matter what, but clearly, he isn’t all for murdering people.
During the meeting, Musgrove will immediately demand double the agreed-upon price. You can follow this line of dialogue, lock the doors, and persuade him to accept the original deal. Alternatively, at any time (even before the conversation starts) you can just kill him. Roleplay this however you want, and take the artefact.
Slayton’s Agent
With the artefact in hand, it’s time to leave – or is it? The moment you leave the VIP room a man under the employ of Slayton Aerospace will approach demanding the artefact. You can either persuade or kill the Agent. Alternatively, if you bribed Boone and gained full access to the Astral Lounge’s security, you can call them over to deal with it.
No matter what you pick bad things are about to go down. Slayton has bribed officials and had your ship grounded indefinitely. Walter suggests going to Slayton and talking to him.
Slayton Aerospace Office
This section has two outcomes – you either peacefully (and stealthily) infiltrate Slayton Aerospace, or you go on a rampage. If you choose the less bombastic approach, head to the front desk and persuade the receptionist to give you an appointment with Slayton. If this fails, you can find an elevator key in one of the nearby rooms. Use this key to access the elevator.
If you went in guns blazing, then loot the key from the dead receptionist or again, take the key from the back room.
Regardless of how you did this first section, the next section is the same – Slayton knows what you are trying to do and he locks down the elevator. Thankfully Issa will come to the rescue.
She will recommend you sneak through this next section and get to Slayton without altering security. We found that Security immediately spotted us once we left the elevator no matter what we did, so we were unable to pursue this route.
Thankfully shooting your way through Slayton Aerospace isn’t too difficult. There are a lot of guards, but they are only around level 14.
Continue following your tracker until you’ve made it out of the building. From here, you will need to scale Slayton Aerospace by heading up various stairwells. Be careful, there are more enemies here, so be sure to sneak or blast your way through them.
Once you are at the top, you will be able to enter Slayton’s office. Like with everything, you have two options – talk to him and resolve it peacefully or put a bullet in his head and take out the rest of his security.
With the Slayton problem dealt with, it’s finally time to return to your ship and leave Neon.
It Only Goes Down Hill From Here…
With the artefact in hand, your butt firmly planted on your seat, and Walter possibly contemplating the copious amount of murder required to get his shiny toy, it’s time to leave. Unfortunately leaving is easier said than done. The moment you take off from Neon, you are intercepted by a mysterious ship known as a Helix. The hailer claims to be part of the Starborn.
Who are these guys? What do they want? Who knows. That’s part of another quest. You will receive 450 EXP and a chunk of Credits for your troubles. Oh, and you’ll be thrust straight into the Starborn quest. Be sure to check back for more Starfield content.
