Starfield has many quests available for you, and they come in many different shapes and forms. However, the Groundpounder quest is unique early on as it provides the most non-stop action as you defend a Freestar Collective research facility from an ongoing Spacer invasion. Today, we'll go over the Groundpounder quest and how to get the unique rifle, Peacekeeper.
How to Unlock Groundpounder?
You unlock the Groundpounder quest by answering a distress call in the Altair Star System. Grav Jump to the Altair Star System, and you'll get a distress signal from Private Mahoney on Research Outpost U3-09 on Altair II asking for backup as Spacers have attacked their facility. This starts the Groundpounder quest.
Groundpounder Walkthrough
Notable Bugs
Note that there are several bugs associated with this quest. Be sure to keep backup save files before you start. The pointers to remember include:
- Save before starting the quest, as sometimes the ships can disappear.
- Speak to Private Mahoney or your quest markers can be bugged.
- Clear United Colonies and Freestar Collective bounties, as the NPCs might attack you otherwise.
- Don't use explosives or AoE attacks; they can aggro or kill NPCs and give you a bounty.
Travel to Altair
The Altair Star System is right above the Sol System and to the left of Narion. Grav Jump here and answer the distress call you will receive regardless of which planet you go to.
Land at Research Outpost U3-09 on Altair II
When you Land at Research Outpost U3-09 on Altair II, it'll be overrun by Spacers on the outside. Kill them all and make your way inside. Most of them will be around Level 8.
- RELATED - Who are the Spacers?
Find Private Mahoney
Head inside the lab and head left. Fight the Spacer enemies and go down a flight of stairs till you come upon a storage room on the right. Meet up with Private Mahoney, the one responsible for the distress call, and she'll ask you to help out the Infirmary.
Clear the Spacers Outside the Infirmary and Talk to Lezama
Head upstairs to the Infirmary floor and kill all the Spacers in the hallway outside. Be careful not to accidentally attack the UC Marines on the way, as they are friendly.
Once cleared, speak to Lezama, who will tell you Lieutenant Torres is holed up in an office ahead. He'll give you a facility key.
Rescue Lieutenant Torres
Open the door next to the stairs with the facility key and fight through another wave of Spacers. Open the door to find Lieutenant Torres inside. He'll tell you that some UC Marines came to help, and they're under siege by Spacers. He'll give you the security key.
Rescue Captain Myeong
Use the security key to unlock all the other doors and go downstairs to where Captain Myeong and her squad are fighting a group of Spacers. Clear them out to secure Research Outpost U3-09 for the time being.
Talk to Captain Myeong
Speak to Captain Myeong, who will tell you she's a United Colony veteran who decided to help out the Freestar Collective. Torres will tell you about a Research Camp full of civilians nearby that is also under siege.
- RELATED - United Colonies Faction Guide
Go to the Research Camp on Altair II
Fast travel to the Research Camp, also located on Altair II.
Eliminate the Spacers at the Research Camp
A small horde of Spacers will have the main building under siege. Take them out.
Talk with Survivors
Head inside after clearing the Spacers and tell the survivors they're safe. They'll take shelter in a nearby cave.
Talk to Lieutenant Torres
Return to Research Outpost U3-09, where Lieutenant Torres will tell you about the upcoming Spacer invasion. The only way to deal with them is to take out their squads in the orbits of Altair I and Altair V.
Defeat Spacers in Altair I's Orbit
Head to Altair I and defeat the three Spacer ships in the orbit there. They'll all be under level 12 but can overwhelm you if you haven't done any advanced shipbuilding for space combat.
Defeat Spacers in Altair V's Orbit
You'll run into another similar fleet of Spacer ships in the orbit of Altair V. You'll get a distress signal from Captain Myeong about the Spacers moving towards Altair II.
Return to Outpost U3-09 on Altair II
Return to Outpost U3-09 on Altair II, and you'll see that the compound is overrun with Spacer enemies. Clear them all out with the help of the defending forces.
Defeat the Spacer Invasion
Two more Spacer ships with reinforcements will land nearby as you clear out the enemies. You can rush ahead to take them out yourself to minimize casualties.
Talk to Lieutenant Torres
After defeating all the Spacers, you can talk to Lieutenant Torres, who will be very thankful to you and Captain Myeong. The quest will end here, and he will give you the Peacekeeper Unique Weapon.
Groundpounder Quest Rewards
- EXP - 300
- Credits - 5000(Leveled Amount)
- Peacekeeper
That concludes our walkthrough for the Starfield side quest, Groundpounder. If you're interested in more unique weapons, check out our list.
- READ MORE - Best Unique Weapons in Starfield