If you're tired of quieter investigation, this Freestar Rangers mission has some tough combat sections prepared. You can track down Maya Cruz and break into her secret hideout and all its defences to get the answers you're looking for in the Starfield Surgical Strike quest.
Surgical Strike Walkthrough
Here is a complete walkthrough for the Surgical Strike quest from the Freestar Rangers questline. You unlock this quest after the Shadow in Neon quest.
Visit the Clinic
Star of the quest by visiting the Clinic space station orbiting the planet Deepala in the Narion Star System.
Talk to Ben Armistead
Walk inside and head to the first room on the right, where you'll meet fellow Freestar Ranger Ben Armistead. Update him on the situation and follow him to the man who can help you find your target at The Clinic.
This interaction can be bugged, so don't skip any dialogue and save before talking to Ben.
Talk to Ari Miller
Let Ari Miller know about the situation, and he'll walk over to his database access terminal and go through the patient records. He'll bring up three potential patients who match the description you have provided. These will be Jane Nakamori, Candace Doolin, and Catalina Rivera.
Fix the Security Breach
You can use the Security skill here to help fix the database security issue. You can head back to Ben's office and use the Admin Terminal to detect and turn off the security breach, which seems to originate from Catalina Rivera's room. Doing so lets you skip talking to Jane Nakamori and Candance Doolin.
Speak to Jane Nakamori
First, you can head to the patient rooms with open doors to talk to Jane Nakamori. After some questioning, it's obvious she's just a regular patient with no clue about your investigation.
Speak to Candace Doolin
Secondly, we have Candace Doolin in the room at the end of the hallway. She provides some interesting dialogue, but you'll soon realize she might not be mentally sane. This rules her out as a potential suspect. Ari will now tell you about a third suspect in the VIP ward, Catalina Rivera.
Get the Keycard from Doctor Cassidy
To access the VIP ward, you need permission from Doctor Cassidy, a stickler for the rules. He won't be cooperative, so here are some methods you can employ to get his VIP Wing Keycard:
- Pass a Persuasion check to convince him to let you in.
- Use your Medicine skill in the dialogue options to get his approval.
- Pickpocket the VIP Wing Keycard off of him using Theft.
- Walk into his office and unlock the safe using the Security skill to get his spare keycard.
Investigate VIP Ward
Walking into the VIP ward, you'll find a couple of dead bodies lying around alongside a hostile turret. Shoot down the turret and proceed into the rooms to investigate what happened.
When you walk into Catalina Rivera's room, you'll find her missing, and a terminal in her room will have tampered with the turret controls.
Catalina Rivera was our target, Maya Cruz, after all. Investigate her room to find a Slate at her side table with the location where she escaped to.
Head to the Eklund Excavation Site
Your following location is the Sakharov Astroid Mine, on top of an asteroid in the Bonner Star System.
Grav Jump here and dock your ship to enter the abandoned mine.
Clear Out the Enemies
You'll face small local enemies and an assortment of robots from Class A to Class S waiting ahead for you.
Not only this, but you also have to watch out for the various mines laid in your path ahead. Proceed with caution, as these enemies can quickly overwhelm you.
Activate Friendly Robots(optional)
In the first open area, you'll see a big yellow crate. You can walk up to it and interact with the terminal on the side to activate a friendly Class A Robot that will aid you in battle. Just make sure to update its settings.
Make it Through the Locked Gate
A locked gate on the left side closes the first area. There are two ways to make it past this gate.
- Hack the computer in the opposite room guarded by a Class S Robot.
- Climb over the gate using the crystals sticking out of the walls.
Lockpick the Storage Room(optional)
You'll have to traverse some more crystals and clear out smaller enemies as you progress. You'll see a locked door on the left with the title 'Storage' over it as you go through. Lockpick this door, and you can collect some Contraband.
Clear Out Enemies and Turrets
This next area is the hardest part of this quest and one of the toughest combat encounters in Starfield's early game. Having the best early weapons will help here. You'll face off against a horde of Class A Robots, small creatures, a Class S Robot, and four mining turrets above you.
We suggest taking care of the robots from up above using a sniper or any of the best early-game weapons. Then, make your way down and slowly deal with the turrets one by one using a long-range weapon or demolitionist grenade launcher. There's another robot control computer located here for your aid.
Head to the Top
Make your way to the top of the structure in the middle, and you'll come across a door that can be cut open with the laser cutter. Just make sure to dispatch the turret on top of it first.
Defeat Maya Cruz
Inside, you'll find our target, Maya Cruz. She'll be wielding an Arc Welder and can dish out some serious damage if you're unprepared. However, she's not very tanky and can be easy to deal with. She doesn't move out of the room, so we suggest walking up and placing some mines in her path to take her out quickly.
Don't worry about killing her; she'll just enter a downed state. Now you have to talk to her, and she'll give you another Encrypted Slate.
Head Outside Through the Lift
You don't have to backtrack your entire route. Enter the lift inside Maya's room and head down. Press the button, and it'll open the large door ahead of you. Follow this path while gathering the loot along the way, and you'll find yourself back at your ship.
Hand the Encrypted Slate to Alex Shadid
Head back to The Rock at Akila City and hand the Encrypted Slate to Alex Shadid. This will complete the Surgical Strike quest!
Surgical Strike Rewards
Here are the rewards you get for the Surgical Strike quest.
・ EXP: 350
・ Credits: Depends on Level
That concludes our walkthrough for the Surgical Strike quest from the Freestar Rangers questline.