Starfield Main Mission 3 Walkthrough - The Empty Nest

Now that you have been officially added to the ranks of Starfield's Constellation faction, it's time to help out some of its members. At this point, you have the choice of helping Sam Coe, Barrett, or Vladimir. Here is a look at what's in store for Sam's mission, titled The Empty Nest.

Talk to Sam Coe

To begin the mission, you'll introduce yourself first to Constellation member Sam Coe. At the same time, you'll also meet his charming daughter, Cora Coe, for the first time.

Sam will explain the mission, which will require entering Freestar Collective territory on Akila at the planet's capital, Akila City. Sam has a break on a story which he believes will lead you to another Artifact. Once you are ready, Sam tells you that he and Cora will meet you aboard the ship.

Travel to Akila City

The next step is to travel to Akila City. As this is Freestar Collective territory, the ship will be subjected to a scan. So ensure you don't have contraband on board or hide it from the scan to avoid any unwanted delays.

Once you have passed the scan and touched down in Akila City, disembark your ship. Sam will be waiting for you by the entrance to the city.

Talk to Sam

Once you find Sam by the entrance to the city, engage in further dialogue with him. This will give you an option to go ahead with the mission, or you can return later if you have other things to do. So that you know, Sam will be locked in as your companion after accepting the mission here and will remain bonded to you until the mission ends.

Sam also explains that he is part of a famous family in Akila City. He is a Coe descended from the 'First man in Akila, Solomon Coe, who founded the city. The story he heard about that is connected to an Artifact is a family legend that refers to 'The Empty Nest'. To locate it, you'll need to visit the vault in Galbank for the maps.

Go to the Galbank Vault

With this new information, it's time to head into Akila City and to Galbank. However, as you reach the entrance, a soldier at the entry point informs you that a situation is unfolding at the bank and that you should keep your distance. Naturally, as the hero you are, you want to help defuse the situation.

Complete Job Gone Wrong

To continue with The Empty Nest, you'll need to complete the 'Job Gone Wrong' side mission first. To do so, you'll need to speak to the Marshal, Daniel Blake, and diffuse the hostage situation at the bank.

The easiest way to diffuse the situation is to persuade the leader to come out before anything bad happens. Don't worry if you don't get it the first time; there is a second opportunity to persuade him to come out. He and his crew are eager to get out of the building, so using dialogue options that bring that to his attention is most effective.

Search for the maps

Once the hostage situation ends and the bank is opened again, enter the building. Go with Sam down the stairs in the bank to the vault. From there, it's a matter of checking all Coe family deposit boxes.

While initially looking for the maps, you quickly discover they are elsewhere. Instead, to proceed with the next part of the mission, you'll need to take the Note for Sam from the deposit box.

Talk to Sam

Talking to Sam will reveal that the note was written by someone named Jacob. In this dialogue exchange, you can gently pry some more information from Sam, who eventually reveals that Jacob is his father.

Based on how he speaks about his father, it is clear that Sam isn't on good terms with his dad. This should make for an interesting encounter. You'll need to visit the Coe Estate and speak to Jacob to get the maps.

Talk to Jacob

Exit the bank and follow the marker further into the city to find Coe Estate. After going through the door, you'll be reluctantly greeted by Jacob, who will make it evident that he isn't happy that Sam is here with another member of Constellation instead of his granddaughter.

Jacob then turns his attention to you and clarifies that he won't give up the maps. The initial conversation doesn't prove fruitful, so Sam beckons you to have a private discussion to decide how best to handle the situation.

Talk to Sam

Sam pulls you aside to weigh up your options. This part is for you to decide - you can try to persuade Jacob to give them up yourself, have Sam distract Jacob so you can steal the maps, or get Cora to come and soften up Jacob.

Get the maps

Of the three options, the best is to persuade Jacob yourself; however, involving Cora is also viable. One thing to note about including Cora is that Sam will be overtly against that, so if you're trying to gain favour with the space cowboy, avoid this at all costs.

If you're looking to persuade Jacob, the key point to push to him is that you're looking to follow in the footsteps of Solomon Coe himself. By leaning on the legacy angle, Jacob will warm to the idea of handing the maps over if he genuinely believes that this is to further his ancestor's work. Once you've smooth-talked him into handing them over, you can enter the door he is guarding and grab the papers.

Talk to Sam

With the maps in hand, you and Sam figure out the next move as you work out the location of the Empty Nest. After consulting the maps, Sam unearths a significant obstacle in the mission - the nest is in the heart of Shaw territory. The Shaw gang were involved in the bank heist that you earlier diffused.

Nonetheless, you and Sam agree that the risk, while great, is necessary to collect the Artifacts and learn more about them—your next port of call - the Empty Nest.

Travel to the Empty Nest

You can fast-travel to the Empty Nest to save time traversing the dusty plains of Akila and avoid any potential tussles with the wildlife - it is better to save your health and ammunition for what is ahead.

You'll have to fight through the Shaw gang camp to get to the nest. There are several motion-triggered explosives around its perimeter, so be wary to get out of the way in time to avoid damage. The other major factor is the turrets, which you can program in your favour. Head up the stairs on the left, before the dome-shaped huts, and interact with the laptop. By selecting "Update Friend/Foe Settings" and "Recalibrate Friend/Foe Settings", the turrets will begin to fire on the gang, making the firefight far easier.

Once the Shaw gang has been neutralised, head into the cave and explore the Empty Nest.

Get the Artifact

Unsurprisingly, the inside of the cave is also occupied by Shaw gang members, so you'll need to fight through them to get to your target. Note that there is a contraband cache in the first fighting area. However, the lock is Expert-level, so you may need to upgrade your lockpicking first.

Work through the cave, unlock the gate with a Digi-pick, and continue fighting the remaining Shaw gang members. Once they are clear, follow the path (you may need to turn on your flashlight by holding down the scanner button) until you reach the Artifact. Use a cutter to get through the stone that is holding it in place and retrieve it. You'll be met with another dizzying array of flashing lights and symbols before finding yourself back in the cave with Artifact in hand.

Leave the hideout

Unfortunately, you can't simply fast-travel back to your ship since you're in a cave. So you'll need to turn around and return the way you came until you reach the entrance to the cave. Pass through to the outside world again to continue.

Deal with Shaw

To your surprise, you are met by Shaw and a number of her gang members as you exit the cave and make it back outside. She states that she feels that you owe her, as she is now short a hideout since the Artifact has been taken, which was seemingly keeping the Ashta at bay. She gives you two options - your life or your credits.

You have three options in this dialogue - attempting to persuade Shaw against paying her 4000 credits or taking your chances and attacking her. The cheapest and the easiest of those is to persuade her.

Shaw is invested in the legacy of her name and the welfare of her gang, so she can be softened up by being told that her name can be in the history books and that the authorities don't need to be told the location of her gang. Once you appeal to her better nature, you're free to leave before she changes her mind. At least...that's what it seemed like.

[Optional] Kill the Ashta

Now that the Artifact is gone, the wildlife is more inclined to make the Empty Nest more inhabited. Unfortunately, this means the durable and aggressive Ashta have decided to appear. Depending on how you approach the Shaw confrontation, you can kill them or leave the camp.

If you paid her credits or killed them all, you might be more inclined to leave the Ashta alone. However, if you persuade her, it could be a long-term investment to help her. Whether your choice has repercussions in the future is yet to be seen, but it is worth considering.

Whether you fight or flee, you now have the Artifact, so it's time to head back to New Atlantis and add the item to the collection at the Lodge.

Return to the Lodge

With the Artifact in hand, you can easily fast-travel to the Lodge from where you are. If you're not in the cave or engaged in combat, the option will be readily available, so head back when ready.

Add the Artifact

As was the case in previous Artifact missions, take the new one to the table in the middle of the main room in the Lodge and add it to the collection. It will float up to the globe and add itself to its orbit.

Wait for Sam

Once the Artifact has been added, Constellation members will engage in conversation. You'll need to wait a short while before the conversation ceases before you can talk to Sam again.

Talk to Sam

The final step of the mission is to talk to Sam again. He explains that he and his daughter could use some downtime, but he would be keen to travel together again. He also clarifies that he and Cora are a package deal, so she'll be on the ship whenever he is. You can make him your active companion or tell him you'll see him later.

Mission Complete

You will receive the following rewards for completing The Empty Nest.

• EXP: 350
• Credits: 7200
• Modified Calibrated Rattler gun
• 30 .27 Caliber ammunition

Following this mission, you will have two options of where to go next, but both must be completed for narrative progression. Next, you'll complete Main Mission 4: Back To Vectera.

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