How to Complete First Contact in Starfield: All Outcomes ... (2024)

One of the more interesting quests in Starfield that isn’t related to the main story is First Contact, due to it having multiple endings. It involves two groups, one of which is a space vessel named the ECS Constant while the other is the Paradiso Resort on Porrima II. As you appear in the Porrima system, you’ll get a distress call on your ship from someone in the Paradiso who appears to have a problem regarding the large ship in their orbit. This leads to you needing to speak to a Chief Sugiyama who can be found in the resort. Read below to find out the best way to complete the mission, and what every outcome entails.

Where to Start the First Contact Mission¶

To begin the quest, you’re going to have to make a few Grav Jumps as it begins when you enter Porrima II’s orbit. From Alpha Centauri, jump to Olympus, Volii, and finally, Porrima. Now enter Porrima II’s orbit, and you’ll get a distress call from Chief Sugiyama who resides in Paradiso on Porrima II. Land on the planet, and head straight into the Security building in front of you. Immediately head into the room on your left to find the Chief.

He’ll tell you that they have a large ship in their orbit, and they’ve been trying to contact it to no avail. As the head of Security, he’s worried that they may be a threat, but as of now, they’ve just stayed in orbit quietly. He’ll ask if you can try to hail the ship, and if that doesn’t work, board it to find out who it is, and what they want.

Head to the ECS Constant¶

Get back on your ship, and head toward the ominous ship in Porrima II’s orbit. As you approach it, press to bring up a sub-menu where you can either Hail or Board it. Try to hail the ship first, and all you’ll get is static; you can keep trying, but you’ll get the same result. Guess you’re going to have to board it. Do just that, and you’ll be met by some humans, so at least you can rule out aliens. Soon after you speak to them, you’ll find out they’re called the ECS Constant, and that they’ve been on a 200-year voyage from Earth.

They were sent on a mission from Earth to preserve humanity and to eventually settle on Porrima II which was meant to be an uninhabited planet, but within those 200 years, Grav Jumps were invented, and the human race leapfrogged them and someone else got to Porrima II first, Paradiso. Apparently, they’ve tried contacting Paradiso themselves, but they’re having the same communication problems that Chief Sugiyama was having.

This is obviously due to old technology which neither of them know about right now. Answer their questions, and tell them about Paradiso, and they’ll ask you if you can act as a diplomat for them to try to negotiate Paradiso leaving the planet, so they can settle there. We both know that Paradiso won’t agree to that, but it can’t hurt to ask.

Negotiate with Oliver Campbell: CEO of Paradiso¶

Head back to Porrima II, but this time head over to the Paradiso Hotel to the north. You can’t miss this as it is huge. When you reach the hotel, head inside the building and take the elevator up (opposite the entrance) to the Executive floor where you’ll find Oliver Campbell and the board. Before you go into the boardroom, you’ll need to tell the receptionist, Keavy, that you’re here to fix their ship problem, and she’ll let you through.

When you speak to Oliver, you can ask him a bit about Paradiso and what they do, but when you’re ready, tell him you need to talk about the ship in orbit. From the beginning, it’s clear that his only goal is to think about the company and its profits, so getting them to leave won’t happen, no matter how much you try to appeal to his “good” side, even when you tell him the situation. So, you’ll need to find a plan B.

He’ll ask his board (2 people) for suggestions, and one of them will offer some genuine good alternatives while the other is another Oliver who only cares about the company. After some back and forth, you’ll have to make an important decision that will change the ending of the quest. These choices are:

• I’ll convince them to take the settlement deal.
• I’ll buy the Grav Drive and convince them to settle elsewhere.
• Hypothetically, what could make a ship like that go away?
• What if after all this, they continue to insist their claim to this planet predates yours?

First Contact Choices Explained¶

Here we will list all the outcomes of the First Contact mission and what choice leads to them. We’ll start from the top option to the bottom, so as not to be confused with the best decision.

Convince ECS Constant to take the settlement deal¶

By agreeing to the settlement deal provided by Paradiso, the ECS Constant crew will get a place to live, but they will be indebted to the Paradiso group and will have to work off their debt. On top of that, you, or them, will have to provide some resources.

If this is your decision, head back to the ECS Constant, and tell Captain Breckenridge the “good” news. Surprisingly, she is actually okay with this decision. She’ll tell you that her crew will need to work for a living anyway. After telling her the news, you’ll then have a choice on whether to ask them for resources or not, with the former requiring a Persuasion check.

Choosing to cover the resources all by yourself will require you to obtain the following materials:

• Lithium x10
• Iron x80
• Sealant x20
• Fiber x40

Otherwise, if you ask the ECS Constant to cover them, she’ll get Daisuke to help cover some resources. You can find Daisuke in the Mess Hall, and he’ll give you the following materials.

• Lithium x4
• Iron x30
• Sealant x10
• Fiber x15

Either way, you’re going to have to procure some resources. There are a couple of ways to do this, purchase it from various shops, or if you’re stingy, gather them. You can purchase all the Lithium, and Sealant from the Shop in Paradiso (near the elevator) as well as some Iron and Fiber, but you’ll need to head somewhere else like Neon for the rest. Once you have the required amount of resources, she’ll ask for a lift down to the service, agree to her request and take them to Paradiso. Talk to the Captain once you’ve landed to complete the quest. You’ll receive a Model XM-2311 Pistol, and numerous Ancient Earth goods (Baseball, Piggybank, Football, and many more).

Buy the Grav Drive for ECS Constant to Settle Them Elsewhere¶

This is arguably the best option out of the three, but it will be the most costly. If you take the Grav Drive option, you’ll end up having to pay 25,000 credits at minimum to a maximum of 40,000 if you fail the persuade check; make sure you’ve got the cash before choosing this option.

Oliver will tell you to meet Bennu St. James at HopeTech to get him to retrofit the ship with the new drive. HopeTech is on Polvo in the Valo system, so you may have to make a couple of jumps depending on your ship. When you land on the planet, head into the building adjacent to the Ranger’s building. Make your way through the foyer, take the stairs on your left to the next floor, and enter the office underneath the next set of stairs.

All of these tasks can be completed in the same room by accessing the various terminals in it. There’s one in the center, one on the left, and one on the right. From left to right, do the following:

• (Left Terminal) Engineering Control Computer Alpha: Cryogenic Radiator - Auxiliary > Turbopump Port
• (Center Terminal) Engineering Control Computer Gamma: Magnetic Flange Pipe Enclosures > Decouple > Auxiliary Module Assembly
• (Right Terminal) Engineering Control Computer Beta: Plasma Run-Off Inhibitor > 5%

With all three tasks done, head to the bridge to let the Captain know that the Grav Drive has been installed. You don’t need to ask her for a reward as she’ll give you one anyway; You’ll receive a Model XM-2311 Pistol, and numerous Ancient Earth goods (Baseball, Piggybank, Football, etc.). Later on, you can find the ECS Constant in the orbit of Khayyam (east of Porrima), and pick up a few more missions like the one with Janet.

Make the Ship “Disappear” by Overloading the Reactor¶

Asking Oliver how one would hypothetically disappear, he’ll let you know that these ships were prone to having their Reactors overloaded according to one of his engineers. Although this doesn’t update the talk to Oliver quest step, it will add another marker on the ECS Constant to overload the reactor. Before attempting this outcome, make sure you have at least one skill point in Theft as you will need it to pickpocket Amin, the ship engineer for his key. Dock the ship, and head to Engineering.

Sneak behind Amin, and pickpocket the ECS Reactor Key. Now head over to the ECS Reactor terminal to the left of the entrance, and put it in Emergency Overload. Leave Engineering, and head to the bridge where you’ll want to hack Captain Brickenridge’s computer to confirm the overload. Before you do this though, make a quick save as you’ll need to fight your way off the ship. Once you’ve hacked the computer, select Urgent Requests and confirm the Overload.

Now you’ll need to get back to your ship while the entire ECS Constant is trying to kill you. This isn’t an easy feat (especially with the bugs), and you’re best off trying to make a run for your ship while constantly jumping to make yourself a more difficult target. Regardless of the way you get off the Constant, they won’t be alive much longer.

When you get back to your ship, head to Porrima II, and then go to the Paradiso to speak to Oliver. DO NOT threaten him for double pay as he’ll call your bluff and refuse to give you any reward whatsoever. Instead, ask him if there is any payment, and you’ll get 6,500 Credits on top of the quest reward. This is the most lucrative outcome, but it’ll cost you your soul.