New Game Plus comes with its own set of unique features, enticing players to attempt multiple playthroughs. One of these features includes the option to skip or repeat the main quest in Starfield, leading to a different campaign altogether. This article will detail the pros and cons of skipping the main quest over repeating it.
Skipping and repeating the Starfield New Game Plus main quest have different outcomes and mainly depend on what players are looking for.
What Happens When You Repeat the Main Quest?
Being a Starborn and having knowledge of your original universe carryover isn’t just for show. Even if you decide to play dumb and play the game all over again, some changes will be noticeable. For one, you will have many Starborn dialogue options available, some of which can let you skip tedious portions of the main quest. In other cases, it leads to wildly different outcomes.
For instance, during the Job Gone Wrong side mission, you can immediately get Sam to let go of the thought that Jacob is his father. Similarly, when confronting Jacob Coe in Starfield’s The Empty Nest quest, you can immediately convince him to relinquish the maps.
Minor Starborn dialogue prompts like this are available throughout the main game, sometimes even with minor NPCs. One of the other significant changes that can be observed is during the mission ‘A High Price to Pay.’
Initially, one of your companions will die here. However, as a Starborn with your prior knowledge intact, you can choose different options for the quest. These culminate in you saving both companions and avoiding having to attend a funeral for a second time.
What Happens When You Skip the Main Quest in New Game Plus?
Skipping the Main Quest in Starfield speeds things up greatly. Your character won’t keep any secrets and will just explain everything they know, even character deaths. Since you’re skipping out on the Main Quest, that means you also spend less time with your companions.
This can be a bit of a demerit, considering you’ll have fewer avenues for companion bonding. The main story is ripe with varying dialogue prompts to boost your affection with them. Losing those makes it harder to rank up their affinity, and you’ll need to settle for other means like side quests and other instances.
Other than that, some side missions will not be available as they are contingent on specific main story progress. The mission ‘Overdesigned,’ for instance, is unavailable, which means you can’t get the Kepler R ship. Not only that, but you also lose out on unlocking special SAL-Engines like the SAL-6830.
Artifact acquisition works a bit differently if you choose to skip the main quest in Starfield. After choosing to share all your knowledge with Sarah in One Small Step, she will direct you to Vladimir in The Eye. Speak to Vladimir to obtain the new quest ‘Among the Stars,’ which will add a quest marker for each planet in your quest logs.
You can also talk to him regarding Temple locations, giving you the chance to collect power you missed in your original universe. Repeating Temple runs in each subsequent new game plus run allows you to stack power upgrades.
How to recruit companions after skipping the main quest
Sarah and Vasco will be available at The Lodge, same as always. Barret will be at Vectera, where you first met him, next to Lin. Upon talking to him, he becomes an available companion. What’s neat here, though, is that you can immediately start the quest to obtain the Power tied to him. To do so, use the Starborn dialogue choice available to you.
Lin and Heller in Starfield seem to be bugged, as you cannot interact with them if you choose to skip the main quest. Andreja and Sam won’t be at the Lodge or their respective starting area. They will only be unlocked after you collect all the artifacts.
This isn’t too bad since you have map locations for all artifacts already if you skipped the main quest. Once you do, you can find them at The Lodge with Andreja in her room and Sam in the bar.
Other Notable Changes in New Game Plus
Beyond the main story changes, there are a variety of Starborn interactions available throughout the game. Some of these include:
- Meeting the Starborn Trader while traveling in space lets you buy very rare items.
- No more attacks on the Lodge, as you can directly find Artifacts.
- Meeting The Emissary and The Hunter in Oborum III’s orbit after collecting all Artifacts. Replaces the instance of docking at The Emissary’s ship.
- Choosing to ally with The Emissary in Starfield New Game Plus or The Hunter at Oborum III.
What’s more, you receive the Starborn Guardian Ship and Starborn armor upon ending the game. What you may not know is that these can be upgraded by completing subsequent New Game Plus runs. The ship can be upgraded six times, while the armor can be upgraded ten times.
If you want fully upgraded versions of both, you’ll need to end the Starfield 10 times in total. I’d say the choice is up to the player. Going through the main campaign at least once to take in the various changes in interactions may be worthwhile.
That said, those prioritizing upgrading their powers, Starborn Guardian Ship, and Armor are better off skipping the main quest. Completing the campaign ten times to that end is quite tedious for the majority. Skipping the main quest to hunt artifacts lets you end the current run in an hour or two. With that knowledge in mind, it’s up to the player to decide what works best for them.
