Operation Starseed is one of the many side quests in Starfield that will definitely give you a history lesson while you progress through the different mission objectives.
Side quests in Starfield serve as an additional incentive to farm XP and gain some extra credits while keeping the player invested in the quest.
This guide contains all the details necessary regarding the Operation Starseed side quest.
How to unlock the Operation Starseed mission
To unlock the Operation Starseed side mission in Starfield, you’re required to complete a prerequisite side quest known as Investigate Distress Call Activity and then recruit Amelia Earhart to begin this quest.
How to complete Operation Starseed in Starfield
After recruiting Amelia, make your way to Charybdis III located in the Charybdis System. You’ll be required to upgrade your ship to reach the Charybdis system with a minimum Grav Jump of 22 and also upgrade your gear as the Charybdis is a level 65 system.
As you reach the orbit of Charybdis, you’ll be given an objective to hear a distress call. Follow the quest marker that’ll lead you to a hidden place known as the Crucible where you’ll be welcomed by a robot named Tobias.
You’ll soon be interrupted by a woman named Ada Lovelace while speaking with Tobias. Ada will explain to you that the Crucible houses many people and will then ask you to meet a man by the name of Franklin for further assistance.
Speak with Franklin
Your quest marker will guide you to Franklin in the main building of the Crucible. When you reach the building, you’ll soon learn that the person Ada asked you to meet is the clone of the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin. D. Roosevelt.
Speak with Franklin and he’ll explain to you what the Crucible is and how it has led to a conflict between the community. Franklin wants no one to leave The Crucible and wants to shut it down in Operation Starseed in Starfield.
After your conversation with Franklin ends, venture out to meet the other members of the cloned community.
Speak with Amanirenas
If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Amanirenas is a historical figure during the time of the Roman Empire as she was a major figure in stopping the Roman Expansion in Kush.
However, now she just works as a leader of the cloned community in Starfield. Speak with her to find out that she wishes to fix the Crucible and wants to let the cloned community thrive and prosper.
Speak with Genghis Khan
Another influential historical figure that you’ll meet is Genghis Khan who once was a merciless leader but now wants your assistance in dealing with some enemies.
Get rid of the enemies and speak with him to find out that he wants to destroy the Crucible before he leaves it behind.
Now that you’ve spoken to all three of the leaders, you’ll realize each of the leaders has a different plan decided for their community.
After speaking with Genghis Khan your next objective is to speak with Franklin.
Return to Franklin
Speak with Franklin and visit the facility in The Crucible through which the citizens of The cloned community come from.
After interacting with Franklin make your way to the facility. On your way to the facility, Wyatt will provide you with another side quest known as Secret Lives.
Visit the facility and collect all audio logs
Follow your quest marker to the facility where you’ll be required to have an intense fight with a level 85 Maggotnow, so make sure you have your weapons amped up as defeating the rigid alien will be a challenge.
Once the fight is finished investigate the facility until you have found 7 audio logs that have information about the Facility.
Return to the Crucible and hand those 7 audio logs to any one of the 3 leaders
Should you give the audio logs to Franklin, Genghis Khan, or Amanirenas?
Providing the audio logs to any one of the three leaders will have no impact on your Operation Starseed outcome in Starfield.
However, your choice will change the dialogues you get in a private meeting after you’ve investigated the Beagle ship.
Investigate the Beagle Ship and find the Override Pin
Once you’ve handed over the audio logs to the leader of your choice, speak with Ada Lovelace to figure out where the clones originated from.
Ada will inform you that they were first cloned in the ship called Beagle located in the Bel System.
Fire up your ship and follow the quest marker to the Bel System. You’ll find the ship is Grav Jumping to Zelazny. Follow the ship to Zelazny and get ready to fire up your weapons and board the Beagle.
There is an override pin present in the Beagle that you’re required to collect for a secret room in the facility of The Crucible.
Fight through the waves of enemies and reach the DataCore on the ship to download the override codes and return to the Crucible to attend a meeting with the three leaders.
Attend the Leaders’ Meeting
As you enter the board room, you’ll hear an argument going on between Genghis, Franklin, and Amanirenas on who should get the override codes you just acquired from the Beagle.
Starfield has a lot of choice-based quests, Operation Starseed is one of them where you can choose to side with either Genghis Khan or Franklin in the argument resulting in an alternative ending for the side quest.
Should you side with Genghis Khan or Franklin?
If you choose to side with Genghis Khan, you’ll be required to kill both Franklin and Amanirenas in Operation Starseed.
However, if you choose to side with Franklin, you’ll only be obligated to kill Genghis Khan and can spare Amanirena’s life by choosing the “Perhaps the believers do not have to be our enemies” dialogue option.
These choices will have no effect on the Operation Starseed mission but saving two people instead of one is the more reasonable option.
Deal with the facility
After you’ve made your choice, speak with Ada who has decrypted the codes, and head towards the facility.
Be careful of the facility as It’ll be infested with hostile aliens and robots. We recommend packing a lot of ammo and healing items for what’s ahead. You will have to fight your way through a horde of enemies and reach the locked door in the facility.
Something else to note is that there is a level 76 Clone Leader enemy here. Defeating him gets you his high-level gear but requires a lot of bullets and damage on your end. If you want to avoid encountering the Clone Leader, you can choose to simply sneak past him to reach the door in the facility.
Open the door and insert the decrypted codes in the computer where three options will prompt:
- Reboot and Restore current Mission Parameters
- Reboot and Choose a new Super Admin
- Initiate full project Cleanse
If you remember the approaches of the three leaders for the Cloned community, you will find the options on the screen pretty familiar. Each one will lead you to a different outcome.
Reboot and restore current Mission Parameters (good ending)
If you decide to reboot and restore the project in Operation Starseed, everyone in the Crucible gets to live and there will be no resulting change to the community.
The surviving leaders will be a bit upset with you as nothing has changed since you arrived. For what it is worth, your mission rewards will be not too bad.
Reboot and choose a new Super Admin (best ending)
If you are looking to unlock the best ending for Operation Starseed in Starfield, you have to choose a new Super Admin for the Cloned Community.
You will have to head back to the Crucible and appoint one of the serving leaders to lead the people from hereon. You will receive the best mission rewards for this decision as well.
Initiate full project Cleanse (bad ending)
Choosing the third and last option literally means wiping out the whole Cloned Community. This is not only the bad ending for Operation Starseed but also the worst in the form of your mission rewards.
Starfield – Operation Starseed mission rewards
- 3000 Credits (For Reboot)
- 6000 Credits (Choose a Super Admin)
- 2000 Credits (Full Cleanse)
- Recruit Amelia Earhart as your companion
- 300 EXP
