Starfield has a whole host of colorful characters that have you making tough decisions during their respective questlines. You can either play the good guy or play the game to your advantage without caring for anyone else. One such quest involves Captain Petrov Artifact, whom you will encounter during the main quest “No Sudden Moves”in Starfield.
This quest basically involves you acquiring an artifact from the Captain. There are several ways in which you can approach the situation. This guide will walk you through a few ways in which you can acquire the Artifact from Petrov in Starfield. We will also discuss what happens if you kill him and whether you should or let him live.
Getting Captain Petrov’s Artifact in Starfield
There are several ways in which you can acquire the Artifact from Captain Petrov. It is important to note that he can not be convinced to sell the artifact under any circumstance. You will have to take one of the four approaches we have outlined below.
Steal the Artifact
This method requires you to take a stealthier approach. Walk past Petrov without talking to him and make your way to the artifact room. Here, you will find two guards who are hostile. Take them out silently and hide their bodies. To access the room, you will need to have the Master Lockpicking Skill.
Unlock the vault door and grab the artifact. This sets off the alarm immediately, and you will have a bunch of hostile guards breathing down your neck. Make sure you are well-equipped to deal with the situation.
Sneak into the Vault
Follow the same steps above. After you kill the guards, head toward the back of the room, where you will find a small emergency door. Head inside and kill the two guards present there (use silenced weapons) next. Head down, where you will find another small door, similar to the emergency door, and head inside. Here you will find one final door, entering it will lead you into the vault, and you’ll be able to grab the artifact.
Steal the Artifact with Petrov’s Key
Alternatively, you can shoot Petrov when you first get on his ship, grab the key from his corpse, and make your way to the vault. But you will have the entire ship trying to kill you, so do be weary of this.
Shoot Petrov
The first method is pretty straightforward. Shoot the captain but do not kill him. Exhaust the dialogue options after you ask him to show you the artifact. You will come upon the option to either attack Petrov or pay for the artifact.
Select the option “I’ll pay for it. Name your price”. Once you do, he will refuse to sell it to you, telling you this artifact is his. Next, pick the option “[Grab the Artifact] Sorry Petrov, it’s for science” Once the conversation ends, grab the artifact, which will be right in front of you.
At this point, Petrov becomes hostile. Shoot him once or twice, and he will surrender, and you will have the artifact in your inventory. Alternatively, just use the [Attack] prompt, and you will be in the same situation.
You can skip the dialogue entirely and just grab the artifact and then shoot Petrov to reach the same outcome.
Should You Kill Petrov
Killing or sparing Petrov can have two outcomes, with each changing how you can get the Petrov Artifact in Starfield.
Spare Petrov
The decision to Kill Petrov ties back to the second method we discussed above. You can reach the point to kill Petrov either by shooting him after grabbing the artifact or by using the specific [Attack prompt]. If Petrov surrenders and you let him live, he will let you wander about his ship without any restrictions. You will be able to loot his ship without any consequences. While he will not be aggressive, he certainly will not be your friend anymore.
Kill Petrov
Killing Petrov makes his entire ship hostile towards you. You will have to fight your way through in order to survive. This can be quite difficult if you are not well-equipped. Additionally, you will also have a bounty of 500 credits placed on your head by the United Colonies. You will either have to pay it off or spend time in jail to get rid of it.
Sparing Petrov is the better option here as it not only gives you access to additional loot, which can be useful early on in the game, but it also lets you avoid a bounty that can be a nuisance to your playthrough.
