Save Rafael or the rest of the ship crew is a classic representation of the trolley problem in Starfield. Will you save a dozen people by sacrificing one, or will you prioritize that one person over the lives of the others? You will encounter this moral dilemma in Starfield’s Entangled main quest: saving Raphael or Dr. Patel. Making this choice determines how many people live and how many die.
In this guide, we will help you decide to choose the correct option by explaining the pros and cons of both choices. However, the ultimate power resides in your hands to make the final decision and decide whether to save Rafael or not in Starfield.
Rafael and Dr. Patel’s Locations in Starfield
The Entangled main quest takes place on Freya III planet during the campaign’s final stretch. You will receive a distress call from Rafael about a catastrophic problem in the Nishina facility.
Once you reach there, you will talk to Rafael and learn that he died some time ago trying to save his crew. Following this, you will start moving between two realities. One where Rafael did while saving his crew and one where the crew died while Rafael lived. The former is known as the destroyed world.
You’ll alternate between the different realities until you come across Ethan, who leads you into the Directors office, where you meet Dr. Patel and Maria. You explain to her what’s going on, and she offers to fix your dilemma after you shut down the experiment that’s taking place in the basement of the facility.
This experiment involves the Artifact you’re searching for. At this point, you get a device to move between both realities freely. Before you head into the basement, however, you’ll talk to Dr. Patel again, who’ll tell you to make the right choice and consider what saving Rafael entails and what choosing the alternate means for both realities.
You can only save one reality by turning off 7 terminals supplying power to the machine and shutting off the probe. The reality in which you turn off the 7 switches survives, be it normal or dark.
Go to the basement and follow the quest objectives until you can acquire the artifact. Once you do, you’ll be presented with the choice to save Dr. Patel and the Nishina crew or Rafael. Now you can either shut down the probe in Dr. Patel’s reality or Rafael’s.
Should you save Rafael or Dr. Patel in Starfield
The Entangled main quest takes place on Freya III planet during the campaign’s final stretch. You will receive a distress call from Rafael about a catastrophic problem in the Nishina facility. Once you reach there, you will learn that Rafael died some time ago and you will start moving between normal and the dark worlds.
The Dark World is just an alternate timeline where Rafael survived the explosion while the rest of his crew died. People of Nishina Facility in the normal timeline are alive while Rafael perished trying to save them. The danger is still far from over, as the Artifact in the facility will explode, destroying both realities.
Saving Rafael in Starfield
Rafael is one of the best crew members in Starfield. Therefore, to save him, shut down the probe in his reality. Doing so will save him while Dr. Patel, Maria, and the rest of the Nishina Crew meet their demise. Saving Rafael will net you some XP and resources, including Comm Relays, Indicite Wafer, and Vytinum. Rafael will thank you for saving him, and you can recruit him to join your crew once you talk to him at the Viewport bar in New Atlantis. He has the following skills to offer
- Outpost Management 1
- Outpost Engineering 1
- Starship Engineering 2
Saving Dr. Patel and the Nishina Crew in Starfield
To save Dr. Patel and the Nishina Crew, choose to shut down the probe in their reality after you’ve acquired the artifact. Making this decision means that Rafael dies in the dark reality. Once you make your way up and talk to Dr. Patel once more, you’ll receive a Reactive Advanced Experimental Nishina Helmet (legendary) and an Incendiary Advanced Experimental Nishina Spacesuit (legendary) from the Nishina Facility’s crew.
How to Save Both Realities in Entangled in Starfield
When you reach the objective where you need to shut down the accelerator, interact with the distortion. You’ll then find yourself in the undestroyed lab. Make your way to the bottom by jumping down. Here, you’ll find Rafael’s body. Loot his body to acquire the “Probe Calibration Protocol”.
Once this object is in your possession, you must go to the control room. You’ll find a flight of stairs next to Rafael. Use them to go down until you come upon another distortion. Interact with it until you’re in the destroyed reality. Enter the control room, where you’ll find yet another distortion. You can use it to move freely between both realities.
Now, you’ll have to interact with the main console in the control room in both realities and select the option “Degaussing”. The console will then give you three power interlock switches to disengage in both realities. In the destroyed reality, they are 1,4 and 7, while in the undestroyed reality, they are 2,4 and 6.
From there, make your way to the locks in each reality. It doesn’t matter what order you complete them, but ensure you’re entering the correct numbers. Once you’ve entered the codes, return to the control room and select the option “Frequency Calibration” on the main console.
As with the switches, you must set the frequency in both realities. For the undestroyed reality, set it to 40 gigahertz, while for the destroyed reality, set it to 24 gigahertz.
Finally, proceed to the probe in both realities and interact with the computer on the left. And you’ll be able to successfully save Rafael, Dr. Patel, and the Nishina Crew.
Doing so will give you rewards from both options, including Comm Relays, Indicite Wafer, and Vytinum, along with a Reactive Advanced Experimental Nishina Helmet (legendary) and an Incendiary Advanced Experimental Nishina Spacesuit (legendary) and a total of 17,000 credits.
