Not to be confused with: The Empty Nest (Location).
The Empty Nest is a main mission in Starfield. It immediately follows the quest The Old Neighborhood, and begins after the player completes the mission and approaches Sam Coe in The Lodge.
Background[]
Sarah Morgan will introduce you to the mission in dialogue following the completion of The Old Neighborhood. She explains that Sam has been putting together an “expedition” in Freestar Collective space, and that Sam knows those systems inside and out. Speak to Sam to begin the mission.
Objectives[]
- Talk to Sam Coe
- Travel to Akila City
- Talk to Sam
- Go to the GalBank Vault
- Complete “Job Gone Wrong” Side Mission
- Search for the Maps
- Talk to Sam
- Talk to Jacob
- Talk to Sam
- Get the Maps
- (Optional) Ask Cora for help
- (Optional) Talk to Jacob and have Sam distract him
- (Optional) Talk to Jacob and persuade him
- Talk to Sam
- Travel to The Empty Nest
- Get the Artifact
- Leave the Hideout
- Deal with Shaw
- (Optional) Kill the Ashta
- Return to The Lodge
- Add the Artifact
Detailed Walkthrough[]
Speak to Sam Coe. He will explain that the three of you (the Spacefarer, Sam, and Cora) are headed to the planet Akila. You are specifically headed to Akila City — the capital city of the Freestar Collective, then will head towards the frontier (the wilderness outside the walls of Akila City) to chase a lead that was given to Sam about a possible Artifact there.
When you are ready to head to Akila City, let Sam know. He explains he will meet you on your ship. Sam and Cora will act as passengers on your ship until you arrive on Akila (specifically at Akila City), but Sam says that once you arrive, it will “just be you and him”.
Jump in your ship and head to Akila in the Cheyenne star system. Land at Akila City. Exit your ship and go speak to Sam. Cora stays with the ship.
After some explanation as to why you came to Akila City (Sam explains you are looking for the Empty Nest) and a little family history lesson, Sam says Solomon's original maps when he first charted out Akila (which contain the location of The Empty Nest) is locked in the GalBank vault. You both will head there.
Once entering the city, you will be introduced to the mission Job Gone Wrong. You need to finish Job Gone Wrong to progress further in The Empty Nest.
After finishing the Job Gone Wrong mission, head into the Akila City GalBank. Once inside, head down to the vault. Sam will give you a copy of the Coe GalBank Keycard to access each deposit box. Sam tells you that, since Solomon Coe was from an older generation, the map won't be on a data slate and instructs you to look for a bundle of papers. There are 3 secure storage boxes to search. The box on the right side of the room with contain the data slate "Note For Sam", written by Jacob Coe. Speak to Sam. Unless you pass a persuasion check, he will not explain who Jacob is or what is going on. If you pass the persuasion check, you can get more information about who Jacob is. He is Sam's father. They aren't on good terms - they had a falling out. His dad clearly figured Sam would come for the maps at some point and got ahead of him.
- If you have the Starborn trait, you can skip the persuasion check to get the information from Sam about Jacob and what happened.
After talking to Sam, head up some stairs past Cartwright Manor to the Coe Estate. Once inside, Sam and Jacob will begin a heated conversation. Jacob will then pull you in to the discussion. After a short conversation, speak to Sam. However you respond to him, you will be given 3 options to acquire the maps: Have Sam create a distraction, ask Cora for help, or persuade Jacob to hand them over.
Distract Jacob[]
If you choose to go the distraction route, say Sam's key phrase "Sam wanted to talk to you about something". This alerts Sam to spring the distraction - he will continue his argument with Jacob, which will allow you to slip into Jacob's office unnoticed (Novice lock) and take Solomon's maps.
Have Cora convince Jacob[]
Head out to your ship. Cora will be sitting outside, usually reading a book. You can ask her about her relationship with her grandfather. Ask for her help at the estate. Sam will hate this. Cora will seem happy to help. Run with her to the estate. Once inside, Jacob will agree to give Sam Solomon's Maps as long as Cora gets to stay at the estate while you and Sam go searching for the artifact. Sam will agree to this, and Jacob hands over the maps. However, the maps still will stay in Jacob's office. You can grab them, this will have no impact on the mission progression.
- The conversation between Jacob and Cora will give some insight into their relationship - Jacob seems very happy to see Cora and have her stay at the estate for a while.
Persuade Jacob[]
If you choose to go the persuasion route, persuade Jacob in conversation. He will be shocked he is even saying it - but to get you out of his hair, he agrees to hand over the key to his office. Head into the office and grab the maps.
Secret Fourth Option: Starborn Trait[]
If you have the Starborn trait, you can talk Jacob into handing over the key to his office by stating "Don't lie to me, or yourself. You love your son. You're going to help him." This yields the same result as the persuasion option does. Head into the office and grab the maps.
Regardless of how you acquired Solomon's Maps, Talk to Sam again. It's time to go find The Empty Nest, but after looking at the maps, Sam notices a complication with its location. It's right in the middle of Shaw Gang territory (not to mention that the usual Akila wildlife will present a problem). Regardless, speak to Sam about his concerns and head to The Empty Nest.
- Before leaving the estate, remember to grab the skill magazine Solomon's Adventures 01 from Jacob's bedroom.
The Empty Nest will be a short walk away - it is located a decent distance outside the city. Watch out for Ashta and other threats on the way.
Once you arrive at The Empty Nest, you will need to clear out the 12 members of the Shaw Gang, their Shaw Gang Robot, and 3 turrets. After exploring the exterior of The Empty Nest, head inside. There are 4 Shaw Gang members inside. Take them out and proceed through the interior. At the end of the cave, Artifact Tau will be present. Collect the Artifact. Leave the cave. Don't forget to collect the unique named weapon the Ashta Tamer from the weapon case on your way out (if you didn't already grab it).
Upon leaving the cave, you will be confronted and threatened by Shaw and some additional members of her gang. She will be frustrated that you killed some of her gang members (who she pays handsomely) and took "whatever is keeping the Ashta out" from the cave. She wants your lives or your credits in return for the issues you caused her and her crew.
You have multiple options to resolve this:
Pay Shaw[]
For 4000 credits, you can pay Shaw to avoid conflict with her and her gang. The Ashta will still attack. You cannot loot your credits from Shaw if you kill her during/after the Ashta attack.
Persuade Shaw[]
You can persuade Shaw to work things out and avoid a fight or having to pay credits. The Ashta will still attack.
Attack Shaw[]
You can choose to attack Shaw and her gang. This will turn all members of the gang hostile and you'll need to take them all out, along with the Ashta.
Starborn Trait[]
If you have the Starborn trait, you can use it to avoid paying or fighting Shaw and her gang members. The Ashta will still attack.
If Shaw survives the Ashta attack (this means you chose the Starborn, persuasion, or credits option), you can optionally speak to her. She will give you a random levelled Rattler and some ammunition as a thank you for the help with repelling the Ashta.
If Shaw does not survive the Ashta attack, you can loot the Rattler from her body.
However you chose to resolve the dispute with Shaw, after you're finished, you can return to The Lodge with the Artifact. Don't forget to offload your contraband before heading to New Atlantis if you looted the Contraband Cache inside The Empty Nest.
Once in The Lodge, listen to the conversation from some of the members of Constellation. Place the Artifact with the others and listen to more conversation from Constellation. After the conversation, Sam will speak to you, letting you know he would enjoy continuing to travel with you. Once you finish your conversation with Sam, the mission will complete, granting you your rewards.
Rewards[]
- Levelled Credits
- 350 XP
- .27 Caliber Ammo (random amount & variant)
- Random Rattler
- Unlock Sam Coe as a Companion
Notes/Trivia[]
- Before you head into Akila City, Sam will explain the origins of his last name Coe. He is part of the family line of Solomon Coe, the first man to land on Akila and settle there. The artifact that Sam assumes is here was based on a Coe family legend. After landfall, Solomon spent years mapping Akila. During mapping, he found a tiny patch of nothing on his sensor — the kind of nothing an Artifact would produce. Solomon called it the “Empty Nest” (hence the mission name). It was a place that even the wildlife on Akila would not go.
- If you choose the distraction approach to acquire the maps, Sam and Jacob will repeat the exact same argument dialogue continuously until you sneak in and grab Solomon's Maps.
- If you persuade, pay, or use your Starborn trait in the conversation with Shaw and she survives the Ashta attack, you can then simply kill her. She will not retaliate/fight back, nor will any members of her gang - as long as you kill her in few enough shots.