TL;DR
- Skipping main quest provides faster artifact collection but limits companion romance options
- Repeating main quest allows saving companions from death and maintains side quest availability
- Companion recruitment becomes more complex when skipping, with some characters requiring specific conditions
- Starborn interactions shift dramatically, removing key story events while offering new gear rewards
- Strategic choice depends on whether you prioritize efficiency or narrative completion
Considering whether to replay Starfield’s entire campaign during your New Game Plus journey? This comprehensive guide examines the strategic implications of bypassing the primary storyline.
The Starfield New Game Plus functionality introduces numerous unique mechanics that transform your approach to the game’s narrative. Our analysis explores both the methodology and strategic considerations for skipping Starfield’s main quest during your NG+ adventure. Important reminder: this content contains significant story spoilers.
To bypass Starfield’s primary storyline, ensure you’ve progressed to your New Game Plus iteration. Our comprehensive NG+ guide details the transition process, including retained progression elements and exclusive rewards.
Critical Choice at The Lodge
Upon arriving at The Lodge, you’ll encounter surprised reactions from Constellation members. They recognize you as the Vectera miner, unaware that individual perished; Vasco successfully recovered the artifact in your absence. Your pivotal decision occurs during conversation with Sarah:
- Repeat main quest: “I wish to join Constellation. Let’s solve this cosmic puzzle together.”
- Skip main quest: “I’m not the person you believe me to be. I belong to the Starborn faction and possess comprehensive artifact knowledge.”
It’s up to you if you want to go through the same stuff again.
Each option presents distinct advantages and drawbacks. Repeating the main narrative might seem counterproductive for NG+ progression since you’ll experience identical missions. However, significant variations emerge during repetition:
- Starborn-specific dialogue choices enable bypassing certain main quest segments.
- During your original playthrough in the mission A High Price to Pay, one companion typically dies. Repeating the storyline provides opportunities to preserve all companion characters through strategic intervention.
Conversely, skipping the main quest radically transforms the campaign structure (detailed below). Your character reveals extensive knowledge, including details about deceased companions (which shocked Sarah in our playthrough since she perished). The most substantial disadvantage involves companion relationship development. Primary missions offer numerous dialogue moments that enhance companion affinity. Without these interactions, you must rely exclusively on secondary missions, faction assignments, and alternative engagement methods. Nevertheless, skipping maintains gameplay freshness and accelerates progression.
Additional considerations include potential side quest disruptions. For instance, we didn’t obtain Walter’s Overdesigned mission during our NG+ run. Consequently, we missed acquiring the complimentary Class-C Kepler R spacecraft.
When bypassing Starfield’s central narrative, artifact collection undergoes substantial modification: Vladimir directly provides complete location information. That represents the entire process. Your mission log displays all necessary planetary destinations under the Among the Stars assignment.
Regarding obtainable abilities, you retain previously unlocked powers from your initial campaign. Vladimir occasionally discloses temple coordinates (via Power From Beyond missions), and you might still receive alerts when exploring unfamiliar star systems. The key distinction involves potential acquisition of enhanced versions, including Parallel Self II or Elemental Pull II.
Vladimir (left) just gives you a list of all artifact locations, which you’ll see in your quest log (right).
Significant variations emerge in companion recruitment methodology when bypassing Starfield’s primary storyline. Here’s a concise overview:
- Sarah and Vasco remain stationed at The Lodge, presenting no recruitment complications.
- Barrett locates at Vectera (eliminating rescue requirements). Lin and Heller also occupy that location. They experienced glitches during our main campaign (vanishing unexpectedly). During NG+, they displayed no interactive dialogue and remained unrecruitable. We’re uncertain whether this resulted from the previously mentioned technical issue.
- Sam and Andreja remained inaccessible initially. However, after securing all artifacts from the mission log, they materialized at The Lodge. Sam positioned himself at the second-floor bar, while Andreja occupied her private quarters.
We found Barrett, Lin, and Heller in the same area, but only Barrett had dialogue.
Finally, crucial Starborn engagements undergo transformation during NG+. Consider these examples:
- Since artifact collection occurs through planetary visits, The Lodge assault event no longer triggers.
- After gathering all artifacts, you’ll confront former Starborn adversaries orbiting Oborum III, rather than boarding the Emissary’s vessel.
- At Oborum III, you determine whether to align with the Hunter or Emissary. This substitutes the Unearthed/NASA Landmark encounter, as that location becomes unnecessary.
- The Revelation concluding mission remains largely unchanged.
- We observed that, upon completing one NG+ cycle and bypassing the main quest again, artifact location records remained consistent. Possibly only one configuration exists across all NG+ attempts. However, we obtained an alternative Starborn Armor set (Materia replacing Astra), featuring superior statistics and modified enhancements.
You decide who to ally with when you go to Oborum III. You don’t need to go to NASA anymore.
Ultimately, this covers essential knowledge regarding Starfield’s main quest bypass decision. The choice fundamentally depends on whether you prefer narrative repetition or experimental variation. Additionally, as a Starborn entity, you might encounter the Starborn Merchant during cosmic exploration.
Starfield represents an expansive gaming experience with countless planetary systems to investigate. For additional strategic guidance and advanced techniques, explore our comprehensive resource center.
Action Checklist
- Complete initial campaign and reach New Game Plus mode
- Visit The Lodge and select ‘I’m Starborn’ dialogue option with Sarah
- Collect artifact locations from Vladimir for accelerated progression
- Recruit available companions: Sarah/Vasco at Lodge, Barrett at Vectera
- Complete artifact collection and recruit Sam/Andreja from Lodge
- Engage Starborn factions at Oborum III for final confrontation
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