Starfield: How to Complete The Empty Nest Quest

Some missions in Bethesda’s science fiction RPG simply reward you with loot, credits, and weapons. While that’s great, others allow you to recruit new companions, adding them to your ever-expanding crew. This specific quest takes you to Akila City, the bastion of the Freestar Collective. Here’s how to complete The Empty Nest in Starfield.

How to Complete The Empty Nest in Starfield

The Starfield The Empty Nest quest appears in your log after completing The Old Neighborhood. To start it, simply talk to Sam Coe in The Lodge. Once you begin this quest, Sam will become a mandatory companion for the duration. He’ll also bring Cora, his daughter, aboard your ship. Don’t worry since Cora doesn’t count toward the crew size limit.

Related: How to Romance Sam Coe in Starfield

The Empty Nest Quest Walkthrough

The Empty Nest quest in Starfield leans heavily into Akila City’s history and landscape. Upon arriving in the Cheyenne system, land in the city, and make your way to the bank.

• If it’s your first time visiting this area, you’ll see a bank robbery in progress. You can use your Persuasion skill to convince the gang members to stand down and let the hostages go. This will impress the marshal. If you’d like, you can also join the Freestar Collective Rangers, though I won’t discuss all the details in this particular guide.
• Sam needs you to check the bank’s vaults. Take a look at the safe along the left-hand side of the room to find the item that he needs.
• In my case, I resolved the bank robbery incident while free-roaming, well before I did this quest. As such, I was able to enter the bank vault immediately.

How to Deal With Jacob Coe

The next step is to talk to Jacob Coe, Sam’s father. You need to get the Akila Map from his room, but he’s quite uncooperative. There are a few options here:

• Have Cora help you out.
• Let Sam talk to him. You can then sneak past him to unlock the door.
• Use the Persuasion skill to convince him. I actually prefer this method since it’s easy.

Regardless of the method you chose, pick up the Akila Map and speak with Sam. Another marker should appear on your map. It leads to a new area.

How to Reach The Empty Nest

This time, you’ll go to The Empty Nest in Starfield. It’s in the wilderness past the city limits, so expect hostile creatures along the way. Upon arriving, you also have to take out members of Shaw’s gang (the group that the bank robbers belonged to).

Moreover, you’ll notice several turrets. Instead of destroying them, I advise you to change their friend/foe settings instead.

Related: How to Control Robots in Starfield

How to Deal With Shaw and the Ashta Beasts

After all your enemies have been defeated, enter the mining tunnel. Inside, you’ll find an artifact, as well as several Caelumite nodes. Switch to your Cutter and blast the Caelumite rocks that are blocking the artifact so you can retrieve it.

Once you have the artifact, go back outside to meet Shaw herself. You can use regular Persuasion skill methods, or you can bribe her if you’ve unlocked the Negotiation skill.

Suddenly, multiple Ashta beasts will appear. The battle can be quite tough, but a few things can make the whole encounter easier:

• If you managed to persuade or bribe Shaw, her gang will also fight the creatures.
• If you were able to hack the turrets, they’ll fire on the beasts instead.
• Lastly, there are several crates and structures that you can jump on top of, just so the Ashta don’t reach you.

In any case, once the creatures have been defeated, you’ll be done with the mission. That’s everything you need to know about how to complete The Empty Nest in Starfield. Don’t forget to also tackle Back to Vectera and Into the Unknown. For more tips and strategies, you can visit our guides hub.