The Expanse: A Telltale Series – All major decisions in Episode 1: Archer’s Paradox

Make sure you make the right choices as you explore The Expanse

Like most Telltale games, The Expanse has a number of choices in each episode, which will affect how things play out in the future. These are clearly signposted at the time that this is a major turning point in the plot, but you don’t see how these actions will change the story until much later on.

If you want to have some foresight into your decisions before you make them, then we’ve played a little further into the game to help you out. Here are all the major decisions and choices you can make in The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1: Archer’s Paradox.

As we are discussing outcomes this article has spoilers, though we have tried to keep them as minimal as possible.

Save Rayen’s leg or save the vault

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The first major decision you have to make is whether to save Rayen’s leg or to save the vault. You are told the vault is full of supplies that will help you, whereas Rayen wants to save his leg. This decision has far less impact than you think. If you cut Rayen’s leg off he will survive, and Virgil will patch him up. In later scenes you can see him standing, so it seems he has a suitable replacement. This will also save the vault, but you aren’t allowed to go inside and collect supplies, but everyone tells you that you did a good job. The main effect is that both Arlen likes you more, though Rayen will obviously like you less.

Saving Rayen’s leg involved pushing the vault out into space, you cannot recover the vault after this, but as explained you never explicitly go and retrieve this salvage. In this instance the most important outcome is that Rayen will like you more, though Khan will like you less for wasting resources.

Space him or throw him in the brig

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Once you have Cox cornered, you can choose to launch him out into space, or throw him in jail. If you space him, as you might expect Cox will be thrown out into space, die, and never be seen again. If you throw him in the brig, he will remain alive, and there is a chance for you to interact with him in later episodes.

If you save Cox he will help you out in a fight much later in the story. This will change minor details about the fight, but the overall outcome is inevitable. If you save him, you will also be able to talk to him in the Brig and be able to learn more about him as a character. Saving him gives you the chance for a redemption arc, but he's not very nice to you so if you choose to space him we don't blame you.

Where is the laser crystal?

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Virgil will ask you for a laser crystal so he can more easily do surgery, say if you decide to saw one of your teammates' legs off. You can find this by turning left after you first exit the wreckage and move out into space. Go back on yourself, and you will see a red beacon above you in the distance, follow this to find another part of the shipwreck.

Go inside here and at the end of the path you will see a yellow panel. Smash this to retrieve a laser crystal and learn a little more about Virgil’s back story.

Where is the cigar?

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There is a cigar in Episode 1, and if you find it you can give it to Khan later, and she will like you more. You can find this after you use the captain’s hand to get through the door. Enter the room on the right just past the barricade, and there is a drawer you can interact with. If you open it a cigar will float to the ceiling. You can walk up the wall on the left so you are standing on the ceiling in order to grab it.