Starfield Operation Starseed: who should you side with?
Operation Starseed is a complex side-quest in Starfield that forces you to make not just one, but two difficult choices. Find the Crucible on Charybdis III and you’ll discover that every resident is a clone of a historically significant figure. You’ll chat with US President Franklin Roosevelt, Egyptian Queen Aminerenas, and Mongolian Emperor Genghis Khan and discover that they all have wildly different philosophies on how their society should operate.
We’ll walk you through both major choices in this mission, including which faction you should side with and what to do when you reprogram the Facility. Find out what other hidden quests there are in the galaxy with our Starfield walkthrough.
Who should you side with? – Starfield Operation Starseed
Bethesda
The three leaders ideals are as follows:
- Roosevelt and the Pragmatists want to be able to run the Crucible themselves, rather than the robots enforcing rules, but they also don’t want anyone to leave
- Aminerenas and the Believers want to allow for tests that would let those who pass leave the Crucible.
- Genghis Khan and the Renegades believe they are imprisoned in the Crucible and seek escape.
No matter how you initially prefer, you’ll be sent to the Facility to gather information. Upon returning, you have a choice to make over who to give that information to.
Siding with Roosevelt
Roosevelt will attempt to come up with a diplomatic compromise where the clones remain in the Crucible for the next 20 years, after which a test will be implemented allowing those who pass to leave. Aminerenas will begrudgingly agree with this, but Genghis Khan cannot be convinced. A fight will break out and you will have to kill all of the Renegades.
Siding with Aminerenas
Aminerenas will seek to implement the test immediately with the information. Roosevelt can be convinced to agree to the deal, but Genghis Khan will once again refuse, forcing you to kill him.
Siding with Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan’s initial instinct will be to destroy the Crucible entirely, but you can talk him down from this stance. If you do he will instead declare that anyone can come and go from the Crucible as they please. Roosevelt can be talked around to a peaceful agreement, but Aminerenas will not join you, forcing you to kill her.
Unfortunately, there is no way to save all three leaders, you will always need to kill at least one depending on your choices. This doesn’t change your next task in the mission or the reward you receive at the end, so you can side with whoever you like the most.
What should you do at the Facility? – Starfield Operation Starseed
Bethesda
No matter who you side with, you’ll have to return to the Facility and override the controls, which lets you make a choice on what to do with the Crucible.
- Reboot the system, changing nothing.
- Choose a new Super-Admin, giving the leader you sided with control of the Crucible.
- Cleanse the project, killing all of the clones.
Rebooting the system
Effectively, nothing changes in this scenario. You will be rewarded with 3,000 credits, but the next time you visit the Crucible, everyone there will turn hostile.
Choosing a new Super-Admin
This ending will let the leader you sided with achieve their goals, running the Crucible as they see fit. You’ll get 6,000 credits as a reward and you can come and go from the Crucible as you please.
Cleansing the project
Everyone at the Crucible will die, leaving the area a ghost town and cutting off access to every NPC. You will receive 2,000 credits and the crushing weight of what you've done.
You should assign a new Super-Admin at the facility. Not only does it give you the most credits, but all of the NPCs there will remain alive and friendly, including a potential companion, Amelia Earhart. You can check what we think of her in our list of every Starfield companion ranked.
