Starfield: The Empty Nest walkthrough

Meet Sam Coe and have join you as a companion.

Image credit: Bethesda Softworks

Guide by Sebastian Thor Contributor

Published on Sept. 11, 2023

The main quest 'The Empty Nest' in Starfield starts after completing the previous quest The Old Neighborhood. We've left it until now so we could collect Barrett and an extra power first.

We're supposed to talk to Sam Coe and join his expedition to Freestar Collective territory. Conveniently, he is standing in the room next to the artifact table, engrossed in a dialogue with his daughter Cora. Talk to him, the next target is Akila City. Sam and Cora come with you and wait on the ship, no matter what you do and how long the journey takes.

Journey to Akila City

In the Frontier it goes up into orbit and off to the mission log. There you select the current quest and set course for the Cheyenne System. It may be that the point is too far away and you haven't yet discovered all the systems along the route to be able to jump to it.

In that case, you can first pursue other story quests and thus increase the travel distance over time (otherwise you can first travel from the Alpha Centauri system, in which you receive the quest, to the Olympus system and from there the Cheyenne control system). You can finally land in Akila City via the map:

In Akila City we experience the Coe family story. | Image credit: Bethesda Softworks

After landing, talk to Sam at the entrance. He joins you for the mission as a companion and only leaves your side after the matter in Akila City has ended.

Use the scanner and you will see in which direction it sends you:

On the way, an Akila City guard stops us and points out a failed robbery at the GalBank. Quite a lot going on at our destination.

The Freestar Collective faction quest 'Job Gone Wrong' starts here if you agree to help with the matter. It must be completed if we want to advance in the current main quest (see page for details).

First we have to settle the banking history. | Image credit: Bethesda Softworks

Go to the GalBank vault

No matter how you solve the hostage situation (it works peacefully as well as violently), only then can you look around the bank.

Inside, follow the stairs down to the lockers and have Sam give you the Coe GalBank key card. This opens a storage cabinet (the exact location of the cabinet varies with each pass), from which we take a message to Sam.

Talk to Sam

Your companion mentions the name Jacob. If you like, you can use an optional persuasion attempt to find out who exactly that is (Sam's father).

It sounds like we're slipping into the middle of a family drama. But perhaps the matter can be amicably settled.

Talk to Jacob

Exit the bank and walk around it to the right, heading east. Go up the stairs to the right of the ranger tower and follow the path to the Coe Mansion on the right.

Enter it and let Sam talk to his father. The conversation doesn't sound particularly conciliatory, to put it mildly. No matter what you answer, father and son cannot agree on this point.

We can't get any further here without help. | Image credit: Bethesda Softworks

Talk to Sam again and three options will open up on how to get Solomon's cards:

Optional - Ask Cora for help: The girl stays at the landing pad in front of the ship and immediately starts running to her grandfather's house. The short reunion is enough for Jacob to hand out the cards.
Optional - Talk to Jacob and persuade him: Attempt the persuade skill check on Jacob and succeed, then he will give out his office key and you can get the cards.
Optional - Let Sam distract him: Choose the other dialogue option when talking to Jacob to lure him away from his office door. Pick the lock and get the cards.

Journey to the Empty Nest

Either way, we got what we wanted. Sam is content with that, even if we still have to fly to the coordinates from the map.

Use the quest journal to travel directly to the empty nest and land nearby. Once you arrive, head straight north to where the Shaw Gang territory begins.

Get the artifact

The gang has set up a small camp here, which is even secured with mines on one side. Be careful when approaching. The guys don't open fire immediately, they warn you first, but there are a lot of them.

There are also guns, a robot and the size of the built facility to contend with. It is quite confusing in the rear, sloping area. First eliminate all enemies in front of the building and use this as cover for the rest of the fight.

On the left side of the base you can also use a Gun Control and reverse friend-foe detection. Then lure the enemies in front of the turret:

In the end, though, it doesn't really matter how you fight them, or even if you want to try to sneak up on them. The entrance to the empty nest in the background is important (separated by a loading screen):

Fight your way around the nest until you reach a lattice door that can either be cracked or jumped over using the crates on the right:

Follow the passage on the left behind it. After a while it leads directly to the Artifact Chi with caelumite deposits next to it:

After stowing, we exit the cave and are stopped by Shaw, the gang leader. The dialogue with her is unavoidable. You can…

... convince the lady that violence is not a solution and end the matter directly.
... pay 4000 credits and buy the same exit dearly.
... attack the group and shoot down all the mercenaries.

Optional: Kill the Ashta

After clearing up the situation, the camp is attacked. If you like, you can stand by the mercenaries against the attacking monsters. Be careful not to accidentally hit any of the Shaw people (this counts as an attack).

Then speak to Shaw again and collect a small reward for the help. Finally, head back to the Lodge where the new artifact will be added to the collection.