The City and the Stars Outer Worlds Quest Guide
Navigating the corporate intricacies of Byzantium in The Outer Worlds brings players face-to-face with the Halcyon Holdings Board's dark secrets. The City and the Stars is a pivotal late-game main quest that demands sharp political instincts and careful infiltration strategies. Successfully navigating this mission allows you to uncover vital resources for Phineas Welles while exploring the most decadent colony city.
Meeting the Contact in Byzantium
Upon arriving in the elite district of Byzantium on Terra 2, your first objective is to touch base with Phineas' local informant, Carmen Imagawa. She can usually be found lounging near the city docks or the local tavern enjoying the wealthy scenery. Speaking with her reveals critical details regarding the location of the dimethyl sulfoxide chemicals hidden inside the high-security facilities.
Carmen explains that the coveted chemical compounds are heavily guarded inside the Ministry of Accuracy and Morale. She provides guidance on potential access vectors, highlighting that a straightforward frontal assault is often suicidal for unprepared crews. Gathering this introductory intelligence is essential before attempting to bypass the local corporate security forces.
Infiltrating the Ministry of Accuracy
Entering the Ministry of Accuracy and Morale requires players to choose between stealth, silver-tongued dialogue, or aggressive combat strategies. A popular peaceful method involves securing a ministry corporate ID cartridge to easily walk past the front desk guards without raising alarms. Alternatively, high lockpicking and hacking skills can grant access through secondary maintenance tunnels underneath the estate.
If the local guards outside Minister Clarke's estate or the facility become hostile prematurely, players might need to sleep in their ship for a few days to reset aggression levels. Exploring the interior offices carefully allows you to find mental refreshment information and key access cards hidden on administrative desks. Moving silently through these clinical corridors ensures you reach the laboratory level completely undetected.
Retrieving the Dimethyl Sulfoxide
Once you navigate down to the lower laboratory floors, you will locate the main containment unit housing the dimethyl sulfoxide. The quest presents a distinct moral choice regarding how much of the chemical compound to extract from the hibernation tanks. Taking the full amount maximizes the success of Phineas' revival experiments but dooms the corporate test subjects currently hooked up to the machinery.
After interacting with the main console, players must escape the laboratory area before additional security patrols lock down the entire building. Using a high dialogue skill allows you to lie your way out of confrontation when cornered by scientists or lab supervisors. Safely exiting the facility with the chemicals secure in your inventory marks the completion of the physical infiltration phase.
Confronting Minister Clarke
The final step of this complex corporate assignment involves visiting Minister Clarke directly inside his heavily fortified residential estate. Delivering the recovered information to him alters the political landscape and reveals the true extent of the Board's catastrophic colony planning. This narrative interaction provides deep lore regarding Chairman Rockwell's ultimate intentions for the freezing citizens.
Completing this major trial officially unlocks subsequent endgame narrative pathways, pushing your crew closer to the final system-wide conflict. Returning to Phineas' orbital laboratory allows you to hand over the compounds and finalize the rescue operations. Navigating these corporate schemes successfully solidifies your reputation as either a savior or a tool of the board.