As many of the quests in Starfield can be solved or completed in multiple different ways, including "Delivering Devils," it can be difficult to know exactly which decision will net the best rewards or story outcomes. Solutions that are seemingly quicker and easier can often end up giving less rewards or even costing a significant amount of extra resources. Additionally, companion approval can change heavily depending on which decisions are made in quests, with some less moral options having the potential to negatively affect certain relationships.
One of Starfield's many split-path decisions comes as the third quest for the United Colonies Vanguard faction, "Delivering Devils." Since the UC is located in New Atlantis, however, this quest can be accessed fairly early into the game, depending on the order in which Starfield's missions are played. In the lead-up to the quest, previous missions for the faction have players fighting a Terrormorph, which leads to being requested to find Dr. Percival Walker, a scientist who can further analyze a sample from the alien monster's corpse. Attempting to find Walker leads to the Trade Authority on Cydonia, where the various branching paths of the quest are introduced in full.
Related: Starfield: How to Join The United Colonies
"Delivering Devils" Has Three Different Paths
Once the Trade Authority on Cydonia has been reached, an NPC named Oktai Embayar will reveal that Walker is currently missing and that he has a sizable outstanding debt. Information from Oktai points to the Sixth Circle Bar, where more information can be obtained from the bartender, Lou. After a few dialogue options, Lou will agree to reveal Walker's location, but only after Walker's debt is settled, which is where the branching paths of the quest start. From here, three options are available - paying Walker's debt in full, breaking into Trade Authority server room to change the amount he owes, or a third option involving taking out a Spacer captain.
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Paying Off Percival's Debt In Full Is A Costly Option
The first and fastest option for completing the quest is to simply pay off Walker's entire debt to the Trade Authority - 21,867 credits in total. The option to do this is available from the first conversation with Oktai, and speeds up the completion of quest by a considerable amount, as players can simply proceed to Lou afterward and inform him that the debt has already been paid to have him divulge Walker's location. Notably, this path through the quest can be done regardless of which skills the player character may or may not possess, making it a universal option.
Overall, however, this is likely the worst way to complete the quest, as it takes a sizable amount of credits and misses out on the gameplay of other options. Once Walker is found, the option offers no special dialogue or story moments, and is simply present as the fastest way to solve the debt problem. While technically the path with the least amount of risk, both of the other two options involve more engaging gameplay, offer better rewards, and don't demand a hefty chunk of hard-earned cash.
Editing Percival's Debt Requires Certain Skills
The second option, suggested by Lou, is to break into the Cydonia server room to make some sneaky edits to the amount that Walker owes - reducing it to as little as a few hundred credits, which Lou will agree to cover the cost of. While this option is cheaper, however, it does involve breaking into a restricted area, which requires a few levels in either Security or Theft, and preferably a few levels in Stealth. The server room can be accessed in a few ways, through doors in the Broken Spear bar or the upper level of the Trade Authority.
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The Broken Spear door has an easier lock, but the key to the door in the Trade Authority can be stolen from Oktai. Either way, a computer inside the server room can be used to edit the amount that Walker owes, which be as low as a single credit. Since very low amounts have the potential to tip off Cydonia security, however, it's better to simply set the debt to something like a few hundred - especially since Lou will settle the lowered debt with his own money anyway. This option is better for those with more stealth-oriented skill sets or criminal backgrounds, although some companions may express disapproval.
Taking Out The Spacer Leader Offers The Best Rewards
The final option, and technically the longest, is to accept an offer from an NPC named Cambridge, who will speak to the player character after Lou and offer an alternative solution. Cambridge's plan is to sell valuable research to the Trade Authority, covering Percival's debt, but in order to do that, he needs someone to take out the leader of Spacers currently occupying the mines where the research was done, and then complete the research using Hematite sample which can be mined on the way there. Successfully completing these tasks allows the research to be sold to the Trade Authority, clearing Percival's debt.
Overall, this method of completing the quest will likely be the best on most playthroughs, as it offers significant extra rewards. Completing the research awards a recipe for Pick-Me-Up, an Aid item that gives allows the player character to carry 50 additional weight for 15 minutes when used, and subsequently selling it to Oktai has him paying out an additional 3,700 credits. Furthermore, Percival is revealed to be hiding out in a location past the mines anyway, meaning that the quest to find him involves fighting through the Spacers regardless, so the extra work of this option is essentially just traveling back and forth from the mine.
Regardless of how "Delivering Devils" is completed, the UC Vanguard quest line will continue onto the next quest, "Eyewitness," with Percival now onboard to help with the Terrormorph situation. Of the three options to complete the quest, completing Cambridge's research offers the best rewards, but the other two options are somewhat quicker and don't require quite as much traveling back and forth from the abandoned mines. As following Cambridge's request offers a unique recipe, however, it's probably the overall best option for those split on the decision of how to complete the "Delivering Devils" quest in Starfield.
