Starfield: No Sudden Moves mission walkthrough

This act of piracy might be justified.

Our spaceship landing in Starfield
Screenshot by Dot Esports

No Sudden Moves is the tenth main Starfield storyline mission for the Constellation faction. Though this mission primarily revolves around extracting yet another Artifact, how you get it will be drastically different from your past ventures.

Recommended Videos

To get the Artifact necessary to complete this mission, you will need to make contact with a ship dubbed The Scow and meet with the eclectic Captain Petrov. During this mission, you are faced with some different choices.

Whether it be attacking the Scow, killing Captain Petrov, or playing into the Captain’s ego, there are various ways to complete this mission. Here is our guide on how to complete the No Sudden Moves mission in Starfield.

Where to find The Scow in Starfield

Image of the star map in Starfield showing the way to the location of the Scow.
You can find The Scow here, or set the mission as active for a more direct marker | Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Scow can be found orbiting Procyon V-b in the Procyon A System, right next to the Sol System. As you approach The Scow, you will engage in a short conversation.

From here, you will be able to choose between persuading, attacking, or letting one of your companions take over the conversation.

I chose to persuade The Scow and convince its crew that I had business with Petrov. Though this required me to pass a Persuasion check, it did allow me to complete this interaction without any bullets being fired. You can always go on the attack, of course, but doing so will make everyone hostile.

How to complete the No Sudden Moves mission in Starfield

Captain Petrov interacting with a character in Starfield
You might find Petrov a bit self-obsessed. Screenshot by Dot Esports

However you decide to get onto The Scow, you’ll have to make your way to Captain Petrov once you’re aboard. The ship has a pretty confusing and winding layout, but if you just follow your objective marker you will eventually run into Captain Petrov. Keep in mind that getting to Petrov will be a lot tougher to get to if you’ve decided to go guns blazing as you’ll need to blast through his crew to reach him.

If you’re not shooting up the place, you’ll be free to walk right up to Petrov and start speaking with him. If your goal is to get to the Artifact without a fight, you’ll have to smooth talk Petrov. He’s a big fan of himself, so any dialogue options with flattery will do a lot to help you out.

You can attack Petrov, but it will start a fight with the entire crew of the Scow. Since you are surrounded, it’s not the best idea. If you strike Petrov, he will surrender and still allow you to see the Artifact.

Whether you attack or convince Petrov, he will lead you through various doors to finally arrive at the vault. No matter how good your various Social skills are, Petrov will be adamant that you cannot take the Artifact. No amount of intimidation, diplomacy, or negotiation will part him from the Artifact.

So, with no other options, you’ll have to either fight Petrov and his crew to take the Artifact or steal the Artifact and dash for the door.

How to complete the No Sudden Moves mission peacefully in Starfield

While you can’t technically leave The Scow without a fight, you can complete the No Sudden Moves mission peacefully by forcing Petrov to surrender. As a bonus, you’ll be able to avoid having a bounty placed on your head as well.

If you decide to nab the Artifact straight away when you’re in the vault with Petrov, you’ll have a United Colonies bounty placed your head as a result because Petrov and his lackies are a bunch of tattletales.

So, to avoid getting in trouble with the law, what you ought to do is attack Petrov without touching the Artifact. Smack him around enough and he’ll surrender. Then, after he’s shown his cowardice, you can tell him to order his crew to stand down. Doing so will not only allow you to take the Artifact without incurring a bounty, but you’ll be free to loot the entirety of The Scow without any repercussions.

There’s no shortage of valuable loot aboard this enormous ship, and it’s especially delicious that Petrov’s crew has to watch you take everything from under their noses.

It might not be very peaceful to end the quest by beating/shooting a man into submission, but it’s the best option for those that don’t want to kill Petrov and his crew or if you just don’t want to bother with a bounty.

No matter how you decide to acquire the Artifact, once it’s in your possession you’ll have to head back to The Lodge to add it to your collection. Doing so will complete the mission, and you and your friends at Constellation will be able to continue trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe.

Author
Image of Blaine Polhamus
Blaine Polhamus
Staff Writer for Dot Esports. Avid gamer for two decades and gaming writer for three years. I'm a lover of anything Souls-like since 2011. I cover everything from single-player RPGs to MMOs.