The Starfield mission The Best There Is has players going undercover as a UC member to steal a classified device—all while undercover as a pirate in the first place. It’s a heist within a heist. A ruse within a ruse. Naturally, the mission is a bit tricky and convoluted.
The mission is found within the Crimson Fleet, and can prove very challenging to complete in a way that maximizes reward and minimizes collateral. With a bit of finesse, The Best There Is can be completed in its entirety without ever having to draw a weapon.
How to start The Best There Is mission in Starfield
The Starfield mission The Best There Is will start automatically when Breaking the Bank is completed. To start Breaking the Bank, you’ll need to have joined the Crimson Fleet either through the Vanguard directly or by being caught smuggling, at which point the Vanguard will offer you some spy work as an alternative to jail.
Starfield The Best There Is nonviolent walkthrough
There are basically two ways this mission can be done—with finesse, or with guns. The guns route doesn’t require any special work and is simply a blast-your-way-through type of deal, so this guide is going to focus strictly on how to complete The Best There Is without starting a single fight. If you ever decide you want to take the violent route, you can do so at any time, and the walkthrough for that is simply: kill and don’t get killed.
The very first step of this mission is to speak with Naeva and Jazz within the Key, who are brainstorming ways to gain access to the SY-920 (a UC Naval ship that contains information on the ComSpike).
The ComSpike is a highly classified data decoding and predicting project, and the Crimson Fleet is going to steal it.
Meet Huan Daiyu
Naeva will instruct you to meet up with Huan Daiyu, a smuggling contact on Jemison that owes her a favor. Follow the mission marker to The Well, the under-city of New Atlantis. Without, you’ll find Huan Daiyu on a catwalk, posing mysteriously like an smuggler worth their weight in contraband should.
Huan will explain that she works in a very particular way, which as it turns out, is just that she uses her own ship. I’ve never heard of a smuggler that uses their own ship before. Anyway, you have to accompany Huan on her ship, the Jade Swan, to complete The Best There Is.
Follow the mission markers to New Atlantis’ space port and board the Jade Swan. It’s an impressively sized ship, and you’ll find Huan in the cockpit, who will tell you to let her know when you’re ready to go. Once you’re on the Jade Swan, you cannot leave until you complete the mission The Best There Is, so make sure you’re actually ready.
Board SY-920 and steal a uniform
Huan’s plan is straightforward—you are the cargo she is smuggling on board. While a legal unloading of cargo onto the UC ship is occurring, you are to infiltrate the ship as well. Huan will briefly explain how you can do this without drawing attention or getting into fights—you must steal a uniform. To find a uniform, you’ll need access the maintenance section of the ship, where you’ll be able to access a vent to the barracks. She will also tell you that she’ll be available to offer advice via one of the SY-920’s intercoms as you progress through the mission.
As soon as you enter the SY-920, follow the mission markers to where you’ll see an Advanced locked door with an intercom on the wall. If you’re able to pick Advanced Locks, you’re ready to continue on. If not, activate the intercom and tell Huan you’re stuck. She will tell you that you can probably find a key by eavesdropping on some guards.
Turn around and walk directly left from the door. You’ll bump into a UC Cargo Hauler who is crouching over and searching for something on the ground. Speak with him, and he will explain that he has lost his Keycard and has checked everywhere except the forklift nearby, as he owes Credits to the marine leaning on the forklift.
Walk over to the forklift which you’ll now have a marker for. You’ll see the Keycard just behind the marine, but you cannot steal it just yet. First, speak with the marine and tell him that “somebody over there wants to speak with him.” He will buy it completely, and walk away. Now the Keycard should lose it’s red stealing icon, and you can simply pick it up.
When you use the Keycard to unlock the door to the maintenance hall, you MUST be crouching. You’d think having a key means it’s not an assault worthy offense, but you would be wrong. If you are not stealthed when you do this, your cover is blown and the mission becomes violent.
While crouched, follow the mission marker a short ways and enter the vent by activating it. Once you are in the vent, there is only one way out, so simply follow the path up. Before you leave the vent, I highly recommend a Quicksave. If you are seen at all during this next part, the mission becomes violent.
When you exit the vent, you will have two different mission markers, as there are two different uniforms that can be stolen. The choice is yours, but I recommend going for the one on the right, as it is significantly easier to reach even if you are not good at stealth like my character.
This uniform belongs to Ensign Ziremi, and you’ll want to make a mental note of that (or at least be prepared to check later). Pick up the uniform and do not forget to equip it. If you are not wearing your uniform, you will be attacked on sight.
Enter the Command Bay and learn about the ComSpike
Now you’re ready to enter the Command Bay to learn about the ComSpike. You can simply walk into this next area so long as you’re wearing your UC uniform, and there will be an intercom as soon as you enter. Use the intercom to speak with Huan, and she will tell you that there is likely a checkpoint coming up. If Andreja is with you, she will point out that there haven’t been any checkpoints so far, so there really isn’t any reason to expect one coming up. Huan will insist that there probably is, and it turns out, she was right. Almost like that was planned.
Anyway, Huan tells you to look for some sort of clearance code to get through the checkpoint (really, HOW does she know this?). Follow your marker to the terminal, which will be guarded by a Novice level lock (this is a good place to quicksave). Unlock the terminal, and find the clearance codes sorted by last name and rank.
There is no auto-filling of information here, you must read and retain the proper code. If you’re following this guide, you should be wearing Ensign Ziremi’s Uniform. Find Z names on the list (the last block of options) and read the code for the Ensign rank, which is ZX321D.
Make your way towards the Command Bay, and you will be stopped at a checkpoint. Select the option “I’ve got a code,” and tell the man the correct code, which is ZX321D. If you selected and equipped the other uniform previously, you will have a different code, but so long as you read the name and rank on the uniform you’re wearing, finding out your code is simple. All that matters is that you take the time to actually remember your code—you will have dialogue choices for many different codes and must select the proper one.
Once you’ve given the correct code, you can continue forward to the Data Access Terminal, for which you will have a marker. On the terminal, you’ll first need to select Projects, then ComSpike to learn that the project is in Engineering Bay 4. Then, select the option Upgrade Security Clearance which will allow you to enter Engineering Bay 4 without being attacked. I suggest a quicksave after upgrading the clearance.
Go to Engineering Bay 4 and speak to Doctor Vogel
Make your way towards Engineering Bay 4. You will be stopped along the way by a UC Marine who noticed that there is no reason you should be down here. Good thing we have that quicksave!
You’ll need to pass a Persuasion Attempt, which is slightly random, so you may be needing the quicksave. For me, selecting the option “Don’t you have anything better to do than ride my ass?” resulted in an automatic success, however that may not be the case for everyone. Be prepared to use your quicksave. My character has no skill points in the Social tree, so it seems this Persuasion Attempt is not actually difficult to succeed in.
Continue into Engineering Bay 4, and find one last intercom. Speak with Huan, who will tell you that the cargo drop is finished, so sticking around would certainly raise suspicions. You’ll have to find your own way off the SY-920 (this won’t be a problem). You’ll have the option to respond with, “Don’t worry about me, I’m the best there is.” After that, you can put your sunglasses off as the theme-music plays and you look directly into the camera.
Follow your mission marker which will lead you to Doctor Vogel. Tell him you need to have a look at the ComSpike for a routine checkup, and he will get confused and explain that the ComSpike is a ship (told you finding your own way off the SY-920 wouldn’t be a problem). Continue the conversation, and he will tell you that the ComSpike is ready for a test flight. I suggest choosing “let me get back to you.” so you can quicksave before attempting to Persuade him.
Your choices are Persuasion or to betray Huan by outing her as a smuggler in an attempt to cause a distraction. We’re going for the happy ending in this walkthrough (though if you DO betray Huan, you’re basically done, board the ship and leave. Also, you’re the worst).
Find a pilot uniform and schedule a test flight
Persuade Dr. Vogel to allow you to test fly the ComSpike, and he will tell you that you’ll need to find a pilot’s uniform and schedule a test flight, for which he will give you a code (you don’t need to remember it this time). He will also give you clearance to enter the hangar where the ComSpike is docked.
This part is straightforward, but must be done in the correct order. Following the mission markers, you should:
- First, find and equip the pilot’s uniform.
- Second, tell the guard at the checkpoint that you’re expected and have approval from Dr. Vogel.
- Third, walk up the stairs past the checkpoint and activate the locked terminal. Upon activating it, you will automatically input the correct password. Select ComSpike, and then “schedule test flight.”
If you followed these steps, you will be free to board the ComSpike and escape without bloodshed.
Escape and return to the Key
Board the ComSpike. This shouldn’t raise any red flags or cause any aggression—you’re “supposed” to be doing this after all. Once on board, simply undock the ship, and follow your mission marker to grav jump the ship back to the key.
If you followed this guide and didn’t cause any violence or betray Huan, she will be waiting to buy you a drink in the bar in the Key. We love a smuggler whose word can be trusted.
After you’ve had your drink with Huan, all that remains to be done is speaking with Delgado and Naeva (who will praise you greatly for your finesse on the mission), and then finally return to Commander Ikande to report.
Starfield The Best There Is mission reward
Commander Ikande will be just as impressed with your devotion to performing a peaceful heist. Speaking with him will complete the quest, for which you will receive:
- 10,600 Credits
- 250 xp
- One Bog’s Grog from Huan (assuming you didn’t betray her)
Completing The Best There Is in Starfield will also automatically start the mission Absolute Power, the next Crimson Fleet mission in which players will be headed to Neon City.
