Starfield: Should you save Rafael in the Entangled mission?

Both universes need your help.

Aguerro, a bearded character from Starfield, wearing a leather jacket and staring at the player-character.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Entangled is a main storyline quest in Starfield that first introduces the player to the multiverse concept. By the end of the mission, you need to decide whether to save Dr. Patel and her staff of researchers or Rafael, who is trapped alone in another universe.

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Most Constellation missions involve finding an Artifact located inside a deep, abandoned cave. Entangled breaks this norm by bringing you to a research facility holding an already extracted Artifact, which is the source of their strange predicament. Through this mission, you will swap between Dr. Patel and Rafael’s universe.

At the end of Entangled, you will decide which universe to save. Considering this means that the other universe and inhabitants will disappear, you might want to know the consequences of either choice.

How to complete the Entangled Mission in Starfield

By the end of Entangled, you will finally see where the Artifact is being kept. In order to take the Artifact, you need to disengage the power interlocks holding the Artifact in place and causing this multiverse situation.

Image of several large lasers blasting forward at an Artifact piece.
You will need to stop the laser in your universe of choice to finish Entangled | Screenshot by Dot Esports

This final mission is how you will choose to either save Dr. Patel and her research crew or the lone Rafael. In each universe, you need to disable seven total power interlocks. The universe in which you complete this task will be the universe that is preserved. For example, if I disable the power interlocks in Dr. Patel’s timeline, then Rafael will be lost forever.

There is no way to save both Rafael and Dr. Patel. The universes are quite distinct, so don’t worry about mixing up which one you might be in. Once the seventh power interlock has been disabled, then your choice has been made. Be sure to stick to the universe that you want to save.

Should you save Dr. Patel or Rafael in Starfield?

While saving Dr. Patel and her research crew might be the more moral option, saving Rafael is far more practical. If you save Rafael, the character will then go to the Viewport Bar in New Atlantis, where you can recruit him as a crew member for free.

Rafael is among the best crew members that you can unlock in Starfield. The character is especially useful for setting up outposts, as his Outpost Management and Outpost Engineering can quickly help you get your outposts off the group and extract valuable resources.

Saving Rafael does mean condemning Dr. Patel and her whole team of researchers to a tragic death. You will get more Credits for saving Dr. Patel however, rewarding you with 800XP, 11,800 Credits, and an experimental spacesuit that you might find useful.

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.