Highlights
- Starfield's "MANTIS" side quest offers players the opportunity to obtain the best gear available in the early game and a legendary ship called the Razorleaf.
- To unlock the quest, players must defeat a group of roaming Spacers and find the "Secret Outpost!" datapad, which sets them on the path to the quest.
- Completing the quest involves navigating through the Lair of the Mantis, solving a puzzle, and defeating enemies, ultimately rewarding players with Mantis' ship and legendary gear, which is a big boost in the early hours of the game.
The full release of Starfield is finally upon players, with millions of users gaining access to the title following a successful early access launch for premium edition adopters. Stepping foot into Starfield's world is an incredibly rewarding and immersive experience, bringing to mind the best moments from other Bethesda RPGs while also introducing new iterations on tried-and-true design mechanics from the studio. While the game begins with a bit of a slow-burn, it's not long until players obtain their first ship and have an entire galaxy laid out before them. In terms of where players should go first, there's a strong case to place a priority on the "MANTIS" side quest.
Thanks to Starfield's use of procedural generation, the exact starting location of the "MANTIS" side quest will be different for each player but the general strategy to unlock the quest remains the same. For most players, following the quest chain for the "Back to Vectera" or "The Old Neighborhood" quests will cause some Spacers (Starfield's catch-all term for bandits and thieves) to show up. If players are able to successfully take out a group of roaming Spacers, one of them will likely be carrying the "Secret Outpost!" datapad. Simply reading the datapad and beginning the quest sets players off on the path to get some of the best gear available in the early game.
Spoilers below for Starfield's 'MANTIS' side quest
How to Complete Starfield's 'Mantis' Side Quest & Rewards
After reading the "Secret Base!" datapad and beginning the "MANTIS" quest, players should follow the quest marker to the Denebola system and land on Denebola 1-B. It's recommended to be at least level 10 before attempting this quest as players will encounter foes up to level 25, but the tight corridors of the Lair of the Mantis make for some great choke points in which to easily take out enemies. It's also not a bad idea to have leveled up at least one of Starfield's combat skills to deal extra damage with either beam or ballistic weapons before entering the Lair of the Mantis.
Taking out every Spacer that players come across yields both some excellent loot and several audio recordings detailing a man named Leon's journey through the space station he inherited from his mother. Listening to each of these audio recordings and finding an intercom in the Lair will complete the optional sub-objective of the quest to "Learn About the Lair of the Mantis". As it turns out, Leon's mom was the notorious bounty hunter Mantis, and these audio recordings will provide players with the final clues to solve the Lair's ultimate puzzle and reap its best rewards.
Players will eventually arrive at a long corridor with pressure plates on the floor, each painted with a different letter. One of Leon's audio recordings details his mother's penchant for repeating the Latin phrase "sic semper tyrannis", and this clue gives players their solution to the puzzle. Carefully walk across the corridor, stepping on the plates to spell "T-Y-R-A-N-N-I-S". Any missteps will cause three high-level laser turrets to almost instantly wipe the player out. Quicksave after reaching the end of the corridor, making way through a final series of hallways with another turret and some robot sentries that need to be taken out carefully.
Reaching the final room in the Lair of the Mantis rewards players with both Mantis' ship the Razorleaf as well as a set of legendary gear worn by Mantis herself. Mantis' pack, spacesuit, and helmet will almost surely be the best gear available to players for quite a while, but it's the legendary ship the Razorleaf that's the true prize. Not only is this ship a massive upgrade over the starting vessel given to players, enemy ships will occasionally flee just from the sight of it. Thanks to the "MANTIS" quest and its incredibly worthwhile rewards, players can give themselves a useful boost in Starfield's early hours.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.