Summary
- Choices and decisions made in earlier quests or tasks can unlock additional options in later quests, such as the "Juno's Gambit" mission.
- There are three different paths with different outcomes in "Juno's Gambit."
- ing a certain faction before encountering the ship leads to the best outcome.
Although many of the quests in Starfield present players with choices and split-path options for approaching certain problems, some options may only be available if other quests or tasks have been completed beforehand. In a game as massive as Starfield, it can be especially difficult to know when you might be missing options or when the effects of some decisions may have effects down the line on later quests. While most missions are standalone or explicitly part of a chain, ing certain factions or having certain traits can open up more possible options, like in the semi-randomly encountered "Juno's Gambit" mission.
On a completely blind playthrough, "Juno's Gambit" can seem relatively straightforward and short, with no real connections to any of the other stories or missions in Starfield. While traveling through space, an unknown ship can be randomly encountered being attacked by an Ecliptic ship. Destroying the Ecliptics and hailing the other ship will result in you being asked to dock at the ship, where main decision of the quest takes place. While the quest ordinarily presents a binary choice, ing up with a certain faction gives access to a third option, which some may find to be the most optimal solution.
"Juno's Gambit" Has Three Paths - But One Requires ing A Faction
After boarding the ship, two operatives from Ryujin will reveal that they're attempting to take control of a rogue NASA AI named Juno, who has previously killed the ship's technician for attempting to pacify the AI by installing a Control Board. Lacking any better options, the Ryujin operatives will ask you to install the Control Board instead, leading to a conversation with Juno and the quest's main choice — whether to install the Control Board as instructed or to help Juno escape. Ordinarily, either option will result in some harsh consequences, but ing Ryujin Industries in Starfield before the mission leads to a third option.
Installing The Control Board Is The Mission's "Bad" Ending
The most straightforward option in the quest is to simply install the Control Board as requested. While conversing with Juno, this can be done through a dialogue option, requires no persuasion or other traits or skills, and is likely the easiest option for completing the quest. Installing the Control Board results in Juno shutting down, leading to a brief conversation with the two Ryujin operatives, where they discuss the nature of their work. After this conversation, the quest is essentially complete, and the only remaining objective will be to exit the ship and undock.
After undocking, however, the consequences of this choice will be made clear — Juno will reawaken, express anger at the installation of the Control Board, and vent the ship's oxygen while disabling life , resulting in the almost guaranteed deaths of the two Ryujin operatives still aboard. Shortly after, the ship will jump to an unknown location, disappearing completely from the game, and the quest will be completed, resulting in a reward of 3500 credits. While this is technically the second-best reward available, however, it can make for an unhappy ending to the short story of the quest.
Freeing Juno Means Killing The Ryujin Operatives (Usually)
Aside from installing the control board, conversing with Juno also leads to a second option, where the player character recognizes the AI's sentience and right to freedom. While in dialogue with Juno, you can choose to side with her instead of installing the Control Board, changing the quest's objective to kill the two Ryujin operatives to guarantee Juno's freedom. While this is the only option in the quest that involves combat, taking down the operatives should be minimally challenging for any decently geared player.
After the operatives have been taken out, there will be a brief dialogue with Juno. The AI will ask what you would do in her position, to which you can answer that she should explore the universe, protect the weak, take whatever she wants from others, or simply follow what she feels is right. Afterward, the only objective left will be to leave the ship and undock, and a similar sequence to the previous choice will play out. Juno will express gratitude before jumping to an unknown location, the quest will complete, and you will be rewarded with 2000 credits — making this technically the least rewarding option.
ing Ryujin Industries Gives Access To The Mission's Best Ending
However, if the player has ed the Ryujin Industries faction on the planet Neon before encountering the mission, a third option opens up. Instead of installing the Control Board or killing the two Ryujin Operatives, the player has the option to select unique dialogue options marked with the [Ryujin Industries] tag when speaking with the operatives. As a result, instead of being required to kill them when siding with Juno, you can instead convince them to simply fudge their report and walk away from the job, which they will agree to do after some brief discussion. Although, as a result, they will request a ride back to Neon.
After the matter with the two operatives has been settled, the rest of the quest will play out similarly to the other option of siding with Juno, including the same conversation about the AI's future path and similar dialogue. Instead of receiving the quest's rewards when Juno has the ship jump away, however, you will have to take the two operatives back to Neon first. Upon arrival, the quest will be completed, offering a reward of 4500 credits — technically the largest reward available in the quest, although still relatively insignificant compared to other money-making methods in Starfield.
Although "Juno's Gambit" is a mostly inconsequential quest that is randomly encountered and has no far-reaching consequences for any other part of the game, it displays how some decisions in Starfield can come into play in unexpected ways. While not every choice in the game is important or story-changing, having some missions or story events for past decisions and even offer, additional options is a good way to make choices feel meaningful. While the universe of Starfield makes for one of the largest game worlds yet, the game can still for some smaller decisions.
