Starfield: Unlocking the powerful Star Eagle Ship by becoming a Freestar Ranger
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Starfield loves to gift you ships as a reward for a job well done; and while all of them are a welcome addition to your fleet, one seems to stand above the rest. That being, the Freestar Ranger’s flagship - the Star Eagle. Not only does it come kitted out with the best stats a Class A ship can, but its maneuverability, firepower, and cargo space all make it an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a ship to truly call home early on in their journey. But how do you unlock on for yourself?
Starting the Freestar Ranger Questline in Starfield
Long story short; did you notice how I called the Star Eagle the Freestar Ranger’s “flagship”? That’s because in-universe every Freestar Ranger that passes their probationary Deputy period is gifted one alongside their badge. Thankfully, this means that successfully completing the questline will gift you your new ship. Now, I don’t know if the exact rewards from the quest might differ depending on how you handle things - so here’s how I solved each problem during the side story. Obviously, spoilers are ahead for anyone who might be looking to challenge the Freestar Rangers questline blind.
When you first land in Akila, whether that may be due to the main scenario pushing you in that direction or simple wanderlust, you’ll be greeted to a dreadful sight upon entering the city proper; a local gang has locked themselves up tight in the local bank, and have taken several people hostage. While the Marshall has been doing his best to defuse the situation, it’s not working, and he needs some neutral party to attempt mediation. That’s where you come in.
There are many ways this can play out. You can persuade the leader of the gang to let you in to inspect the hostages; if you do, keep in mind that one of the gang members is primed and ready to execute a hostage down below in the vault, and the countdown is not for show. If you can’t convince the gang to step down entirely before entering the bank, you’ll have to shoot first and ask questions later, otherwise, the hostages will be at risk.
In my game, I managed to talk the gang into letting me inspect the hostages, and I shot the aggravated gang member before he had the chance to kill a hapless civilian - taking out the rest of the gang shortly afterward. At least if you can ensure that all of the hostages return safely, you should be able to continue to the next step of the quest without issue. I can’t say for sure what impact letting a hostage die might have on the end result of the quest chain. However, the Marshall will make it clear in several scenes throughout the quest how impressed he was by ensuring every hostage survived.
Important Choices During the Freestar Rangers Questline
During the Neon section of the quest, you will be tasked with navigating a sticky situation where simply having the Ranger’s seal of approval won’t necessarily mean that it holds all that much weight in the corrupt city of Neon. This is where you might find yourself taxed the most when making choices, though I can’t say for sure what might or might not weigh upon the conclusion of the quest.
What almost certainly will have an impact on the rewards you might receive, is the conclusion of the story. Here, you’ll be afforded the option to either be bribed by the mastermind of a conspiracy or go against him to force him to answer for his crimes. The game heavily implies that maintaining your integrity and taking him out of the picture is the correct course of action, and that’s what I ultimately chose to do. Later on the game made it clear that it was probably the right option, even if there might be some consequences down the road.
Obtaining the Star Eagle
After you’ve dealt with the mastermind, you’ll sit down with the Marshal and your fellow Rangers to determine if you’ve passed your probationary period. They’ll go over how you performed in the field, what actions you did or did not take, and finally award you your full Ranger attire, pay and Starship assuming they judge you ready. Truthfully, I can’t say for sure if the outcome might have changed depending on the choices I made along the way - so the best bet is roleplaying what an “ideal” Freestar Ranger might be if you’re in it for the ship.
Besides the Star Eagle, players will of course receive Credits, Experience, and a full Spacesuit and attire to match the Ranger’s aesthetic. While everything else is well and good, it goes without saying that the ship is the star of the show - and the game knows it. Furthermore, now that you’re a fully certified Ranger, there are dialog options alluding to that fact available to you across the universe. Happy travels!