One of the saddest quests in Starfield is easy to overlook

Those familiar with previous Bethesda games will not be surprised to learn that the side content is where Starfield shines brightest. The main story of the game is great, but exploring the many different planets of Starfield, the lore-rich cities, and the tertiary narrative content will occupy the majority of many players' gameplay time. However, like in other BGS titles, there are plenty of hidden treasures in this expansive game.

After a brief introductory section, players are set free in Starfield's interpretation of the Milky Way galaxy. From there, a player can choose to focus directly on the main story or completely ignore it and pursue side missions. Whether these side missions revolve around one of the game's many factions or are built around an individual member of the support team, they are almost all worthwhile, as they can provide valuable material rewards and captivating narrative content. It's difficult to single out a single Starfield mission as better than most, but some will certainly touch the emotions more than others.

Starfield's Final Thoughts Mission is Heartbreaking

Starfield features striking side missions with requirements that can easily captivate any player. Some of the most memorable missions in the game involve taking on the role of a key player in a corporate espionage plot, traveling through the galaxy as a noble representative of the United Colonies, or pitting various gangs against each other in Neon, the cyberpunk-inspired city of the game. Many of these missions are attention-grabbing and glamorous, but there is one mission that is subtle, nuanced, and very easily overlooked.

The mission is called "Final Thoughts" and tells a heart-wrenching story of a man bidding farewell to his wife and son. While exploring Navacci, a moon orbiting Polvo, players may come across one of the many pre-built outposts in Starfield. Unfortunately, all the engineers who worked at the outpost have been killed, and the player is tasked with investigating the area for clues about what happened. While searching one of the corpses, they discover an audio card titled "For Claire Mensah, New Atlantis." The audio log is a heart-rending monologue recording of the deceased man's final moments, expressing his last thoughts to his wife and young son. He apologizes for never seeing them again and regrets not having spent more time together as a family.

To complete the quest, players must travel to New Atlantis and deliver the card to Claire Mensah, as indicated by the title on the card. In a conversation with Claire, it becomes clear that she has no suspicions regarding her husband's fate, which makes it all the more tragic when she learns of his destiny. Players have several options in how they choose to respond to her grief, but no matter what they say, this story undoubtedly has a sad ending without a silver lining on the horizon.

This quest is short and uncomplicated, but it stands out as one of the most sobering, human moments in the game, setting itself apart from Starfield's many action-packed quests and activities. The fact that the game doesn't draw attention to it, concealing the initial step of the quest within what appears to be a random corpse in a remote outpost with no connection to larger questlines, makes the impact even stronger. Part of this is because players won't expect the game to strike this emotional tone, as they are likely to come across the audio card during their regular, low-risk adventures. "Final Thoughts" serves as a reminder of how powerful Bethesda Game Studios can be when it comes to crafting poignant side content, as the quest itself can move even the most stoic players to tears, at least to some extent.

Starfield is currently available for PC and Xbox Series X|S.