Starfield "The Hammer Falls" Quest Walkthrough

The main factions of Starfield each offer players a comprehensive questline to experience. The Freestar Collectives provide players with the opportunity to become their newest Ranger, a sort of galactic peacekeeper. This questline quickly unfolds into a grand conspiracy that culminates in "The Hammer Falls."

Though straightforward, this quest requires you to make a crucial decision with Ron Hope, the CEO of HopeTech. How you handle this situation will determine some of the rewards you receive at the end of the quest, as well as the reactions of your companions in a subsequent conversation. This guide will assist you in completing this quest, explaining the outcomes of each decision, and addressing any notable consequences.

Go To HopeTown

Paxton Hull has revealed that it was none other than Ron Hope, CEO of HopeTech, who coordinated the attacks of the farmers. He hands you a tablet titled "Details of the Agreement," which presents indisputable evidence of Hope's involvement. You must visit HopeTown on the planet Polvo and confront him. The planet Polvo is located in the Valo system. Since you have already visited the location in a previous quest, you should be able to travel directly to HopeTown.

Once you have arrived in HopeTown, make your way to the storage area at the rear of the HopeTech facility to locate Ron Hope. He will be engaged in a conversation with Brigit McDougall, a HopeTech employee with whom you have spoken during a previous quest. Confront Ron Hope regarding the farmers and his involvement.

Should You Take Ron Hope's Bribe?

Initially, Ron Hope will offer you 20,000 credits to hand over the evidence and keep this entire dilemma secret. If you do not accept the bribe immediately, you will not receive any credits later in this conversation if you choose to side with Ron. This is your only opportunity to accept the bribe, although you will have another chance to align with Ron later in the conversation.

This conversation has five possible outcomes, as outlined below:

Those who wish to align themselves with Ron Hope should accept his bribe, as the outcome of the conversation will not change later, but without any additional payment. If you reject his bribe or directly attack him, you will have to fight against Ron Hope and his bodyguards. The rest of the HopeTech facility will not be hostile.

The actual consequences of this quest lie in the reactions of your companions to the situation, as this decision does not affect your ability to become a Freestar Ranger. If you want to maintain the goodwill of your companions, you should not align yourself with Ron Hope. Alternatively, if you do not wish to use Constellation companions in your current playthrough, there are no significant consequences for accepting Ron's bribe, so you can safely take the credits.

Return To The Marshal

Regardless of how you deal with Ron Hope, you will return to Akila City and speak with Marshal Blake. He will request a summary of the situation with Paxton. If you sided with Ron Hope, you will have to lie to the Marshal. He will be displeased with the investigation's results but will not blame you. Alternatively, if you killed Ron Hope, the Marshal will mention his concerns about killing a council member, but there will be no actual consequences; it will be more of a passing comment than a significant critique.

Regardless of how you dealt with HopeTech, you will receive the title of Freestar Ranger, complete with a new weapon, armor set, and the Star Eagle spacecraft. You can access your new ship by speaking to a ship mechanic at the docking area of any major city. Additional bounty missions will also be available in Freestar Space. Obtaining your new equipment will conclude the Freestar Rangers questline and the storyline involving HopeTech.

Quest Consequences

Strangely enough, this quest has no major consequences. Some HopeTech employees will have unique dialogue if you choose to kill Ron Hope, but the state of the galaxy remains the same as it was before "The Hammer Falls." Killing Ron Hope does not affect your ability to become a Freestar Ranger, and it also does not have a significant impact on the lives of HopeTech employees or farmers in Freestar Space.

The only significant consequences associated with this quest are related to companion relationships. Shortly after becoming a Freestar Ranger, all companions of the Constellation will initiate a conversation about the investigation. If you let Ron Hope go free, Sarah will reprimand you. You must agree with her criticisms, or else you will receive a massive affinity penalty with her. The rest of the Constellation companions are indifferent to how you dealt with Ron Hope. Killing him is viewed positively by all Constellation companions.