When the Unplanned Variable is unfrozen at the beginning of The Outer Worlds, Phineas Welles states his plan to find enough dimethyl sulfoxide to unfreeze the rest of the colony of Hope. After several main quests, Phineas asks the player to meet him, as he has found the location. This starts the quest, The City And The Stars.
He claims it’s in the hands of a heavily guarded Board Minister. A player wanting a scrap can go guns blazing, but with some clever steps, the sulfoxide can be stolen without a single drop of bloodshed.
Minister Clarke’s Abode
Phineas’s informant Carmen has information about the guards. She will say they are both in front of the house itself, and sometimes they drink at the bar. If the player tries the second option they will find newly hired Guard Mayfield.
If talked to, he will brag about having a key and also ask for vodka. Peaceful players may wish to avoid this route, Mayfield does not trade the key for vodka. Instead, he drinks so much that he walks into the next room and dies of alcohol poisoning.
Not only that, but the key only unlocks the backdoor meaning players would be trespassing, and interior guards will shoot on sight. There are too many to guarantee successful sneaking. Talk to the guard in front of the house for a violence-free option. He will mention waiting on a package, and the package will appear on the map. Track it down at the post office.
You’ll have to pick a lock and avoid being spotted. Bring it back to the guard, and he will let you in.
The guards will no longer care about you, so just walk right up to Minister Clarke and talk with him.
Halcyon Holdings
Clarke has been under house arrest for years and his name is forged on the documents by Chairman Rockwell. Happy to get even, Clarke will give the player his access card to the Halcyon Holdings Corporation. It will let the player inside, but the road to it is another story.
Going through the checkpoint is a firefight. Clarke has an idea of how to get around, however.
Not only does Clarke not know where the tunnels are, but your quest marker won’t either. You must find the tunnels yourself, but there is a sign to look out for.
Turn right from the sign and take the elevator down. Once in the tunnels, you get a quest marker to the exit. Follow it, beware of dangerous enemy robots, leave the tunnels, and the building will be in front of you with no danger from the guards. Once inside, pass the security clearance, then take the elevator up. The desk clerk will not let you in, but Clarke’s access card will work on the door to the left.
While it’s not the right office, the wall has been smashed open, so you can just walk through to the next one. Security won’t even care if they catch you. Go to the terminal and print out the needed ministry keycard.
Once this has been pressed, you get the keycard as well as a cutscene.
Hibernation Labs
Now aware of The Board’s real plan, the player must go to the basement of the Ministry of Accuracy and Morale, the building to the left of HHC. Things get much trickier here as your quest marker only stays on the sulfoxide, never moving to other useful items. If you want to do this without starting a fight, you will need a Board ID, which can be found in the building. If you never picked up the Cloak when it was first offered, go back and get it.
The first step is to find the Human Resources office.
The lock must be picked, and inside is a terminal that must be hacked. Once those have been done, the player will discover an employee named Caroline Endecott has constantly accused another employee of stealing her lunch. With this information, go upstairs and talk to her about it.
It is laughably easy to lie to her about losing your ID card after you mention rival employee Theodore. She does not give you hers, but instead, she walks you downstairs and convinces a guard to let you in.
This favor only extends to the singular room, if you try and take the elevator downstairs guards will count that as trespassing. What to do instead is go directly to the locked door right in front of the one Holte and Caroline just opened for you. Sneak to avoid being seen and pick the lock. There’s a locker in that room with an ID card.
Note that if you are seen in this room there’s a chance to convince a guard you weren’t doing anything, but do not push your luck, save if you have to. With this ID, now you can go down the elevator, and the Cloak will allow you to walk around the underground labs in a disguise. The scientists are so absorbed in their work they will not notice you, but suspicious guards may catch on and stop you. Dialogue options can save you if your skills are high enough.
Follow the quest marker until you can get to the correct doorway.
The marker will bring you to the canister, but it’s empty, so go to the terminal next. The terminal gives a warning.
It’s up to the player to decide if the Sulfoxide or the test subjects’ lives are more important. Once your option is picked, grab the canister.
Exiting the lab is easy, a barred door is in front of the entrance.
Take the elevator up, leave the Ministry, and board the Unreliable to tell Phineas everything that happened. This will end the quest and start the following one; Kept Secret But Not Forgotten.
