Starfield may start to feel generic after a few hours, but its unique level designs and interesting quests will keep you immersed for good. There is no second opinion that Starfield has some of the best missions among all other Bethesda titles. For instance, you can go hunting for evidence in “Burden of Proof,” or you can simply fight an invisible enemy in “A High Price to Pay.” However, none of these missions come even close to the thrill of completing Entangled.
You will receive the Entangled Quest near the end of “Final Glimpses.” This mission takes you to a nearly abandoned research facility in the middle of nowhere. This facility may look normal on the outside, but there is a great problem that threatens the whole universe. This article provides a detailed Entangled walkthrough, explains how to survive the distortions, and helps you choose the best reality at the end.
Table of Contents
Starfield Entangled Walkthrough:
Entangled is the 17th quest in Starfield’s main story. You will receive this mission when you are about to complete Final Glimpses. When you approach the satellite orbiting Freya III, you will receive a halt command. Once you comply with these orders, you will unlock the Entangled quest. Moreover, you must first complete Entangled before you can finish your previous quest.
Here’s how to complete Entangled:
Enter the Nishina Facility:
You will receive a distress signal when you go near the satellite orbiting Freya III (a good outpost location). The next step is to investigate this signal, so ignore the satellite and turn right to face the planet. Next, take out your scanner and look for a landing site near the Nishina Research Facility.
Note: It is important that you only choose this landing site, or you may encounter a bug that doesn’t reveal the facility’s location. If you face this bug, simply travel to the orbit and wait for 48 hours or quit and relaunch the game.
Once you land near the research facility, go near its main entrance and interact with the intercom. Next, you must speak with Ethan who asks you to wait for a while before he can let you in. Eventually, he allows you inside, but any companions following you must wait outside, so say bye-bye to Sarah Morgan.
The First Phasing:
Once you enter the Nishina Research Facility, turn left to find Ethan standing near the entrance. He will speak with you after scanning you, so don’t feel insulted, as he is just following protocols. Next, he asks you to follow him to Director Patel’s main office. However, as he is walking you to it, you will phase out and wake up in a completely different lab. Don’t worry, it’s not a bug, and you haven’t traveled to a distant future. Instead, it is a secondary reality with the ruined lab created by an incomplete experiment.
Survive the Ruins:
After you wake up from the phasing, you will find yourself in a ruined lab. This is the same lab as before, but no one is around, and everything is on fire; we’ll call it the “Ruined Reality” from now on. When you go a little further, you will encounter a Cataxi Warrior, a creature native to this planet. You will eventually phase out again and wake up in the “Real Reality” after you kill the creature.
When you wake up, Ethan will be freaked out and ask what happened to you. Exhaust the dialogue with him and continue your journey toward the Director’s office. However, before you step inside the door, you will phase out again and wake up in the ruined reality. This phasing will become normal, so try to get a grip on the situation.
Find Rafael:
Go a little deeper into the ruined facility to find a scared person hiding behind a bunch of boxes. Once you interact with him, he tells you that his name is Rafael and that he is the only survivor of the lab incident. As he is about to complete his story about the distress signal, you will phase out again and wake up back in the normal dimension.
Speak to Director Patel:
After you wake up, Ethan will now become more friendly and wait for you while you complete your phasing. The Director’s office, which is located right around the corner, will become distant as you continue phasing out and in again along the way. Just remember, whenever you want to return to the real reality, simply explore the ruins or kill a bunch of Cataxis.
Once you reach the Director’s office, you will find Maria and Patel sitting at the desk. After explaining what happened to you on your way to the office, they will try to fit together the puzzle and explain a little bit about the experiment that killed Rafael in real reality. Finally, they will ask you to solve their “little” artifact problem by shutting down the experiment in the basement.
Follow Maria to the Lab:
After you exhaust the dialogue with the Director, you must follow Maria to the research station. However, as you follow her, you will phase out again and wake up in the other dimension. This time, you will be standing near a dead end, so turn around and go through the collapsed ceiling to find Rafael. Next, you must tell him about your meeting with Director Patel and your mission to shut down the experiment.
However, Rafael will freak out when you ask about the directions to the research station. Eventually, he will hand over the Nishina Pantry Keycard and vow to back you up. Next, follow Rafael through the door behind you and fight the waves of Cataxis (You can always use the Anti-Gravity Starborn Power to cover your escape).
When you enter the cafeteria in the ruined reality, you will phase out and return to the prestigious one. This time, everyone will freak out, but for you, it’s a normal drill at this point. Finally, you will phase out again as you try to cross the cafeteria. This time, turn right and make your way through the Cataxi Warriors to speak with Rafael. Finally, follow him to the Security Office where you will faint and return to the normal dimension.
Enter the Elevator:
At this point, you will pop up right behind Ethan, giving him a good jump scare. However, he, too, has become familiar with the phasing situation, and you two are very close to becoming pals. As you speak with Ethan, he will give you the directions to the research area. However, if you continue talking, you will eventually get a persuasion check. This is a medium-level mini-game that you can either pass manually or use your auto-completion (if you have any).
Alternatively, you can use the Persuasion Mod to make things a lot easier for the rest of the game. In any case, winning this persuasion check will give you the Experiment A-7 Shotgun, a must-have weapon for Cataxi Warriors. Also, feel free to get all the ammo and weapons from your pal Ethan’s office, as he doesn’t mind.
After restocking your inventory, exit Ethan’s office to enter the main hallway. If you turn left and try to go back the way you came, you will end up in the ruined reality. However, you can always return to the Security Office to return to the pristine reality. So, the goal is to turn right from Ethan’s office and go straight until you find an elevator, enter it, and you will land straight in the ruined reality.
Speak to Maria:
Once you enter the elevator room, you will wake up in the ruined reality. However, this time, a bunch of Cataxis will welcome you instead of Rafael’s friendly face. Fortunately, you can now use the Experiment A-7 to blow their heads, but conserve your ammo where possible. Next, take the stairs on your left to enter the giant ree room, the one with all the observation windows. Keep going straight until you find an emergency door, go inside, and you will eventually return to the normal reality. Finally, turn left and go through the door to find Maria in the Fabrication Lab.
Maria doesn’t trust you initially, and who is to blame her? She just lost her colleague in a similar experiment. However, she will agree to conduct the test on you if you won’t blame her for anything. The experiment is simple: stand in the distortion to travel to the ruined reality. Next, go straight and pick up the Probe Control Unit from the table. Finally, stand in the distortion in the corner of the room to return to the real reality, and with this, you have unlocked teleportation between the two realities.
Speak to Director Patel:
After you show Maria your new Probe Control Unit, she will ask you to speak to Director Patel. You can easily navigate through the research facility now that you can shift between realities with your own will. Once you reach the Director’s office and tell her about your new ability, she gives you the unfortunate news that you must shut down the alternate reality.
Here comes the final choice of the Entangled Quest. Basically, the reality where you shut down the machine becomes the normal reality, and the other one will be completely erased from the universe. So, you must choose which reality gets to exist in the real world. Don’t worry; you will have plenty of time to decide who gets to live and who will die in the end.
Oh, and before you go out on your adventure, make sure to check out the room in front of the Director’s office, as you will find plenty of loot there. Also, visit Dr. Barakova by following the waypoint to collect your medical supplies, as you will need quite a few of them for the rest of your mission.
Entangled: Override the Lockdowns
The next stage of the Entangled Quest is quite tedious, but you will feel like you are solving a Merlin Trial from Hogwarts Legacy. Basically, you must follow the marker to the elevator and ride it down to the basement area. However, on your way, you will encounter several locked doors and enhanced turret systems.
So, make sure to change realities to overcome any challenges in your way. The goal is to override the lockdowns in the Facilities Section, Accelerator Section, and Storage Section. Feel free to use the quick save option whenever you find something valuable. Also, you can enter the elevator in the ruined reality if you want Rafael’s opinion on the whole shutdown situation.
Override the Facilities Section:
When you exit the elevator, you will find a locked door in the real reality. The only way to unlock this door is with a special keycard that’s nowhere to be found. So, use the distortion near the elevator to wake up in the ruined reality. Next, pass through the broken doors, and you will eventually find the Nishina Particle Lab Keycard.
Next, use the nearby distortion to return to the pristine reality and follow the marker to the main door. Unfortunately, the security system is still very much active in this section of the facility. So, take out your favorite laser weapons and shoot down the turrets and robots before they start shooting. If you feel overwhelmed or need some quick medipacks, feel free to shift the realities.
Next, use the new Keycard and go downstairs to find a hallway filled with turrets. Make your way to the other side, or you can shift to the ruined reality for an easy passage. However, the computer is broken in this dimension, so use the nearby distortion to shift to the real reality. Finally, use the computer to override the lockdown in the Facilities section, and feel free to disable the security in this section.
Override the Accelerator Section:
Once you finish your business in the Facilities section, enter the elevator and go deeper into the research facility. At this point, the waypoint seems to be pointing to a locked door. So, change the realities by using a nearby distortion and get ready to fight a new wave of Cataxi Warriors (use the shotgun as your best weapon).
After eliminating all threats, go downstairs and fight even more Cataxis. Next, go straight and enter the room on your left to find the Nishina Utility Closet Keycard. Follow the marker back upstairs, but don’t shift to the real reality until you reach the emergency door. At this point, the waypoint is behind the wall, but all nearby doors are locked. Simply turn right and open the closet to find a secret room. Use the Keycard to unlock the closet and stand in the new distortion to land straight into the ruined reality.
Next, enter the lab in the ruined reality and swap the dimensions again with the nearby distortion. After taking out the major turret, use the console and disable the security system for this section. At this point, a new doorway with the override computer will have opened in the previous hall. So, backtrack through the closet and use the computer to override the locks in the Accelerator Section.
Override the Storage Section:
From the Accelerator Section, follow the quest marker to the big room where a new door will be waiting for you. Enter this door to reach the Tunnel Section, where a new distortion will be waiting for you. Use this distortion to enter the Cataxi Cave and follow the path until you find another distortion to shift realities. This section doesn’t need a keycard, so you are free to go poking around the tunnels until you finally reach the storage section.
After defeating the two Cataxi armies, you will eventually end up in a room with the final computer. Use this computer to override the lockdown in the storage section and complete the objective. Next, follow the marker in the real reality and quickly change to the ruined dimension when you reach a staircase. Finally, use the emergency door to enter the final area where a complicated decision awaits you.
Choose the Reality in Entangled:
Now comes the part that defines the outcome of your hour-long maneuver. When you reach the research station with the machine and the probe, you must make a decision. Basically, when you flip the switch, your current dimension becomes the reality, destroying everything in the other. So, which reality to choose is mainly an egoistic call.
Here’s what happens if you save the pristine reality:
- Everyone in the real reality lives and the research facility remains active.
- Rafael ceases to exist in both realities.
- Director Patel rewards you with Legendary Equipment.
If you flip the switches in the ruined reality, then:
- Everyone dies in the pristine reality.
- Rafael gets to live and rewards you with a bunch of precious crafting materials.
- You can recruit Rafael by visiting New Atlantis.
There’s also a third secret option that grants you maximum rewards, and you can save everyone; you can read about it here.
Once you have made up your mind, shift to that reality and flip all 7 switches to shut down the machine. Beware, enemies (Cataxis or turrets) will attack you as you try to flip the switches in either realities. Finally, take the probe (the artifact) to disengage the other reality.
Entangled Rewards:
Now that you have fixed the problem, it is time to collect your rewards. If you saved the pristine reality, head to the Director’s Office and speak with Patel. Upon hearing the story, she grants you:
- Credits
- Experimental Nishina Helmet (legendary)
- Experimental Nishina Spacesuit (legendary)
On the contrary, if you save the ruined reality, Rafael gets to live, and you will speak with him in the aftermath. In that case, you will get:
- Rafael as a recruitable companion
- Credits
- Indicite Wafer
- 2x Comm Relay
- 4x Vytinium
- 5x Tasine
Lastly, if you save everyone by choosing the secret option, you get:
- 23,000 credits
- Rafael will become recruitable in New Atlantis
- Reactive Advanced Experimental Helmet
- Incendiary Advanced Experimental Spacesuit
Conclusion:
Entangled is the 17th mission in Starfield’s main storyline. It comes as a block of the Final Glimpses quest and is required to finish the game. However, this quest will make your mind boggle as you shift between two realities taking place in the same location. Moreover, you must use dimensions to solve puzzles and get through hordes of enemies. Finally, the game forces you to choose the fate of about 31 persons. Therefore, this Entangled walkthrough guides you through the whole quest so that you don’t get lost in the maze of time.
