Certain quests and side missions in Starfield end with you making a tough choice. Each of these decisions leads to different rewards, consequences, and even who gets to die, as we saw in A High Price to Pay. The other party often suffers a great loss, depending on who you side with. For example, at the end of Alternating Currents, you must choose between Zoe and Louisa to deal with the Brown Out problem in the Well.
While these choices don’t seem to have any long-term effects on the game, you must choose between friendship and ties with the Trade Authority. The only problem is that you must solve the Well’s electricity problem on your own. Therefore, this article provides a complete Alternating Currents walkthrough and explains the consequences of your choice in the end.
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Starfield: Alternating Currents Walkthrough
Alternating Currents is the second side quest in Louisa’s story. You will get this mission after completing ‘Tapping the Grid,’ where you locate a couple of junction boxes. While Louisa thinks that Zoe from the Trade Authority is behind the Brown Out problem in the Well, she has a different idea. The only way to find the real culprit is to solve the problem yourself.
You can start the Alternating Currents quest by speaking to Louisa in the Well. This section is accessible from the elevator inside the spaceport in New Atlantis. Once you enter the Well, you can easily find Louisa near the Medical Building. However, she goes out for a walk around the district, so you can also activate the Brown Out quest to get her precise location.
Follow Louisa:
Once you start the Alternating Currents Quest, Louisa seems a bit nervous to confront the Trade Authority alone. So, you must agree to help her out while she does the talking. Next, you must escort Louisa to the Trade Authority’s office, where she will speak with Zoe Kamisnki, the representative.
It seems that both the women don’t get along so well, leaving you with a blank choice around every corner. After waiting around at the front desk for a while, Zoe returns to get back to Louisa. Meanwhile, Louisa warns you to be ready for anything, don’t worry you won’t need your weapons for this one. Next, speak to both representatives and exhaust their dialogues to proceed forward.
Locate the Junction Box:
Louisa asks you to continue doing your field work. So, you must locate a junction box and disable it. To find this box, go back the way you came until you reached the place where Louisa was standing. Keep going straight and exit the Trade Authority to reach the Medical Building. From here, you can easily follow the marker to the staircase with Upper Levels written in front of it.
Keep going upstairs until you reach the top floor. Next, open the door beside a junction terminal and traverse around the railing. Finally, jump across the small gap and activate the 36B junction box.
Alternatively, you can also bring up your scanner and follow the white arrows to reach the junction box. However, the Alternative Currents should be your active quest for this method. Finally, if you wish to use a shortcut, exit the Medical Building and go on the left stairs so that the blue marker is directly above you. Next, use your Boost Pack to jump the gap and reach the junction box.
Activate Zoe’s or Louisa’s Box:
After activating the first junction box, the quest will update to two objectives. You must activate either Zoe’s or Louisa’s junction box to proceed with the quest. Here, your choice doesn’t really change anything unless you are up for a bit of role-play.
Zoe’s box, 47B, is located right beside the door that you used earlier. This box is rather closer and easier to reach compared to Louisa’s box. On the other hand, Louisa’s box is located in the upper levels of the Trade Authority. To reach the 45A junction box, jump down from the gap and follow the marker to the Trade Authority. Next, go upstairs and follow the blue market to find this box hidden behind a closed door.
Activate the Last Junction Box:
The final junction box, 101F, is located in the residential districts of New Atlantis. So, exit the Well and find your way to the MAST HQ. From here, turn left and go inside the Residential District; the quest marker will lead you to the Athena Tower. This box is located just outside the tower entrance, so you can’t miss it. Alternatively, the scanner trick will easily guide you to the junction box.
Grab the Evidence:
After you activate the 101F junction box, both Zoe and Louisa will agree that the source of the problem is inside the building. However, it would be best to grab a few Digipicks from nearby vendors as you need to lockpick the final door. Once you have the supplies, go inside the tower and take the elevator to the upper floors.
From here, follow the quest marker to a locked door. Don’t worry; it is a novice-level lock, and you can easily lockpick it without upgrading your Security Skills. After unlocking the door, go straight to the computer and open it. Next, select Download Files to grab the evidence and update the quest. Also, there’s no one around, so feel free to grab anything of value from this apartment. There’s a copy of Oliver Twist hidden inside the bedroom; grab it to get the London Landmark on Earth.
Alternating Currents Choice:
Once you grab the evidence, the quest updates to deliver the evidence to either Zoe or Louisa. There are no immediate effects of this choice, as both remain your allies for the rest of the game. Furthermore, you will get the exact same rewards for delivering the files.
Still, if you feel like role-playing, this choice can feed your ego. Louisa has spent a lot of time looking for evidence to solve the Brown Out problem. Zoe, on the other hand, is a Trade Authority representative who will do anything to get her way. In the aftermath, both NPCs will agree to deliver the evidence to the MAST. So, return to the Trade Authority front desk and give the evidence to whoever you want without worrying about the consequences, as there aren’t any.
Alternating Currents Rewards:
Regardless of who you deliver the evidence to, Zoe or Louisa, the rewards will remain the same. After exhausting the final dialogue, you will receive the following rewards for completing Alternating Currents:
- 75 to 100 XP
- 2,000 Credits
Conclusion:
Alternating Currents is the second side quest that you get from Louisa Reyez. It is a block of the Brown Out Problem quest that solves the power outage issue in the Well. After you find a bunch of junction boxes around New Atlantis in Tapping the Grid, Louisa decides to confront the Authority with your help. Unlike the Red Mile, this quest is pretty straightforward, except for a few role-playing choices. Therefore, this article provides a complete Alternating Currents walkthrough to help you solve the crises.
