Starfield is one of those games that reward you generously for exploring out of the way. You can stumble upon many precious loot and gear items just by wandering away from the main progression route. Furthermore, some of the best weapons, ships, and armor sets can only be acquired by completing quests. In this regard, the Mantis ship and armor set are among the best early-game gear items.
However, most players will overlook this important side quest as it doesn’t have an exact starting point. As a result, they are forced to use their Frontier and basic gear items until they find something better. Therefore, this article explains how to get Mantis, start the quest, and solve the puzzle in Starfield.
Table of Contents
How to Start the Mantis Quest?
Unlike most side quests that show up on your mini-map, the Mantis is an exceptional case. Firstly, this side quest has no starting point or location, so you will activate it randomly during missions or exploring other planets.
Personally, our team found this side quest at random spots. To activate the Mantis quest, you must kill Spacers (bandits) and loot the Secret Outpost Datapad off their corpses. The best place to loot this Datapad is during The Old Neighbourhood or Back to Vectera main quests. Alternatively, you can also search the spacers in various abandoned outposts.
Background:
Basically, Mantis, Leo’s Mother, was like the Batman of space who dedicated her life to fighting against pirates and spacers. Before her death, she left her Batcave (secret outpost) as an inheritance for her son.
However, she filled it with deadly puzzles so that Leo could prove his worth before acquiring such treasured rewards. Even though Leo and numerous Spacers have tried to loot this outpost, they all failed. So, now it is your task to find the secret outpost, defeat all enemies, solve the Mantis puzzle, and acquire the Legendary Mantis Ship, armor set, and Pack.
How to Get Mantis? (Ship, Armor, and Pack)
Once you unlock the Mantis side quest, you must head to the marked location and complete the task to acquire these valuable items. However, the puzzles and enemies surrounding this dungeon-like outpost are pretty hard. So, make sure you have suitable gear and at least level 20-30 before attempting this quest. Once you complete all the challenges, you will get the Mantis ship, armor, and pack.
Here’s how to complete the Mantis side quest in Starfield:
Enter the Mantis Lair:
Once you activate the Mantis side quest, open your starmap and search for the Denebola System. Next, head to the Denebola I-b planet and make sure that you land prepared for a battle; after clearing all Spacers around the landing area, head inside the Mantis Lair.
Also, loot all the Spacers’ corpses, as they will yield powerful loot and even additional Datapads. As you descend into the Lair, you will encounter numerous Spacers. Fortunately, you will have the higher ground, so you can easily take them out with your grenades.
Solve the Mantis Puzzle:
Finally, you will meet an unarmed NPC, Livvey, who agrees to accompany you. However, he isn’t of much help and will cower way before you reach the puzzle. So, it is up to you whether you wish to ghost him, kill him, or leave him be.
Next comes the notorious Mantis puzzle, designed by Mantis herself to test her son. The catch behind this puzzle is that there are a few alphabetic tiles, and if you step on the wrong one, turrets will start attacking you. Fortunately, you can easily solve the Mantis Puzzle by four methods:
- Solve the Puzzle: The most obvious way to solve the Mantis Puzzle is the conventional solution. Basically, you must step on the correct tiles and spell the word T-Y-R-A-N-N-I-S to pass the challenge. You can get this solution by listening to the Leon Voclain – Sic Semper Tyrannis audio log.
- Hack the System: For this method, you must acquire a level 3 Security Trait. Fortunately, it comes for free with both the Industrialist and Cyber Runner, the best backgrounds. Next, just before you enter the puzzle room, you will find a computer system. If you successfully hack this system, you don’t need to solve the puzzle anymore.
- Shoot the Turrets: This method is basically your plan B. If you accidentally step on the wrong letter, the turrets will start shooting. So, bring out your scoped rifle and start shooting back while hiding behind something. If your aim is good, you can easily take out these Turrets in no time.
- Up, Up, and Away: This final method may seem simple, but it requires great experience and a bit of luck. Basically, you can attempt to fly across the Mantis Puzzle by using the Boost Pack. However, it would be best to save the game before attempting this method.
Claim Your Rewards:
After completing the Mantis Puzzle, all that stand between you and your reward are a few robots and turrets. Simply follow the linear path ahead of you and take out all enemies. As you approach the Lair, you will get the prompt to bring out the Legendary Ship.
That’s it! As soon as you press the lever, the Mantis Ship (modified Razorleaf) will come up from the ground. Similarly, if you look around, you will find quite a few goodies to claim for free.
The Mantis Armor and Mantis Pack are among these precious items trapped behind a glass door. Simply use the lever next to this chamber to claim the Mantis Spacesuit, Armor, and the Pack.
Mantis Ship:
The most notable item in these rewards is the Mantis Ship. It is a Legendary starship with far better stats than your old-fashioned Frontier. Furthermore, Mentis was quite famous among space pirates. So, most of them will flee as soon as they spot you, mistaking you for the original captain.
In short, not only do you get one of the best Starfield Ships for free, but you also earn some space respect. However, the only drawback is that you can’t earn XP from Grav-Jumping Spacers.
Specifications:
- Crew Capacity: 2
- Shielded Cargo: 160
- Cargo Capacity: 420
- Hull: 469
- Fuel: 140
- Jump: 16 Lightyears
- Weapons:
- Laser: 6
- Particle Beam: 16
- Missile: 36
Mantis Spacesuit:
Mantis Spacesuit is the best thing that you can acquire for your early-game build. This cool suit provides several buffs and perks that greatly boost your attack, defense, and even the sneaking points. So, if you are looking for the best spacesuit for your build, you should definitely check this one out. Here’s what you get from the Mantis Pack:
- Armor-plated Mantis Pack:
- Chameleon: You are invisible to all enemies when not moving around.
- Liquid Cooled: +25% Thermal Resistance
- Armor-Plated: EM Damage and 10% reduced physical damage
- Repulsing Mantis Spacesuit:
- Chameleon: You are invisible to all enemies when not moving around.
- Repulsing: 5% chance to disarm your enemies.
- Holster: Weapons weigh 50% less.
- Sensor-Chipped Mantis Space Helmet:
- Hacker: +2 auto-hacking attempts.
- Filter: 25% reduced Oxygen Consumption
- Sensor Chip: +20% firing accuracy while moving
Conclusion:
Starfield rewards you pretty generously if you decide to go away from the main progression route. You can acquire some of the best ships and weapons by completing simple quests. Among them, the Mantis side quest rewards you with the best early-game equipment in the game. But the quest doesn’t present itself. Instead, you must go looking for it. Therefore, this article explains how to get a Mantis side quest, solve the puzzle, and claim your rewards.
