Starfield Rough Landings is an Akila City side mission that revolves around Milena Axelrod, who was banned from entering the city after being caught smuggling.
While accessible at first sight, the Rough Landings mission in Starfield features several choices you’ll have to make while working on removing Milena’s ban and getting her access to Akila City.
Since most side-missions in the latest video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios have consequences, throughout the following Starfield Rough Landings walkthrough, we’ll discuss the best choice you should consider when playing this mission; otherwise, there is a chance to get scammed and lose 10,000 Credits in the process.
However, if you play your cards right, you’ll end up with over 8,000 Credits in your pockets.
How To Start Rough Landings Mission in Starfield
Rough Landings is one of the side missions you can start automatically while exploring Akila City in Starfield, but you can also trigger it by finding Marko Jansen.
As you can see in the following screenshot, Marko Jansen is located in The Stretch area of Akila City, several steps away from Aggie’s Bar.
When you approach Marko, he’ll tell you an unfortunate story about his family who recently moved to Akila City.
The trip to Akila was costly, so Marko and his family now struggle to survive. Tell him you want to help him and his family, and he’ll tell you about his cousin. Her name is Milena Axelrod, and she might be able to offer Marko a job.
The problem is that Milena can’t enter Akila City because she broke the law, so you must find her next. According to Marko, she is in the Akila System.
Starfield Milena Axelrod Location
To find Milena Axelrod in the Starfield Rough Landings mission, open your Starmap and look for her ship near Planet Washakie, northwest of Akila.
Press X to travel to Planet Washakie, but stay alert because Milena’s ship is attacked by the Crimson Fleet. First, clear the area, then dock and board Milena’s ship named Dalliance.
Dalliance is a fairly small ship, so most likely, you won’t encounter difficulties finding Milena, pictured below.
When talking to her, you can ask various questions; however, for the current mission, you’ll want to tell her that Marko Jansen sent you.
Luckily, she is more than happy to help Marko, but she also tells you about a dispute she had with the Mayor. The said dispute is the cause of Milena’s ban in Akila City.
According to Milena, she got into a fight with the Mayor after he hired her to haul some cargo. Milena carried more than she ought to, so she argued with the Mayor, thus becoming a persona non grata.
As a resourceful person, Milena comes up with two choices that can help you remove her ban:
- By talking to Tom Starrett, who is the Trade Authority’s fixer
- By talking to Mayor Cartwright
Either way, get ready to open your wallet, as Milena tells you. Now, you’ll be able to pick one of the following lines:
- The Trade Authority might be the better bet.
- I might try talking to the Mayor.
- This is already more than I signed for.
Except for the last choice, which pauses the current mission, what you choose is unimportant because you’ll still have the chance to pick one of the two options when you return to Akila City. So, pick whatever you see fit, then head back to the city.
Rough Landings Best Choice To Get Milena Access to Akila City
After landing, it is time to figure out how to get Milena Axelrod access to Akila City. Now, things get a bit tricky because you have two objective markers on your screen.
One will take you to Tom Starrett and the other to Mayor Cartwright. So, it’s worth knowing that the best Starfield Rough Landings choice is talking to Mayor Cartwright.
While both are valid options to remove Milena’s ban, if you pick Tom Starret, you’ll have to pay 10,000 Credits.
The Mayor, on the other hand, is more flexible, so head inside the city and follow the objective marker on the right side while facing The Rock building. You may remember Mayor Cartwright from the Last Will and Testament mission. He will be waiting for you on the same balcony.
Now, talk to Mayor Cartwright and tell him that you want to get Milena Axelrod permission to do business in Akila City. Feel free to listen to the Mayor’s side of the story; then, you’ll be given the most important choice, which involves paying Milena’s bounty. Or 5,000 Credits.
The first option here is to pay the Credits and remove Milena’s bounty directly; however, there are other choices that can help you save your money.
A possible path is to persuade the Mayor, but it requires a high Persuasion skill. If you don’t want to risk, then pick let me think about it and pause the current mission. Instead, focus on finishing the Deputized Freestar Collective Faction mission because it will unlock a hidden dialogue option, as you can see above.
Simply put, if you become a Freestar Ranger, you’ll be able to vouch for Milena. This will save you time and Credits because the Mayor will agree to lift her ban. This is by far the best choice in the Starfield Rough Landings mission.
Once you successfully remove Milena’s ban, all you need to do is head back to Marko Jansen and tell him the good news. You’ll be rewarded a hefty amount of Credits without spending a single Credit to finish Rough Landings.
Have Something To Add? Do It Here: