Starfield Shadows in Neon is the fourth faction mission as part of the Freestar Collective, which requires you to visit the pleasure city of Neon and investigate a report that suggests the stolen HopeTech ship was seen here after the heist.
This stolen ship is the only solid lead you have on the mercenaries who tried to intimidate the farmers on Montara Luna.
Hence, Marshal Daniel Blake suggests that you meet up with the Freestar Ranger stationed on Neon, Jaylen Pryce, to begin the search for the thief of the HopeTech ship.
So, this guide will provide detailed instructions on how to complete the Shadows in Neon mission in Starfield.
How To Complete the Starfield Shadows in Neon Faction Mission
After you finish the conversation with Ron Hope and Nia Kalu at the end of the Where Hope is Built mission, open your Missions menu and select the “Go to Neon” objective from the Shadows in Neon mission.
Then, set course to land on Neon Core on planet Volii Alpha in the Volii system.
After you land in the pleasure city of Neon, follow the quest marker until you reach the Freestar Rangers Outpost and head inside through the door.
When you get inside, have a conversation with Ranger Jaylen Pryce.
He’ll let you know that he’s willing to assist you to the best of his ability. However, the Freestar Ranger badge isn’t as influential in Neon as in Akila City.
During your discussion, Ranger Jaylen Pryce will recommend that you talk to his informant, Billy Clayton, who is responsible for secretly monitoring ship traffic.
It is worth mentioning that if you select the “I won’t cause trouble” dialogue option, Sarah Morgan will dislike your way of thinking.
But if you want to please her, pick the following line: “The law and justice aren’t flexible concepts. They’re absolutes.“
Starfield Billy Clayton Dialogue Choices
After you finish the conversation with Ranger Pryce, follow him to Billy Clayton’s location.
When you talk to Billy, you’ll reach a point in the conversation where you have the following three choices for what to say next:
- People could be in danger.
- Don’t make me persuade you the hard way.
- [Pay 1000 Credits] Maybe this will jog your memory.
Regardless of your choice of response, Billy will tell you that Emmet Goodman, a loan shark from the Syndicate, is threatening him. Also, each option leads to the same information with a slightly different response.
After choosing your response and discovering how Emmet Goodman operates, you will have to make a more important decision by selecting one of the following dialogue options:
- I’ll talk to this loan shark, but you’d better make it worth my time.
- [Persuade] That’s not my problem. Now tell me what you know about this starship thief.
Basically, you have two options: confront Emmet Goodman or persuade Billy Clayton to reveal the starship thief’s identity.
If you persuade Billy Clayton, you will have to earn 8 Persuasion Points in three turns, which can be pretty challenging if you haven’t spent any points in the Persuasion Skill.
But if you successfully persuade him, he will reveal all he knows about the starship thief, Grace Early. Afterward, Billy will be on his own, and you won’t have to deal with Emmet Goodman.
However, if you fail the Persuasion scenario or just want to help Bill and clear his brother’s debt from Emmet Goodman, follow the instructions below to progress with the Starfield Shadows in Neon mission.
Shadows in Neon Warehouse Key Location
After finishing your conversation with Billy, make your way back through the alley that led you to this spot, and take the elevator on your left-hand side leading to Underbelly.
Exit the elevator, cross the two bridges, and take the elevator on the other end of the area leading to the Upper Platform.
Once you reach the Upper Platform, head to the right and take a left once you reach the railing.
Keep walking straight and go down a small set of stairs. On your left, you’ll see the entrance to the Syndicate warehouse.
Unfortunately, the warehouse door will be locked and guarded by a Syndicate member. To unlock the door, you must obtain the warehouse key from the guard by choosing one of the following lines:
- [Persuade] I need to get in there. It’s important.
- [Show Badge] Freestar Ranger business. Open that door.
- [Pay 1000 Credits] I just need a quick word with your boss.
To persuade the Syndicate guard, you must earn 4 Persuasion Points in three turns, which is not that hard to do. In case you fail, you’ll be forced to pick one of the remaining two options.
Showing the badge won’t impress him, so you’ll be forced to pay the 1,000 Credits to buy your entrance and progress the Shadows in Neon mission in Starfield.
How To Confront Emmet Goodman in Starfield
After entering the warehouse, head up the stairs to confront Emmet Goodman in his office.
As you confront him, you’ll reach a point in the conversation where you’ll have to pick one of the following replies:
- [Persuade] I’m asking for your cooperation here.
- [Pay 4000 Credits] I’ll repay the debt myself.
- [Attack] Leave Billy alone, or you’ll have me to deal with.
If you persuade Emmet Goodman, you’ll have to earn 8 Persuasion Points in three turns.
As we already mentioned during Billy Clayton’s persuasion scenario, it’s a bit difficult to succeed without points in the Persuasion Skill, but not impossible.
Also, it’s good to know that Goodman and his associates will turn hostile if you fail to persuade him.
In case you decide to pay the 4,000 Credits to clear Billy’s debt, Emmet Goodman will consider the matter closed, and you can tell Mr. Clayton he’ll have no further trouble from him.
On top of that, most of the companions will agree with this decision.
Finally, if you select to attack Emmet Goodman, you must kill the whole Syndicate members inside the warehouse. Some of the companions might not agree with this choice.
After successfully settling Billy’s debt and putting an end to Goodman’s harassment, return to Billy to obtain intel on the thief of the HopeTech ship and advance the Shadows in Neon mission in Starfield.
Starfield Shadows in Neon Grace Early Confrontation Guide
As per the agreement, Billy will reveal that the culprit is Grace Early. Ranger Jaylen Pryce will point out that he knows her and believes Grace is currently at Madame Sauvage’s Place.
To get to Madame Sauvage’s from where you are currently, you must walk through the alley as before. This time, move past the elevator and down the steps before taking the second right.
Lastly, look to your left, and you will find the entrance to Madame Sauvage’s Place. If you get lost, use your scanner to highlight the path.
You will find Grace Early leaning on the wall to the left of the bar. Confront her about the HopeTech heist, and you’ll have to choose one of the following dialogue options:
- [Persuade] Enough small talk. Tell me what you know.
- There’s still time to make things right. Please help me.
- I could lock you up for the starship theft alone.
Each dialogue option will result in the same outcome: Grace will divulge information about the mercenaries who hired her to steal the HopeTech starship. Additionally, she will provide you with an encrypted slate that may contain further details about the mercenaries and their intentions.
However, there are some slight differences between each dialogue option.
If you decide to persuade Grace Early, you must earn 6 Persuasion Points in three turns to get her to divulge the information about the mercs. I don’t recommend picking this option only if you want to train your Persuasion Skills.
But if you select the second option, calling her out to make things right, she will spill beans immediately, and most of your companions will like this approach. This is recommended if you want to increase the bond with your companion.
The last option will also get the information from her but without a reaction from your companions.
Now that you know Maya Cruz, a senior member of the First, and Marco, the money man for the First, funded the HopeTech heist, it’s time to return to Akila City.
Once you arrive in Akila City, proceed to The Rock and give the encrypted slate to the local tech expert, Alex Shadid.
Alex will need some time to decrypt the information, but he will agree to do so. Finally, meet with Marshal Daniel Blake for a debriefing and to claim your reward.
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Shadows in Neon and unlocked two new faction missions, On the Run and Surgical Strike. Also, check out our Starfield Wiki Hub Page if you need additional help choosing the best decisions.
