When players reach the final mission of the United Colonies Vanguard faction in Starfield, they are faced with two choices that have consequences. It may be hard to make a decision regarding the fate of characters and the galaxy in Starfield, but this guide will seek to calm those anxieties and offer all outcomes for the A Legacy Forged quest, regarding what to do about Vae Victis and whether to choose Aceles or Microbes to deal with the Terramorph threat at large.
Starfield, like all of Bethesda’s RPGs, offers a grand scale of choice that can often have an impact on their decision-making skills and moral compass. A Legacy Forged is a Starfield faction quest that requires no action or violence, but the simple act of conversation and decision can be an alarming one, especially when bringing the right man to justice is involved.
Speak To Vae Victis
Heading back to New Atlantis after completing the Hostile Intelligence quest, players will be tasked with speaking to Vae Victis, who will be once again found trapped in his cell in the MAST District’s MAST Building deep below in Subsection Seven. Players will know the truth regarding Vae Victis’ involvement with the Terramorphs, and his understanding of their evolution with the Lazarus Plants. Once inside his cell, they can speak to him through the intercom.
When confronted, Vae Victis will reveal the truth that he was behind the recent Terramorph attacks, and that he has managed to use the Lazarus Plants’ pollen outside of their habitat of Londinion to grow Terramorphs in populated civilian areas. His goals for doing this are personal, as Vae Victis wants to ensure a legacy for himself and his daughter, Hadrian, who will be secured as a hero as long as this remains a secret. As it turns out, Vae Victis’ plan involves exposing his former ally, the now-deceased Reginald Orlase, as the perpetrator behind this attack.
The fate of Vae Victis is within the hands of the player, as he confirms to them that he has sent a document to the UC Cabinet detailing Orlase’s involvement whilst keeping his own name clear of suspicion. Vae Victis asks the player to lie and follows his plan, so Hadrian gets the credit of a hero, and he can stay alive in his cell, helping the United Colonies hunt down what he deems criminals and villains of the Settled Systems. Regardless of what players say to Vae Victis, they will need to leave this complex villain in his cell and head to their next objective.
Speak To Hadrian And Percival
Through the Subsection Seven elevator, players need to head to the Cabinet Chambers / Interstellar Affairs floor. From within the elevator, head left into the Office of Interstellar Affairs, and left again to find Hadrian and Percival discussing matters at hand before their meeting with the Cabinet. From this point, players are presented with a choice: They can reveal that Vae Victis is alive and behind the Terramorph attacks, or, they can lie for Vae Victis, and inform them that this was all the doings of Orlase.
If players have told Hadrian that Vae Victis is the true threat, then they are locked into one outcome of A Legacy Forged, where Hadrian will tell the Cabinet of their findings, and thus seal Vae Victis’ fate as a killer who needs to be brought to justice. If players have lied for Vae Victis, then Hadrian will be none the wiser, and they can proceed to the Cabinet meeting where they are given the chance to come to their own decision regarding telling the truth or lying.
Address The Cabinet – Should You Lie For Vae Victis?
Once players head up the stairs into the Cabinet Room with Hadrian and Percival, players are tasked with answering a few questions from the board, including Alexandra Abello, President of the United Colonies. From here, players will be tasked with revealing the identity of the perpetrator that is behind the Terramorph attacks, whether that’s a lie or the truth.
Regardless of the player’s choice, the Cabinet will decide that they will head to Londinion and secure all the Lazarus Plants to gather evidence and archive it so that no one in the galaxy can access a way to create Terramorphs. The player can ask the UC to include other factions like the Freestar Collective into this plan, therefore increasing political relations with the once-waring governments. Companions will also like it if the player tries to get the UC to agree to this. However, before this, players have an option to make on whether to lie for Vae Victis or tell the Cabinet the truth, with both outcomes listed below:
Lie To The Cabinet
If players decide to follow through with Vae Victis’ lies, then they will be none the wiser. They can confirm to the Cabinet that Reginald Orlase had a grudge against the United Colonies, and wanted to use his findings with the Lazarus Plants to cause mass devastation to civilian life with the Terramorphs. This choice grants the same rewards as if players told the truth, except by lying to the Cabinet in A Legacy Forged, Vae Victis lives, and will not face justice for his crimes. However, this does unlock further mission opportunities, in which players will be able to start another UC quest in Starfield that involves the player hunting UC villains with the help of Vae Victis. This decision also paints Hadrian and Vae Victis as heroes.
Tell The Truth To The Cabinet
If the player or Hadrian reveals that it was actually Vae Victis, Francois Sanon himself that was behind the Terramorph attack, then they will need to provide essential evidence to back up this claim. They can do so by handing over the Emergency Recorder audio log they recovered as an unmissable quest item in the Hostile Intelligence mission prior to A Legacy Forged. Providing the Cabinet with evidence against Vae Victis will see the Cabinet decide to send UC executioners down to his cell. This option gives justice to the galaxy for Vae Victis’ crimes, but they will never see him again. They can access his cell and explore it, but there’s not much there.
Despite the player’s choice regarding Vae Victis’ fate in A Legacy Forged, the relationships with other characters and the fate of the galaxy remain indifferent, so players can lie or tell the truth based on their own preference for morality. However, lying to the Cabinet will grant more missions.
Should You Choose Aceles Or Microbes?
After dealing with whoever was behind the Terramorph incident, the Cabinet asks for the player’s opinion on what to use: Aceles or Microbes? Both have their set of bonuses and drawbacks, but the outcome and rewards will remain relatively the same regardless of what players pick. However, it’s worth noting that most companions gain affinity if players pick the Microbes option, but here are the outcomes for Aceles and Microbes.
Choosing Aceles
If players decide that deploying Aceles is the safest choice, then the UC will begin their work to genetically engineer and breed as many Aceles as they can. This is the slowest option, but these Aceles have a taste for Terramorphs, and will easily eat them in battle. Players can also sometimes see UC officers wrangling these giant beasts, and assisting them with Terramorphs out in the galaxy. However, due to their size, they might not be the best at dealing with Heatleeches, which are more agile than grown Terramorphs. Plus, Aceles may be docile, but can become hostile if provoked, which may cause issues for more populated areas, but this method is a trusted science that has worked in the past.
Choosing Microbes
The more experimental option is the use of Microbes, which can be engineered much quicker than that of Aceles. This option will see a pathogen wipe out Terramorphs and Heatleeches from the galaxy in quick succession, a plague to quell their numbers and stop attacks in civilized areas. However, the risks involved come from the fact its undeveloped, and the Cabinet expressed their low concerns that this could mutate to affect human life, or perhaps Terramorphs will develop an immunity. However, this new science is favored by companions, so players should probably choose to use Microbes in A Legacy Forged Starfield quest.
For the sake of more missions, and companion affinity, it’s recommended to lie to the Cabinet and keep Vae Victis’ secret, and also choose the Microbes option.
A Legacy Forged Rewards
After the meeting has adjourned with the Cabinet, players will be gifted with their unique rewards for concluding the United Colonies faction quest line. These rewards include a Class One Citizenship, which will grant players 15,000 Credits, a New Atlantis Penthouse, reduced costs on Colonial purchases, and mission assignments that can be picked up from Commander Tuala.
Starfield is out now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.