As it turns out, Constellation isn’t the only crew hunting for the mysterious artifacts. But while Sarah Morgan and her gang are interested in the history and powers hidden within, some spacefarers only want them for their collection of fancy knick-knacks.
So is the case for Captain Petrov, also known as The Collector, who travels with his crew of sticky-fingered bandits aboard the floating museum, The Scow. Your mission is to board The Scow and retrieve the artifact, whatever means necessary, and since Petrov is in love with his newfound treasure, it isn’t going to be an easy gig.
That said, there are a plethora of ways you can complete the No Sudden Moves quest in Starfield, and here are a few you may want to try:
Attack Petrov, but let him live
The quickest way to complete this quest is to select the attack option (or just shoot Petrov as soon as you see him) in the dialogue menu. When his health depletes, he will fall to his knees and beg you to stop. Here, you can choose to spare him if he calls off his goons. Sarah Morgan likes this outcome.
From here, you can walk down to the vault and take the artifact without anyone stopping you. What’s more, you can actually take anything you want from the ship as the crew thinks they are being pirated – which they kind of are. But they won’t try to stop you anymore; they’ll just bark nasty words at you until you leave.
Attack Petrov and then kill him
Same as before, you can attack Petrov as soon as you see or talk to him, but instead of sparing him, you can choose to attack again, this time removing his plot armor. He will get back to his feet, and you’ll have to sneeze on him again to send him into the afterlife.
However, now his entire crew wants you dead, so you’re going to have to fight everyone on board the ship or run past their bullets. Make sure to grab the vault key off of Petrov’s body, or you’ll have to deal with some Master Lockpicking. Run to the vault, grab the Artifact, and kill everyone onboard.
Sarah Mogan hates this outcome, but it’s a true pirate’s dream. Not only do you earn a ton of XP for all of the kills, but this is also the outcome that nets the most loot, as there is an uncountable number of crew members on The Scow waiting to be scavenged.
The downside is that you’ll have to fight Raptor and Bull, level 40+ guards with multiple health bars who carry some high-powered and very valuable weapons. The plus is that you get their weapons, everything on the ship (if you so please), and Petrov’s unique Collector’s Outfit.
Steal the Artifact from Petrov
Master Lockpicking Route
There is a way to obtain the Artifact without hurting Petrov physically, but stealing his most beloved treasure may do some serious emotional damage. Like many valuable items in Starfield, the Artifact can be stolen if you’re sneaky enough.
Instead of talking to Petrov, players can simply walk past him into the hallway behind his couch. You won’t face any pushback until you come to a room lit in red with two guards inside. If you enter this room, they will become hostile, so wait from the outside and use a silenced weapon to take them both out quickly. Then, stash the bodies, as there is a crew member nearby who sometimes walks in front of the doorway.
Continue down to the vault door where you would use Petrov’s Key. Without the key, you’ll need a Master Lockpicking skill to crack open the door and head into his treasure room. There is another guard outside the room you’ll need to take out with a silenced weapon.
Nabbing the Artifact will set off an alarm, but there’s no way around this. You’ll just need to sneak from room to room without raising awareness. Note: This is nearly impossible to do with Sarah Morgan as your companion, so feel free to tell her to stay in the treasure room.
Outside the treasure room, there is an Emergency Cutaway Door where the guard was standing. Use your mining laser to cut the hinges to avoid going back through Petrov’s Lounge. There are a couple more guards in the next room that you can take out with silenced weapons, and then a door that leads into a boiler room with an orange control panel door at the end.
Just before this door there is a weapons cache that holds the Wakizashi samurai sword, so make sure not to miss it.
Across the hall from the orange door is a door with an Expert Lock that you can pick. This will drop you into a room with another guard (stealth kill) and another Expert Lock door. From here, it’s just a matter of slinking back to your ship unseen. Pro tip: The Sense Star Stuff power is unmatched here, as The Scow is crawling with back guys you’ll need to avoid.
No Lockpicking Route
If you don’t have the Master Lockpicking skill to pry open the vault door, there is another way to access the vault. From the red-lit room with the two guards, disregard the steps and continue walking toward the back of the room. Here, you’ll find an Emergency Cutaway Door that leads you into the room with the two guards from the above route’s escape route. Take out these two guards using silenced weapons.
Then hop down and find another cutaway door in a corridor close to where you just entered the room. There should be yet another cutaway door that leads directly into the vault. Again, as soon as you take the Artifact, the ship will be on the lookout, so follow the same route as detailed above to get out of the ship as safely as possible.
Should You Release Petrov’s Alien Collection?
When you’re initially making your way to Petrov, you’ll hear a few of his guards talking about his exotic alien zoo. And yes, you can roleplay as a member of PETA and set them loose. That said, this doesn’t net you a different outcome, but it can make some of the previous routes a little easier.
In fact, if you free the aliens while hidden, the bugs and space crew will battle with one another, and you can sit back and watch. This is because the exotic aliens will see you as their savior and will only attack members of Petrov’s crew. And if you’re lucky enough, one of the bugs might just kill Petrov. But the odds of the aliens making it that far before getting squashed or stuck on a piece of the environment are slim.
In order to unlock the cages, players will need to access the terminal on the wall in the middle of the room. The terminal is located down a hallway on the player’s left before they get to the red-lit room with two guards. It is, however, a Master Level lock, so you won’t be able to set the aliens free without that skill.
Also, make sure you are hidden when you attempt the lockpick, or else you will become an enemy of The Scow’s crew.
Persuade Petrov & Follow him
This is where one option splits into three options that all have the same outcome. If you manage to persuade Petrov when you first encounter him, he will lead you down into his vault to show you the Artifact. From here, all roads lead to the same ending.
Petrov will show you the Artifact, and you can ask him to sell it to you, steal it, or attack Petrov. If you ask him to sell it to you, he will say no, and there is no further option to persuade, leaving you with stealing or killing. And if you steal the artifact, Petrov will pull a gun on you, leading you to shoot him.
Alas, this just loops back around to the first route where you shoot him, he begs for mercy, you make everyone on the ship stand down, and then you can loot whatever you want. That said, if you are trying to romance Sarah Morgan, she will like that you tried to bargain with him and that you spared his life.
Regardless of which one of the outcomes you choose, you will always end up with a 500 Credit UC Bounty on your head. So, before heading back to The Lodge, visit a bounty board in Akila City to clear your name, lest you want to spend some time in prison.
