Starfield First Contact Walkthrough – Paradiso or Grav Drive

First Contact Mission Overview

Mission type: Miscellaneous mission
How it starts: Reach the Porrima System, where Paradiso Chief Security Officer Jiro Sugiyama contacts you
Location: Paradiso on Porrima II in the Porrima System, plus HopeTech on Polvo in the Valo System for the grav drive path
Objectives: Find out who is on the unidentified ship and decide the fate of the ECS Constant colonists
Choices: Settle the colonists on Paradiso or buy them a grav drive

How to Start First Contact in Starfield

First Contact starts when you reach the Porrima System, east of Alpha Centauri. Paradiso Chief Security Officer Jiro Sugiyama contacts you in space and asks you to meet him in Paradiso about a sensitive matter.

Paradiso or Grav Drive – Which Choice Should You Pick

You make the choice when you talk to Oliver Campbell in step 5, and it decides how the rest of the quest plays out.

Settle on Paradiso: Costs you only resources (Lithium, Iron, Sealant and Fiber), but the colonists stay on Porrima II and have to work for Paradiso. Follow Path 1.

Buy the grav drive: Costs 40,000 credits, or 25,000 if you persuade Bennu St. James. The colonists keep their freedom and fly off to find a new home. Follow Path 2.

1 – Speak with Chief Sugiyama

Mission Text:
“I received a message from Paradiso Chief Security Officer, Jiro Sugiyama. There’s a sensitive matter he wishes to discuss. I should meet him in Paradiso.”

Paradiso is on Porrima II in the Porrima System, east of Alpha Centauri.

Land and follow the mission marker to meet Sugiyama. He is in the security building right next to the landing pad.

2 – Hail the Unidentified Ship

Mission Text:
“There’s an ominous ship in orbit above Paradiso. I should attempt to communicate with it.”

Lift off back to orbit and get close to the ship to hail it. Nobody answers, so you have to dock and board it.

3 – Speak with the Ship’s Captain

Mission Text:
“There are people on board. I should speak with the ship’s captain.”

Inside the ship, follow the mission marker to the captain.

4 – Follow Captain Brackenridge

Mission Text:
“Captain Brackenridge has briefly explained the situation and welcomed me on board. I should follow her to the bridge to discuss the matter in more detail.”

Follow the captain to the bridge and talk to her.

5 – Negotiate with Oliver Campbell

Mission Text:
“Jiro pointed me to Paradiso Group CEO, Oliver Campbell. Since he and the other board directors have the authority to make decisions, I should speak with him regarding the ECS Constant.”

Land back at Paradiso and find Oliver Campbell in the big Paradiso building. Enter the lobby, take the elevator to the Executive Floor and talk to the receptionist to get into the board room.

Oliver gives you two options: convince the colonists to settle on Paradiso and work for the resort, or buy a grav drive so they can fly off and settle somewhere else. Continue with step 6 if you pick Paradiso, or jump to step 12 if you buy the grav drive.

Path 1 – Settle the Colonists on Paradiso

Steps 6 to 11 cover the Paradiso deal. If you decided to buy the grav drive instead, skip to Path 2.

6 – Speak with Captain Brackenridge

Mission Text:
“I need to speak with Captain Brackenridge regarding the deal I worked out with Paradiso.”

Fly back to the colony ship and talk to Captain Brackenridge.

7 – Gather Resources

Mission Text:
“Before I can help the ECS Constant colonists settle in Paradiso, Oliver wanted me to gather resources to help improve their facilities so they can better accommodate the new arrivals.”

You can ask Captain Brackenridge to chip in some resources so you have to deliver less. The full list is:
Lithium – 20
Iron – 80
Sealant – 20
Fiber – 40

Check your ship cargo first, then scan the planets in the system for the rest. Iron is common. Porrima II has Lithium, but it is one of the rarer ores, so look in the rocky spots between the jungle areas. Fiber and Sealant come from some of the fauna and flora on Porrima II.

8 – Speak with Captain Brackenridge

Mission Text:
“I need to speak with Captain Brackenridge regarding the deal I worked out with Paradiso.”

Return to the colony ship and talk to the captain to hand over the resources.

9 – Ferry the Colonists down to Paradiso

Mission Text:
“Now that we have the resources Oliver Campbell asked for, it’s time to ferry Captain Brackenridge and some of her crew down to Paradiso.”

Board your ship and fly back to Paradiso. The colonists travel with you on your ship.

10 – Follow the Colonists off the Ship

If you fast traveled to Paradiso, you have to re-enter your ship, otherwise this step won’t trigger. Wait until Diana Brackenridge leaves the ship.

11 – Speak with Captain Brackenridge

Mission Text:
“I brought the colonists down to Paradiso. I should speak with Captain Brackenridge to make sure she doesn’t need anything else.”

Talk to the captain one last time at the landing pad. This ends the quest, and she invites you to come visit them. The grav drive path starts in Path 2 below.

Path 2 – Buy the Grav Drive

Steps 12 to 15 cover the grav drive path, when you decide to buy a grav drive for the colonists instead of settling them on Paradiso.

12 – Go to HopeTech

Mission Text:
“I’ve decided to help the ECS Constant by purchasing a grav drive for their ship. Oliver Campbell referred me to Bennu St. James at HopeTech, who has some experience with working on specialized ship modifications.”

HopeTech is in the Valo System, close to the Narion System. Land at Hopetown on Polvo. HopeTech is the big red building right next to the landing pad.

13 – Speak with Bennu St. James

Mission Text:
“I’ve decided to help the ECS Constant by purchasing a grav drive for their ship. Oliver Campbell referred me to Bennu St. James at HopeTech, who has some experience with working on specialized ship modifications.”

Inside HopeTech, go to the second floor. Bennu is in his office. You can pay him 40,000 credits for the grav drive, or persuade him to lower the price to 25,000 credits.

14 – Speak with Amin

Mission Text:
“Now that we have a compatible Grav Drive for the ECS Constant, I need to speak with their Engineering Officer, Amin Kazemi to figure out what we need to do to prepare the ship for its installation.”

Head back to the colony ship and follow the onboard signs to Engineering. Talk to Amin, their engineer, about prepping the ship for the grav drive. The mission markers then highlight three computers.

Engineering Control Computer Alpha

Select “Turbopump – Port”
Select “Cryogenic Radiator – Auxiliary”

Engineering Control Computer Beta

Select “Plasma Run-Off Inhibitor”
Select “5%”

Engineering Control Computer Gamma

Select “Magnetic Flange Pipe Enclosures”
Select “Decouple”
Select “Auxiliary Module Assembly”

15 – Speak with Captain Brackenridge

Mission Text:
“The Grav Drive is all set to be installed, which should allow the ECS Constant to travel and find a new home. I should speak with Captain Brackenridge to make sure she doesn’t need anything else.”

The captain is up at the Command Bay. Talk to her to end the quest. Afterwards you get a follow-up Activity to find the colonists.