This guide is meant to walk you through Comes Now the Power quest on Terra-2 of The Outer Worlds: through your quest options and dialog information in particular. This guide will go in-depth on the general dialog options you have with each NPC you will encounter as a part of your quest, as well as the most important information they would reveal to you if you chose to invest time into asking questions.
Please be warned that the guide ahead contains spoilers for The Outer Worlds, lots and lots of spoilers, especially for dialog and plot development.
This quest is a sub-quest of the Stranger in a Strange Land main quest, assigned to you by Reed Tobson, should you follow the standard route of acquiring the quest. We have a guide for the Stranger in a Strange Land quest that covers the events related to the mission of obtaining the power regulator for your ship. The Comes Now the Power is related to the question of Adelaide and her group of deserters.
Note: the walkthrough was done on a Below Average Intelligence character, resulting in some [Dumb] dialog options being substituted for some of the standard dialog options.
Very High Strength and Perception, however, allowed for the pursuit of other options in their stead.
This guide quotes from the game heavily, but in fragments. You can also use this guide if you feel you might have missed something in your dialog encounters, without reloading your previous save.
This guide will omit secret or interesting locations on the map and other Easter Eggs that are not directly related to the quest, since those deserve their own guide.
You can refer to the Table of Contents to navigate between the different parts of the quest more quickly: the guide is organized around the quest updates and key interactions.
The parts that relate to the progression more directly that others have been bolded for your convenience.
Did we miss anything particularly interesting? Tell us in the comments or on our Discord server!
Receiving the Quest
“Workers are abandoning the town of Edgewater. Reed Tobson, Edgewater’s administrator, wants to force these deserters to return to town by shutting off their power.”
If you have read our Stranger in a Strange Land guide, you know that this quest is obtained during your conversation with Reed Tobson in the tower above the Edgewater’s saltuna cannery, whether you disclose your search for a power regulator to him or not. He will offer it to you as a job, and now it is up to you to decide whether the plagued and overworked Edgewater is worth rescuing. The information you uncover as a result of this quest might change your mind about the ultimate decision you would want to make regarding rerouting the power from the plant, but also help you decide the ultimate fate of the city following your decision.
Deliver Reed’s Message
“Reed asked you to deliver a message to Adelaide and her deserters: come back to town, because he’s cutting off their power. Adelaide and her people are camped out in the Botanical Lab, north of Edgewater.”
Parvati
As you step out of the elevator following your interaction with Reed in his office as a part of the Stranger in a Strange Land quest, Parvati will inquire if she can talk to you, if you chose to take her along.
Start of Dialog
Parvati will awkwardly apologize, as is her manner, for distracting you and being a tag-along. Nonetheless, she will point out that Tobson’s view on the deserter situation is limited.
You can admit that Reed doesn’t seem to be fully honest, or retort with Reed’s view on the matter feeling fairly straightforward to you.
She will assure you that Reed isn’t lying, at least inside his head.
If you ask for the other side of the current situation, Parvati will describe Reed’s understanding of a person as “a gear. … If it squeaks or stutters, it gets replaced.” Meanwhile, the deserters are decent people, some of which Parvati knew before they left.
You can agree that you understand their desire to leave, ask how well she knew these people, inquire about Adelaide, or retort with “So what?”
If you ask about people she knew, she will mention Thomas “who used to follow me around,” expressing interest in her line or work and being generally very nice (you will get a chance to meet him). Regarding Adelaide, she will tell you the same information Reed would regarding her important role as a food flavorist. All she knows is that she left after her son died, after a heated argument with Reed in his office. She can’t tell you what they were arguing about, but suggests you ask McDevitt about her perspective.
With the remaining options Parvati will explain her worries about leaving the deserters without any power: “They’ll have no lights to see, nor hear to cook. They’ll be at the mercy of marauders, or worse.”
She suggests you talk to the town’s vicar. If you inquire after the reasoning behind this, she will explain that his perspective on the matter could help you evaluate the moral aspect of the decision. She will mention that vicar “used to go walking outside town,” which could have broadened his perspective on the issue. The place is located on the east side of Edgewater and, according to Parvati, “you can’t miss it,” since it’s the only clean building inside the walls.
Agree to it and Parvati will thank you, mentioning that her dad once taught her to evaluate “right” and “wrong” sides of decisions when they involve harming someone.
End of Dialog
Your quest will update with the optional step (section below).
Speak to the Vicar (Optional)
“Parvati wants to visit the town’s Vicar. She’s a little uncertain about the task Reed has set before you. The Vicar might be able to provide some moral guidance.”
Parvati is correct in observing in noting that the church is hard to miss. If you walk out of the doors in front of the cannery’s elevator, you can turn left and follow the street towards the eastern gate. As soon as you see faded purple paint on wooden columns under a metallic-scaled tile dome, that’s where you should go. Note that selecting the quest tracker will probably help you locate the building, even though it focuses on guiding you towards his office inside.
As soon as you walk further into the building, Parvati will admit that the clean interior makes her feel weird.
You will soon learn that this is a church, also an observatory, to The Order of Scientific Inquiry (or Scientism), also known as OSI.
Vicar’s office will be to your left, albeit you can listen to an awkward NPC interaction by the alcove in front of you or pick up OSI Vial for Max’s future room on your ship at the altar to your right.
Vicar Max
Sitting at his desk under the wooden ceiling with a purple starry sky painted onto it, vicar will be focused on his notes until you interact with him.
Start of Dialog
Vicar’s immediate reaction will be annoyance. However, as soon as he notes that you are an outsider, his demeanor will light up. “Fantastic!” If you have Parvati in your party, he will note that it’s unusual to see her, especially with a complete stranger.”Don’t mind me,” she will say. With how rarely Max gets to talk to “new people,” he will offer you an array of spiritual services: “Spiritual counseling? This season’s tossball predictions? The quickest way out of town?” (The last bit will be said with a bit of a bitter understanding.)
You can ask how exactly Max figured out that you are an outsider, ask about the kinds of spiritual advice her offers, or attempt to leave the conversation (the last option will make him jump straight to his quest for you that will be discussed below).
In regards to you feeling like an outsider, Max will list two reasons: there being no paperwork indicating a transfer (which is “unheard of”), and you lacking “the distinctive worker gaze.” Apparently, Parvati is another outlier in this case – Max will comment on her silence. She will say, “there’s more to it all than numbers. Sorry.” [Dumb] option is “You must be right, Parvati. I don’t know hardly any numbers, and I do just fine.” That will give Max a headache.
In terms of spiritual advice, Max will list a few worker spirit motivational quotes. Asking about the religion of Scientism at large will make Max explain Scientism to you as a Grand Architect who has “set a perfect system in motion at the beginning of time,” the “Grand Plan,” and learning more about (“decoding” it) it will bring remove struggle and peace to humanity. Some even believe the ultimate knowledge will make humans become “akin to Grand Architects” themselves. All sorts of complex “metaphysics.”
You can have a little bit of fun with [Dumb] options here as well, asking to put in a good word for you and acting confused. Max will be surprisingly patient.
From the beginning you can jump straight into what Parvati asked you to do… well, by saying that she is the one who wanted to talk to vicar about Reed’s assignment. Parvati will be surprised, since she thought you would be the one to talk to the vicar. Vicar will be surprised in return: “You wanted to speak to me, Ms. Holocomb?” Apparently Max didn’t have much success in engaging the shy girl in a conversation in the past.
He will ask you about what it is that Tobson is asking you to do. You can either focus on the task of fixing the geothermal plant, say directly that you need to cut off the power to deserters, or say that with a note to hurry up.
Talk about the plant and Parvati will explain the implications. Max will show understanding in all of the cases (since you are putting the group in danger without power) and note that Parvati “has a soft heart.” You can [Dumb] and suggest that “a sawbones” might help her with her issue. Vicar will promise not to use metaphors with you and explain Parvati’s condition as incurable, but “unlikely to be fatal, but she may feel more heartache than most.” Parvati will ask you two to stop talking about her as if she is “some kinda weird bug.”
You can otherwise ask for his advise in multiple ways, or ask to wrap this up. In the end, what you will learn is Max doesn’t have as much pity for the group since they rejected “the order of society.”
If your goal is to save as many as possible, Max will suggest bringing everyone together. “Send the power to Edgewater and convince the deserters to return to the fold.” Doing so is not “as easy as a few soothing words in the right ears,” so he warns you of the challenge. He also warns you to be careful as you make your way to the plant due to the presence of marauders, and this will leeway to his quest of finding a heretical text in the Emerald Vale (even if you say that his advice was useless to you and try to leave).
Once Max asks you to help him with the retrieval of the religious book for a “handsome sum,” you can [Dumb] “Handsome? What kinda weirdness you all into around here?” to confuse Max but make him realize you might be perfect for a “suicidal quest” in the wild.
Otherwise, you can question his need in the “banned, heretical book,” or wonder if he plans on destroying it after. He will explain that he simply wants to keep the writing labelled by the OSI (The Order of Scientific Inquiry) as heretical out of “laymans’ hands” (Uh-huh), that he is a collector (said with a stutter), that not many would understand the book’s true value as the thoughts “of an early thinker on the nature of man’s place in the cosmos.” It’s a handwritten journal by M. Bakonu, and he will mark its last location on your map.
You can leave the conversation without accepting the quest, and you can pick it up any time later (even if you reroute power to the Botanical Lab).
If you accept the quest, it will appear as “The Illustrated Manual” under your Companion Quests. You can recruit Max to your party if you follow through with it. It will not be covered in this guide.
End of Dialog
You will notice that taking an additional step will give you a few extra XP points, so even if Max didn’t tell you anything new, it was a relatively easy task with a fair reward.
Now, should you want to speak with the Deserters at the Botanical Lab before making your decision, follow the quest marker in the Emerald Vale – the settlement is the most northern community on your map. The only one not packed with marauders or automechanicals.
You will be greeted by Grace Romero, who will tell you to move along. “We don’t want any trouble.” Chat with her about her issue and she will eventually apologize for her coldness and talk about Zoe, who went missing not too long ago. (A Few Kindred Spirits – not covered by this guide, but can be useful if you will be trying to convince the deserters to come back without Adelaide.) Otherwise, she can point you to Adelaide inside the settlement (“over in the hothouse, tending crop”).
Inside, Stefan can trade with you for a couple of items (according to him, mostly canid parts). He is also important to the A Few Kindred Spirits quest, if you pursue that line of dialog.
Come towards Thomas and Parvati will note that he used to follow her around before he left. Chat with him and he will be quite happy to see Parvati (with some superior voice acting). You can learn about his surprising incompetence in Engineering, learn about his lucky survival after he left, teach him a few things with [Engineering 10], and pick up a Frightened Engineer quest to find him more learning material around the Emerald Vale (including the geothermal plant). It will not be covered in this guide, but just like with A Few Kindred Spirits, it can earn you a much higher standing with the deserters.
Finally, follow the quest marker inside the greenhouse, brimming with plant life and fruits and with Adelaide in the center of the main room, watching what looks like a water tank, the dreamy blue light reflected onto her face and hair. Parvati will note the captivating beauty of the place.
Adelaide McDevitt
Start of Dialog
Adelaide will sound like welcoming deserters to the camp is her day job: “If you’re hungry, there’s meat turning on the spit outside. If you’re bearin’ illness, find a place to lay your head down, and I’ll fetch you a poultice.” She herself will emphasize this sentiment’s break with Edgewater, since any troubles related to that town are to be left “at the gates.”
You can confirm whether she is Adelaide, ask who she is (similar response to these two – she is called many names by her followers, but Adelaide is fine), [Dumb] “What’s that smell?” (garden and fertilizer, “mind your boots”) or state that you are not here to join the camp.
Parvati will jump in, address Adelaide as “Ms. McDevitt” and note that the trees inside are very pretty. Adelaide will recognize her as the “Robert’s girl” and that she knew her when she was “but a sprout.” Thomas, apparently, speaks of her often. Adelaide will offer tobaccorn tea.
Ask her if this is her greenhouse and she will say that “the garden belongs to us all,” that life is yielded equally by the universe. Make fun of the notion (“never knew you could grow tripe in a garden” – she will note your cynicism and offer you some “mushroom soup” to broaden your irises [I assume because… it’s tasty…]), or ask how the fertile growth has been achieved out here – “elbow grease, a dash of love, and a heaping pile of special fertilizer.”
Note that they have succeeded making a home out here, and she will confirm that both the deserters and standers are welcome in the camp. She will use an image of “spores of the puffball” on the wind to muse on how the group has put down new roots in this area. Ask why they left or [Dumb] “You guys can fly?” (“My goodness. Aren’t you just charming?”), and with the former she will explain the the place they once considered home “has left us behind,” then refuse to say any more.
You can tell her that Reed has sent you (“to make peace with you”), and the current step in your quest tracker will be completed. Her tone will change a little: “You here on behalf of that cold-eyed reptile?” She will ask what Reed’s idea of peace is.
You can note that the territory they settled on belongs to the town, or you can tell that Reed is willing to make amends if the deserters return. You can also offhandedly-like mention shutting off their power: “I wasn’t really listening.” She will say that like everything coming out of Edgewater, “that peace offering is canned.” Mention diverting power and she will ask you why you have agreed to his plans. You can refuse to answer, mention the power regulator, or say this felt like the right thing to do and she will argue that you should divert power to the Botanical Lab: “You’d be liberating an entire town form a lifetime of service to that odious cannery.”
Investigate further and she will talk about “hollowed-out workers laboring their lives away at the cannery,” bringing Parvati in and telling her that her father’s death was due to overwork at the plant. Parvati will not sound sure: “he was old, ma’am. And he raised me all by his lonesome.” Adelaide will try to make you see this situation as the company making the poor girl lose her family “and still she defends them.” Note that Adelaide is a bit insensitive to the situation (and using it just to get you on her side) and she will sincerely apologize. Parvati will insist that she is alright.
Ask Adelaide what will happen to the Edgewater as a result and she will explain that after the cannery shuts down the workers will desert and the camp will grow and thrive. Note personal drama with Reed and she will say that Reed knows that you will kill off the garden if you redirect the power. “He’s counting on it.”
You can return to the conversation after and tell her about your situation and the Hope, but she will think you are delirious. Keep pressing and she will say that her believing you isn’t as important as the Board reacting to you bringing up the topic with people. “You carry on about coming here from another world, and people will talk. Talk leads to questions. Ask enough questions, and the Board comes answering.” Otherwise you can get her to talk about staying here even if Reeds cuts off power and she will note that that’s because he was her boss. “Remember that limited run of white chocolate saltuna? That was all me.” [Perception] will allow you to prod further and she will tell you the story of her son, who was first among the people to fall sick and whom Reed has refused to treat. After she buried him she chose to leave.
End of Dialog
Your quest tracker will be updated during the conversation, and you will be ready to head to the geothermal plant to carry out your decision (after some repeated robot punching).
However, you have the ability to complete every side quest assigned to you inside of both settlements to gain a significant amount of XP and head into the plant with you being even more prepared (stacked with bits, stun weapons, and skill points). You might want your lockpicking skill up for the better loot.
You can also take Parvati inside the General Store in Edgewater to discover a funny story about her past, or inside the Cantina to chat about Parvati’s distaste with alcohol.
Tell Reed that Adelaide refused to come back and he will ask you to try and talk her followers into returning. “We need the extra hands.”
Divert Power from the Geothermal Plant
Depending on your choices leading up to the quest, the description will be as follows:
“You entered the geothermal plant without first speaking to Adelaide. If you divert power to Edgewater without giving her a fair warning, she’s going to be upset.”
Or
“You delivered Reed’s message, but Adelaide refused to return to Edgewater. Head to the Geothermal Plant and redirect the power.
- Adelaide proposed that you divert the geothermal plant’s output to the Botanical Lab, depriving Edgewater of power.”
A small note: either talk to Ludwig Miller at the Edgewater Landing Pad (eastern gates out of Edgewater, large landing site in front of the lake) and pick up the quest from him, or follow the outside walls of the town until you discover the Junkyard yourself (northeast side on the Region map) and walk inside the area outlined by a short metal fence. You will locate a Damaged Mechanical Sentry inside. Fix him (by yourself or with Parvati’s bonus to your skill) if you want to have an option of getting extra help inside the geothermal plant. Parvati will name him “Jeremy.” Don’t worry if you picked up Ludwig’s quest – you will still be able to turn it in to him.
Once you are ready to venture into the geothermal plant and divert the power to one of the settlements, you can head out into the Emerald Vale region and follow your quest marker for the Stranger in a Strange Land. Upon arrival Parvati will note that she always wanted to “poke around in here.” Both the front and back entrances will be blocked off by the electrical current, but there is a break in the fence directly to the right of the control room you can exploit to get inside and use the containers as a cover if you fail to take the automechanicals out stealthily. Use stun weapons (melee or ranged) for the best effect.
You can also climb a rock further down the fence and hop over inside. Inside you will find bodies of the scientists and guards. If you are starting to suspect that something went against the intended protocol, you would be right. Inside the control room you can hack into the terminal to disarm the security fences, if you would like.
If you enter the plant without talking to Adelaide, Parvati will point that out to you. Otherwise, she will tell you that the control room is located to your right and she hopes that you two are doing the right thing.
Feel free to explore around, but if you want to progress with the quest you will need to locate the
For that, head forward, past the vending machine, and into the room with the “MIND YOUR HEAD” sign (“Low hanging pipes may be easily damaged by skull impacts.”) Take out automechanicals and head into the room to your right.
Walk past the turbines and inside the door, towards the Geothermal Master Control Terminal. Use your key to access it.
Press “Redirect Power” to get an error and update your quest tracker with three electrical track switches that you will need to activate to activate manual override. A possible answer as to why the automatic redirection is malfunctioning most likely connects with the disuse into which the plant has fallen due to the overtake by automechanicals. It’s hard to conduct proper maintenance on the important machinery when you are a corpse…
The Comes Now the Power quest will update to reflect the newly found information:
“The plant’s master control terminal is reporting that three switches must be activated before you can redirect power.”
Head back to the room with the stairs. Then, go down the stairs below the “MIND YOUR HEAD” sign.
The small room next to the sealed door contains the terminal which you can put Reed’s passcode into (“SpacerTobson”), opening the door leading down more stairs.
Take out more enemies, head through the door to the right.
If you want, you can sneak past the robots and into the room with a green glass panel to navigate to the overhead bridge and get several clear shots at the automechanicals underneath without getting ganged up on. If you have helped “Jeremy” the automechanical out before heading in, you will find him in the room behind the glass pane as well. He will observe that other automechanicals are defective and offer his help. This will make things a bit easier for you. Time for some “mechanicide!”
There is a bin on top of the shelving directly to your right in the room where you defeat the automechanicals. Just some ammo inside if you don’t feel like hopping around. The shelves by the door to the stairwell have a bin with a couple of bits inside of it.
Proceeding forward from the bridge won’t get you anywhere unless you want to mass-kill all of the automechanicals and have 51 points in Hack skill. (If you do, you can go ahead and access the terminal.) If you don’t and are still interested in turning all of the machines at the plant against each other, there is an optional step below you can follow. Besides, you will get a chance to have a rather amusing NPC interaction.
Reprogram the Automechanicals (Optional)
After you deal with all of the automechanicals in the room, head towards a large red-glowing pipe. You will hear poor Higgins saying things like “You’re not real. You’re not real” when you enter.
Head to the right, down the stairs to level 02. Then right again, down the ladder to 03. Then, finally, left and down another ladder to 04.
Higgins (Optional)
Once you get off the ladder, blood-covered Chester Higgins will be cowering in the corner, facing away from you, screaming “Get away!”.
Start of Dialog
Higgins will continue re-assuring himself that you are a phantom. The [Dumb] dialog option will be to go, “Phantoms?! Where?!” Alternatively, [Sneak 30] will allow you to attempt to prove that you are not against Higgins by pointing out that you do have an ability to startle people when you actually want to.
You can have a little bit of fun with [Dumb] options in this dialog.
The options you pick in this conversation ultimately do not matter, as you will be able to learn about the most important details of the current situation simply by humoring the engineer’s slightly shaken brain. It’s understandable, since Higgins managed to survive when the automechanicals suddenly turned against human workers through pure luck of being inside this chamber to clean the pipes. However, Higgins also had to eat raw sprats once other supplies ran low, and that seems to have taken a toll on his perception of reality. As he admits himself, perhaps he mistook you for a phantom because he didn’t “boil [his] sprats before ingesting.”
Roleplaying all of the self-proscribed imagined professions (“Sprat Wrangler. Saltuna Critic. Aetherwave Personality. Chairman of the Board. Galactic Defender. Cystypig Tycoon.”), Higgins forgot how long he has been down here.
Once you get a chance, ask Higgins about his engineering profession and then point out that he “must know a way to stop them” due to his expertise. Unfortunately, Higgins will worry about the robots coming after him. You can [Persuade 15], [Intimidate 15], or [Lie 65] (It really is hard to believe that Spacer’s Choice would send you to rescue him…) to get him to talk. You can pick [Dumb] and agree with his fears, but that will do nothing to move the conversation forward.
When you do, Higgins will point out that their targeting protocols can be reprogrammed to attack each other. If you want, you can fall to Higgin’s wavelength and talk the “Engineering” talk with [Engineering 10], but ultimately Higgins will point you to the control terminal in the room following the overhead bridge, which you can access using the passcode he writes down for you (“spratlover1234”).
End of Dialog
Your quest log will be updated with the optional step:
“Chester gave you a passcode to a terminal located elsewhere in the plant. This terminal allows you to reprogram the plant’s automechanicals. Changing their behavior might make getting around in the plant easier.”
At this point you can return and complete this extra step.
Just head back to 01, back to the room you came from, and up the stairs next to the dysfunctional vending machines.
Access the terminal and “Modify Behavior.” Then, “Select New Target,” “Define Intruders,” and “Define Intruders as Spacer’s Choice Automechanicals.”
You are done! Feel free to loot their bodies as you continue moving forward.
Oh, and check behind the table inside the room to loot a key from the Security Chief – unless you had a very high lockpicking skill, this can get you inside a room with a lot of valuables, next to the room where you entered Reed’s passcode.
Note: If you destroy all of the automechanicals before using the code, the optional step in the quest log will be automatically checked out.
Divert Power from the Geothermal Plant
After making a choice about disabling the automechanicals, you are ready to venture onward.
The first switch will be inside the last room where you have fought with automechanicals, in front of a red pipe. Turn on the quest tracker for Comes Now the Power (or Stranger in a Strange Land) to see the exact location. Parvati will wonder what will happen to the deserters if you shut off their power.
Now, head inside the stairwell with the red-glowing pipe…
And down to level 02 by taking the stairs. After that, turn left and head through the doors.
Taking a right after you enter will uncover a workbench and a ladder that leads to the second level, right to the second switch.
Alternatively, press forward and then up the stairs to reach the second level and the switch. Parvati will warn you about the steam. You can disable the steam in the release valves [Engineering 10-15] by interacting with the terminal. You can loot a couple of things in the passage afterwards.
Once you turn the lever, turn to the left and go through the doors. Parvati will happen what will happen to “the Vale” if you shut off their power.
Once you fight (or, if you completed the optional step, loot) your way through the room, take one of the ramps up the second level. The switch will be further in, by the large pipes. Parvati will note that the one thing she is sure of: the decision you make will be final.
That’s it! You now will be able to redirect the power using the master control terminal.
You can reach it faster if you lift the bars off of the doors in the last room.
In the image above, taking the door directly to the right, the one closest to the character, will lead you right to the room where you put in Reed’s password.
Head straight and up the stairs, and then to the left, through the room with the turbines and inside the main control room.
Parvati
As you approach, Parvati will say, “Once we do this, there’s no going back.” She will start a dialog with you once you are next to the terminal.
Start of Dialog
If you haven’t talked to Adelaide, Parvati will say that you really should go and do so: “If we’re gonna kill her power, least we could do is give her people a fair warning.” You can agree with her, pretend you are just looking around, or rebuke her. With the former, she will thank you and say she appreciates you hearing her out. With the second option, she will be slightly less excited, but will thank you in a similar way. With the last option she will politely end the conversation (interestingly, without much of her usual awkwardness).
If you did talk to Adelaide, she will ask whether you “understand what you’re about to do” (she will be under assumption that you are in a hurry to get the power regulator.) You can wave her off and she will say she just wanted to make sure.
You can also ask for her opinion. Then, she will spend the rest of the conversation trying to convince you to send power to Edgewater. “We been losing workers year after year, and corporate hardly every sends replacements,” there is no longer even enough food, and the “decent, hard-working folk just living their lives the only way they know how,” in her opinion, “don’t deserve to be punished.” Say Reed is in agreement that Edgewater will die without workers and power, and she will note that his reasoning in uniting the two settlements makes sense in regards to the town’s future. Cutting off the power from the Lab “might be the only way.” You can tell her that the Deserters are a community in themselves. She will agree that Adelaide made “the Vale a better place,” but Parvati is off-put by her anger. “Ms. McDevitt delights in Edgewater’s suffering. She wants to hurt the town.” Or, say that you see her point and you are ready to make a decision. She will apologize for babbling.
Say that you are glad she did share her opinion and she will say that nobody said these words to her before. At least in this order. Say that you were barely listening and she will sound a little pissed.
End of Dialog
You can now access the terminal and carry out whichever decision you wish. Select “Redirect Power” and pick the destination you want to receive full power from the plant.
If you redirect power to Edgewater without or without speaking to Adelaide, your negative reputation with the Deserters will increase by 20% and your positive reputation with Spacer’s Choice will increase by 40% (with Average Charm).
If you redirect power to Edgewater, you can get an alternative outcome if you follow an optional step (see the first section below).
If you redirect power to the Botanical Labs with or without speaking to Adelaide, your negative reputations with Spacer’s Choice will increase by 20% and your positive reputation with the Deserters will increase by 40% (with Average Charm).
Unfortunately, there is no point talking to Higgins after your decision. You won’t even have an option of telling him that the plant is safe now.
Convince the Deserters to Return (Power Redirected to Edgewater)
“Now that their power is off, you should have an easier time convincing the deserters to move back.”
If you talk to Parvati, she will approve of your decision: “I think you did the rightest thing you could… Lotta people would have suffered, otherwise.” Even if you haven’t talked to Adelaide before making your decision — despite Parvati’s insistence — she will still react this way.
Now you have to manually locate the exit out of the plant (you can’t fast travel from the location) and fast travel or walk to Botanical Lab in order to speak to Adelaide about the situation and pick up the power regulator.
At the Deserter Settlement, you will find the population gathered around a campfire, uncertain about how much time they have, with the food spoiling and there being no light to keep them safe at night. Grace will wonder whether a sprat fell into a transformer. Thomas will worry about Adelaide’s well-being.
Walk into the building to your right, if you are facing the campfire (behind the workbench) in order to obtain the regulator for the Stranger in a Strange Land quest.
Adelaide McDevitt
Adelaide will be sitting in front of the power regulator
inside the dark building, quiet amidst the background noise of the emergency siren. She will turn to look at you.
Killing Adelaide will decrease your reputation with Deserters to 100% (kill on sight).
Start of Dialog
If you haven’t talked to Adelaide before re-routing the power, she will admit that she was waiting for someone to come around to “salvage something” and that she figured that Reed was behind this. Adelaide will accuse you of killing her garden and making her people starve. Then she will proceed to ask you why you have done this.
If you did talk to her prior to this, she will begin the conversation by noting that if it wasn’t for her failing vision she “would’ve seen you for the snake that you are, chopped you into pieces, and roasted you on a spit.” Then she will ask you why you did it.
You can list Reed needing his people back as the reason, explain that this is not a personal issue (you, after all, just need the power regulator back), or [Dumb] admit to liking to press buttons.
Bring up Reed and she will tell you to convince her people to return to “wasting their lives in that cannery.” If you tell her that you just need the power regulator, she will list the damages you have inflicted on the settlement and say, “Well shit, I wish it was personal.” If you choose the [Dumb] response, she will wonder if you “are really this moronical,” and address you as a “hullhead.”
She will tell you to go “talk to Grace and Thomas. Look them in the eye” when you tell them that their only choice now is to return to Edgewater. Her message to Reed is that she refuses to return to Edgewater to be under his management.
You can ask Adelaide what happened to her to incite this anger. She will immediately disclose how her son was first to fall sick when the plague hit the town. Despite the storage of medicine locked away, Reed refused to treat the boy, and Adelaide decided to leave after burying him in the cemetery. She will refuse to tell you anything else at this point.
You have two options: to try once more to convince her to return, or to offer Adelaide to “deal with Reed” for her.
With the former, she will state that as long as Reed is in Edgewater, she will not return.
With the former, Adelaide will be a bit surprised. She will wonder if you are trying to offer reparations “for what you’ve done” or to just “sow some chaos.” She said that you can either convince him to leave or kill him, “if you must,” reiterating her terms. Asking Adelaide for some ideas to convince Reed to leave will make her talk about ending the plague. She plans on providing several meals for every man and woman by starting “a new garden right in the cannery.” (Quite an upgrade from the one meal Reed insists upon.)
She will immediately disclose that the secret to her fertilizer are human corpses. “Marauder. Worker. Don’t matter much to me. A human body is rich with nutrients.” Express doubt in the persuasive power of this fact and she will insist on the older terms, but this time with the “means to cure the plague” added to the agreement. Express disgust and she will state that if she was in a better mood she might have tried to change your mind. You can ask her about what she will do once she runs out of corpses, and she will tell you that the Edgewater’s cemetery has enough bodies “for a generation’s worth of crops.”
End of Dialog
You can take the power generator now.
What you want to do with Reed upon returning to Edgewater is now up to you.
If you talk to the deserters now, Grace will state her worry about wild canids over the marauders. Tell her to return to Edgewater and her agreement will depend on Zoe returning to the camp, which is a quest you can accept, titled A Few Kindred Spirits. Its progress will not be tracked in this guide. Thomas will be nervous about everyone blaming him for the loss of power and expecting him to fix the generator, and his willingness to return will depend on the three manuals on mechanical engineering so that he can make a case to Reed to get a better job in the town, which is a part of The Frightened Engineer side quest. It will not be tracked in this guide. Stefan won’t be able to trade with you, since they have to preserve their supplies without power.
These quests may be of interest, since the items and the Zoe will come up as you explore the Emerald Valley (and, in case of Thomas, make your way through the geothermal plant), but especially so since Thomas and Grace are the two people the rest of the group look up to. Below, we will cover an alternative way to make the deserters return.
If you venture inside Edgewater, people will comment on the cannery running better than ever before, probably due to all that extra power.
If you haven’t talked to Vicar Max until now, he will correlate your appearance in town with the restoration of power. If you are returning back, you can [Dumb] “ADELAIDE’S GREENS ARE PEOPLE!” for Parvati to translate what you mean by that, and then you can [Dumb] more of the rather amusing responses, including “That what she says. If you can believe somebody who eats salad.” Vicar will judge the benefit of converting the unanimated matter into the good for those living.
Remove Reed from Edgewater (Optional)
Walk into Reed’s office in Edgewater and talk to him. He will sound cheerful and note that “power flows through our town like a cool stream of water” and inquire about the deserters.
Tell him about Adelaide’s terms and he will defend his post with Spacer’s Choice assignment and him having “done my best for this town,” despite his “share of mistakes.”
You can tell him that a change of leadership might produce a better outcome, that his town is a mess, or accuse him of letting Adelaide’s son die.
The accusation will make him bring up Spacer’s Choice limited distribution of medication as the reason he had to make sacrifices. Press the issue and he will stand behind and take responsibility for his decision. Point out that the town is a mess and he will argue that he has been “holding this town together with both hands.”
He will cite himself and his father’s loyal service to the company. “Edgewater may not not look like much to some buttoned-up freelancer, but it is my home.”
You can press that Adelaide won’t return unless he leaves, and he will ask you to demonstrate that this town needs her.
Finally, you can tell him that Adelaide’s people aren’t sick. He won’t be convinced due to his beliefs of work ethic reflecting health. You can note that the town doesn’t eat anything but saltuna or ask whether they have ever eaten a vegetable. After you investigate and argue on this point further (and he will reveal a couple more unfortunate ingredients… see the image to this section), you will have a chance to argue Adelaide’s method either with or without [Persuade 10].
Not using the Persuade will make him question her ability to work with the soil, since they never succeeded growing any crops. Ask what it would take to convince Reed and he will ask for Adelaide’s secret. Ask if he knows what it is and he will suggest you search her belongings.
[Lie 20] and tell her that all of this involves complicated math and Reed will leave his post without any further questions.
Using [Persuade 10] will make him ask you what her secret is. You can admit that she uses corpses and Reed will note that it is a brilliant solution: “Recycling Spacer’s Choice property long after its date of expiration. I was wondering about those missing bodies in Silas’s cemetery.” Remind Reed of her terms and he will face a dilemma. “Adelaide has discovered some secret cure for the plague, and she is holding my town ransom.”
Whatever you say after, Reed will make the decision to leave the town: “If Adelaide’s found a way to feed her people and cure the plague, then she deserves this office more than I do.” He will ask you to let him pack his belongings. Tell him he doesn’t have to do this and he will argue that Adelaide is what this town needs. Ask about his plans and he will admit that he can no longer put in for a transfer (“no such thing as an honorable resignation”), so he will either put in for early retirement or perish outside the walls.
“I have always tried to do right by my town. It has never been easy.”
You can now head back and tell Adelaide that you have convinced Reed to step down.
Remove Reed from Edgewater (Kill Reed) (Optional)
You can also choose to attack Reed from the conversation. If you kill him, your reputation with Spacer’s Choice will collapse and Parvati will initiate dialog with you.
Parvati
Start of Dialog
“Are you out of your mind?” she will ask in shock.
You can try to convince her that you “just did [her] a favor,” and she will retort with “you just made me an accomplice to murdering my boss.” Say that you enjoyed it and she will think you are a psychopath. She will want to get away from the town and you. Ask “killed who?” and she will be confused, trying to remind you that he was her boss.
Say, “goodbye” or “get lost” and she will say she never wants to see you again, leaving your party. Ask her to “give you a break” because you and Reed were “settling our differences” and she will say that she would appreciate it “if you tried using, you know, words.” [Lie 5] and promise to be “a perfect little angel” and she will take your word for it.
Alternatively, you can try to convince her with [Determination 5] by pointing out that Reed was treating her “like garbage.” Then she will note that if you committed murder because Tobson was “talking down his nose at me” then you have a “twisted sense of chivalry.” She will not want to let you “loose upon the Vale, unsupervised.” Use [Dumb] to pass murder as an accident and she will come to the same conclusion, with you retaining her in the party.
End of Dialog
If you kill Tobson, you can loot his body and access the room to read the directions he left to a potential successor.
If you killed Reed, Adelaide will note that “you have a peculiar comfort with violence,” but the conversation will otherwise proceed as if you made Reed step down.
If you kill Reed and you retained Parvati as your follower, an additional option will appear when she asks you if she can join your crew when you return to the ship (yes, her enthusiasm will not change). The option you can pick is: “I guess Reed won’t mind. What with being dead and all.” She will still be conflicted about the situation: “I never got along with Mister Tobson, but I don’t think he deserved to die. He tried to do his best.” Say that Vale’s better off without him and she will note that Adelaide would agree. If you ask her not to lecture you, she will be a bit upset about your “violent streak,” not sure what to make of you. Regardless, she will cite you rescuing Edgewater as a proof that you have done “some kindness” and the conversation will proceed as usual.
Remove Reed from Edgewater (Convince Reed to Step Down) (Optional)
“Reed has been removed from Edgewater. Return to Adelaide and tell her the news.”
Adelaide McDevitt
Talk to Adelaide and tell her that you have talked Reed into leaving.
Start of Dialog
She will be pleasantly surprised that she saw the day when Reed Tobson has abandoned his post: “Suppose we all have a breaking point.” She will agree to return to Edgewater with others and tend to it. She will then note that you are difficult to figure out with how you have injured the deserters “with one hand,” and yet helped them “with the other.” She will give you her watch as a “ransom, not a reward,” so that you let them be (worth 1750 bits).
You can say that you think Edgewater is better off with Adelaide as a leader, or explain that you are trying to set things right. With former she will be surprised that you went through all this trouble just to make her the leader. “Stranger, you are some kind of twisted.” With the latter, she will note that this isn’t enough to remedy the situation completely, “but it is a start.” Dreaming of a cannery as a garden and the cemetery as an endless supply of a fertilizer, she will ask for some time to gather her belongings. “Long walk back to Edgewater. Got a considerable burden to carry.”
End of Dialog
Parvati will approve of your decision to unite the two settlements, if you enter a dialog with her. She hopes “you rest well on that.”
If you talk to the deserters now, Grace and Thomas will express surprise and sound happy to join Adelaide in returning back to the town.
You will get a 2% Negative Reputation with the Board if you choose this outcome.
The quest Comes Now the Power will be COMPLETED:
“With Reed gone, Adelaide will undoubtedly take control of Edgewater.”
Return to Reed (Power Redirected to Botanical Lab)
“You diverted Edgewater’s power to the Botanical Lab. Reed must be furious.”
If you talk to Parvati, she will sound unsure about your decision, since the Edgewater’s future is now unclear.
Now you have to manually locate the exit out of the plant (you can’t fast travel from the location) and fast travel or walk to Edgewater in order to speak to Reed about the situation and pick up the power regulator.
The workers of the cannery will be outside, contemplating what they can do now. Constable Reyes will tell them to “exercise patience and contemplate the scriptures.” She will assure them that Reed is aware of “your concerns” and continues his work of guiding the town to prosperity. Still, the loss of productivity will be deducted from the workers’ pay. Some will wonder if Adelaide was right to leave. (To which constable will note that deserting is punishable by “hard labor.”)
If you talk to Reyes, she will say that Reed told her to expect you. You will still be able to pick up work from her (the Fistful of Digits quest), since she is authorized to hire freelancers. Head inside the cannery to your left, through the garage door and down the stairs at the back wall to pick up the regulator.
Reed Tobson
Reed will be waiting for you by the door leading to the power room. As you approach, he will push himself away from the wall and start a dialog with you.
Start of Dialog
Reed will hint at wanting to use your help to turn the town’s luck after a “cavalcade of disasters” (“Plague. Marauders. Desertion.”), and that’s technically what ended up happening.
He will ask you why you did what you did.
You can tell him it’s not personal and you just need the power regulator, that you don’t owe him an explanation, or [Dumb] admit that you aren’t sure, maybe you just like pressing buttons.
If you point to the power regulator, Reed will say it’s company property. If you refuse to explain yourself, Reed will take responsibility for putting the town’s fate “in the hands of some feckless transient.” With the [Dumb] option Reed will congratulate himself on delivering the fate of the town “into the hands of a certified imbecile.”
Reed will tell you to turn back, since he has guards posted with orders to fire inside the room.
You can [Intimidate 25] to prevent them “bleeding all over my power regulator,” you can apologize, or ask about the future of Edgewater.
Regarding the future of Edgewater, Reed will recount quite a few damages. He predicts Spacer’s Choice shutting the place down, while some will die of illness before that even happens. Some will move on, some will starve. Reed expects to be imprisoned.
If you apologize, Reed will note that it will not do anything at this point. “But, for what it is worth? I am sorry, too.”
If you use [Intimidate 25], Reed will be afraid to witness more violence. He will take back his orders so that you can take the regulator and let the town be. He will then address the room full of guards, “we’re done here.” The guards will later be outside, with the constable. Some will contemplate how long the town will last without power.
If you leave the conversation, Reed will simply walk off, and the guards will attack you inside the room.
End of Dialog
Reed will refuse to talk to you after this. The Deserter reputation will rise by an additional 30% (70% total, if you started at 0).
Meanwhile, the Spacer’s Choice reputation will continue to decrease with every guard you kill, should you fail to make Reed call them off. It will most likely fall to 50% and you will become kill-on-sight, making you fail any incomplete quests you might have had in the town. If Reed calls them off, your negative reputation will stay at 20%.
If you try to pay a visit to the sick house, you will discover the unfortunate souls banging at the sealed doors. The guard will note that the last thing the town needs is to contract the disease.
If you haven’t talked to Vicar Max until now, he will apologize for not being able to give you his full attention. With the loss of power the townsfolk require reassurance. If you suggest that they should desert the town, Max will suggest that some “may prefer the safety of a dark town over an illuminated danger.”
Adelaide McDevitt
If you travel to the deserters and you have never talked to Adelaide, you can tell her that Reed hired you to shut off their power, but you decided to help the deserters instead. She will admit that she was wondering what happened. “You say Reed Tobson hired you to cut us off, huh? No warnings. No negotiating. Yeah, that sounds like him.”
If you travel to Adelaide and you have talked to her before, she will note that the pleasant hum of electricity “whispers across the vale like the winds of change. You’ve done well.” Tell her nothing will bring her son back and she will agree. A slightly alarming note is that Adelaide plans on sorting people based on whether they are willing to “renounce their corporate loyalties, and live the way nature intended.” (A bit of a step-back from her all-welcoming approach.) She will ask you about your motivations and she will observe that you are special, not brainwashed by the Board.
People at the camp will comment on never seeing it “so lively.”
You will not get any additional rewards from Adelaide.
The quest Comes Now the Power will be COMPLETED:
“With the power from the geothermal plant diverted to Adelaide’s camp, Reed’s plans are undone. You should be able to take the power regulator from Edgewater.”
Which of the options do you think is the best? Which one did you go with? Did providing so many options and outcomes make The Outer Worlds a more rich or a more confusing experience for you? Share your opinion in the comments or join our Discord server to do so there!
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