Family Debts – Shadowrun Returns

This guide will help you complete the Family Debts mission in Shadowrun Returns.

Family Debts Map

Legend

1. Funeral
2. Grave
3. Mercenary Wave #1
4. Mercenary Wave #2
5. Ghoul Wave #1
6. Ghoul Waves #2 and #3
7. Defensible Spot
8. Loot
9. Loot

Family Debts Walkthrough

Background

The sun has nearly set when you reach Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Its cemetery, dilapidated and overgrown, sits atop a small hill on the outskirts of the city — a somber enclave of the dead overlooking the sprawl of the living. The Seattle rain continues unabated and lightning appears over the mountains, exposing the landscape in staccato pulses of stark flashes.

You walk the gravel path to the gates of the cemetery. Up ahead you see Coyote and Jake standing by the gravesite alongside Jessica Watts and another mourner, a beautiful elven woman in a six-figure outfit.

Whatever Dr. Holmes was up to at Mercy Mental Hospital, the answers lie here, with the reinterred body of Melinda Watts, the recently deceased body of Sam Watts, and with those attending them at this ceremony.

Karma Points

• [8]  Question the Mercenary Captain.

Walkthrough

Near the entrance to the cemetery, you’ll find Jessica Watts, Lynne Telestrian (a bigwig in the Universal Brotherhood), Coyote, Jake Armitage, and a priest standing around a pair of gravesites (#1). When you talk to Jessica, the priest will complete the funeral, and everybody, including you, will get to say a few words.

Afterwards, when you talk to Jessica again, she’ll freely admit that she hired Holmes to kill people and collect organs, all in an effort to make her mother whole again. She’ll call the victims “ghouls” and “scavengers,” and she’ll be perfectly happy that they’re dead, even Sam. Of course, Jessica will be annoyed that you know the truth, so she’ll call in some mercenaries to kill you, and she and Lynne will take off. Luckily, Coyote and Jake will help you out.

The mercenaries will attack you in two waves. The first will come from the east (#3), and the second will come from the south (#4). You’ll face nine mercenaries in total, including a Mercenary Captain. Conveniently, the mercenaries will clump together when they attack you, making them good targets for grenades and shotguns.

But to make matters more interesting, ghouls will be attracted by the fighting, and they’ll attack in waves as well — one from the north (#5) and two from the west (#6). Ghouls are fairly nasty melee creatures, so it’s a good idea to fight them from a distance. You’ll face seven ghouls in total.

The best way to handle the battles is to retreat to the northwest (#7). That way, almost all of the enemies will come at you from the south, and you won’t get caught in a crossfire. Plus, you’ll have a ley line, a summoning spot, and good cover available. Better yet, retreating will cause the ghouls and mercenaries to intermingle, and they’ll fight each other, making your job a little bit easier.

After the battle, you should look around for the Mercenary Captain. He’ll be dying, and he won’t reveal anything to you before kicking the bucket, but you’ll be able to identify him as part of Lynne Telestrian’s security detail — which means that Lynne and Jessica are working together, and that to get to Jessica, you’ll probably have to go through the Universal Brotherhood. This conversation will earn you 8 karma points.

Jake won’t want to go up against the Brotherhood, but he’ll offer to act as a bridge between you and Mr. Delilah, which will allow you to hire runners here and assault the Brotherhood right away. Otherwise, you’ll have to return to the Union. It won’t make any difference which way you proceed. The only reason to return to the Union is if you need to go shopping.

Note: If you go to the Union, then Cherry Bomb will ask you to look for her ex-boyfriend Shane, who has gone missing. But you can get this quest while you’re in the Universal Brotherhood building as well.

Regardless of you choice, before leaving the cemetery, you should do some exploring (assuming you didn’t look around earlier). You’ll find three items that you can pick up: a Force 4 Abomination Elemental Fetish (#2), a Cavalier Frag Grenade (#8), and some Jazz (#9).

When you’re ready to end the mission, you should either talk to Jake and skip the Union, or you should go to the cemetery exit (Exit A) and visit the Union.

Mission Overview

1 – Funeral

2 – Grave

Inside this grave you’ll find a Force 4 Abomination Elemental Fetish.

3 – Mercenary Wave #1

4 – Mercenary Wave #2

5 – Ghoul Wave #1

6 – Ghoul Waves #2 and #3

7 – Defensible Spot

8 – Loot

On the ground here, you’ll find a Cavalier Frag Grenade.

9 – Loot

On the ground here, you’ll find some Jazz.

Exits

1. Cemetery exit.