Late Bloomer – Starfield Mission

Thanks to completing Out on a Limb, you now know that the trees of New Atlantis may pose a threat to this futuristic city. And if you’re anxious to ensure that nothing bad happens to this expansive quest hub at some point in the distant future, then you might want to follow this guide that’ll help you conclude the quest chain that started with A Tree Grows in New Atlantis.

• Quest Type: Misc
• Prerequisites: Out on a Limb
• Location
  • System: Alpha Centauri
  • Planet: Jemison
  • City: New Atlantis
• Rewards
  • 5500 Credits
  • 100 XP

Location

By now you should’ve mastered the art of locating Kelton Frush, the NPC you need to start every step in this quest chain. But if you need a reminder – you’ll find him underneath a massive tree in New Atlantis’ MAST district.

Walkthrough

Your latest chat with Kelton will reveal the nature of the alarming vibrations his tree’s been sending out. In effect, it’s been reaching out to the other trees with the purpose of reproducing. However, its only compatible mate was moved years ago as a peace offering from the United Colonies to the Freestar Collective. The harsh environment of Akila City, the Freestar capital, has proven too much for the tree – it withered and died. But Kelton believes he can simulate an appropriate response for the vibrating tree by using a dead branch of the Freestar tree that’s currently being exhibited in Akila City’s museum.

Speak to Leah Casler

The task of retrieving the branch will, predictably, send you to Akila City, the Freestar Collective capital located in the Cheyenne System. To be able to go there, you will first need to complete One Small Step – the introductory quest for the game’s main story. In fact, you may also want to complete The Old Neighborhood right after, the next step in the main story, as afterwards you’ll get The Empty Nest – a main quest sending you to Akila City.

Regardless of when you decide to tackle Late Bloomer, chances are you won’t be able to Fast Travel directly to Cheyenne at that point (1). In order to get there, you’ll need to first jump to the Olympus system (2), and once you get there, you should be able to jump to Cheyenne (3) and land on Akila (4). Consult our guide if you need help with Starfield’s interstellar navigation.

Once you land, consult your hand scanner if you need directions (5). Your goal is inside the Coe Heritage Museum (6). Step inside, talk with Leah Casler and ask her about a tree branch (7).

Your initial conversation will leave you with two quest markers, one inviting you to persuade Leah to give you the branch, and the other pointing you to a safe from where you can steal it.

The safe has an Expert-level lock and if it has a key, we’ve not been able to find it. Apart from the Ancient Branch, the safe holds some other goodies, and if you have the skill, it’s really easy to crack it, as Leah won’t mind you picking her lock right behind her back.

Succeeding in a Persuasion check will just give you the branch, while failing it will unlock an alternative way of completing the quest. To do so, you’ll need to go have a chat with Earl Fulton.

Speak to Earl Fulton

You’ll find Earl inside the local zoo (10). Simply follow the quest marker to get there (11). After you mention Leah (12), he’ll offer to sell his Ancient Branch to you for 500 Credits, and from what we can tell, there are no other ways of getting it from him.

Deliver the Branch to Kelton Frush

Once you’ve obtained a branch, it’s time to go back to Kelton Frush. Thankfully, this time you can just Fast Travel back to New Atlantis. When you deliver the branch to him, he’ll need to work his magic on it. This means waiting a few seconds while he does science stuff. When he’s done, you’ll be able to talk to him again and learn that you now need to find a way to play the newly-created sample to the tree.

Upload Audio to an SSNN Terminal

The apparent way to play the audio sample is to upload it to an SSNN Terminal. And while there’s a speaker nearby, the terminal is located in the Commercial District. Once you get there, either by taking a NAT train or Fast Traveling, follow the quest marker (13) to the SSNN building (14).

The wall panel inside is your target (15). Use it, click on the Broadcast Diagnostics folder (16), then choose Upload Diagnostic File (17), and then Run Diagnostic (18).

When that’s done, simply go back to the tree and speak with Kelton. He’ll congratulate you on a job well done, reward you for your efforts and complete the quest chain.