How to complete the Mantis Starfield mission

Nicholas James Published 02/09/2023

Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios’ latest sci-fi game, is shaking up the gaming world, and we’ve found the best early game ship in the game.

Starfield is an absolutely massive game, and it’s not surprising when players might pass by content that others get. However, there’s one important side mission hidden in one of the main story missions that unlock a Legendary suit, helmet, jump pack, and a fantastic ship that’s way ahead of the curve. It’s easy to miss, however, so we’re going to show you how to unlock the Legendary Mantis armor and ship.

How to find the Mantis quest

The “Mantis” quest can be found during the This Old Neighbourhood quest, which is the first quest you’ll do after joining the interstellar adventuring guild Constellation. This will take you to a Starstation, where you’ll kill a spacer enemy that drops a note that is not-so-subtly titled Secret Outpost! Picking up the note will start the quest and will give you the location of a hidden outpost in a remote world. Complete This Old Neighbourhood, then make your way to the indicated planet.

The Lair of the Mantis

The Mantis is a renowned pirate-hunter in Starfield, and this location is her lair. When you arrive, you’ll find it chock full of Spacers who are trying to claim the bounties of the complex for themselves. Dispatch them and make your way to the far side of the building from where you land, following the quest marker. This will take you into the Mantis’ lair, where you’ll begin to wind your way through rooms packed with robots and Spacers.

This location is incredibly cramped, and many railings fully block you from jetpacking over them. For these reasons, grenades and carefully aimed shots at environmental explosives can make this much easier. The enemies in here get all the way up to level 25, but you can be far below that and still complete this with some clever thinking. As you make your way down, you’ll hear some recordings of the previous Mantis talking to her son, to whom this building is meant as a trial.

Mantis Lair Floor Puzzle

Partway through the lair, there’s a floor with several letters painted on pressure pads and some seriously dangerous turrets on the other side. Stepping on the wrong pressure pad on any row or damaging the turrets will activate them, filling the room with laser fire that’s likely to kill you after the intense fight in the room before. There’s an unarmed Spacer who offers to surrender just before you get to this puzzle, but he’ll ask for a portion of rewards so you’re best off just ignoring him.

The password is hidden in one of the Mantis’ messages, in which she signs out with the phrase “Sic Semper Tyrannis.” For those interested, this is a Latin phrase that translates to “Thus Always To Tyrants.” It’s a timeless anti-tyrannical aphorism, which fits with the Mantis’ purpose to protect civilians from pirates and Spacers. TYRANNIS is the password to the floor, and you’ll be fine as long as you spell it out on the tiles by walking over the correct one in each line.

How to get the Mantis Armor

Beyond this, there’s a corridor with another armed turret. This one is going to shoot you no matter what you do, so you’re aiming down sights with your weapon of choice and peeking the corner to pop off quick shots repeatedly. Beyond that, there’s a room with two of the Model A bipedal robots you’ve faced throughout the dungeon. The room beyond that holds a Model S robot, a quadrupedal dog-like construct. All of these will become hostile as soon as they see you, so get as much damage off as you can before they do.

Beyond that is an enormous cave, with a gorgeous ship on a landing pad waiting for you. However, the cave is, you guessed it, guarded by Model S and Model A robots who will be waiting for you. Don’t just run for the pretty ship however, as there’s a small side building near to where you enter the cave. This building holds some of the best early-game loot in the entire game, the Mantis space suit, boost pack, and helmet. At the end of this building is a glass case with a sleek set of white and grey armor, which you can loot. This is the Mantis armor set and offers some pretty great perks.

How to get the Razorleaf

Beyond this building is your final reward for the slog you’ve just been through. The Razorleaf is a gorgeous, and incredibly powerful, sleek interception and combat craft that stacks up as the earliest possible Legendary ship you can get. The Razorback is worthy of that Legendary moniker too, as its stats impress even as your hours in the game get on.

Razorleaf Stats

Reactor: A
Crew: 2
Cargo: 420/160 Shielded
Jump: 19 light years
Weapons Systems (Laser/Ballistic/Missiles): 6/16/36

The Razorleaf is fast and deadly. Its main downside is its limited cargo capacity and small crew count. Despite this, it’s definitely worth using for a while, especially if you’re digging space combat as you start your game.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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