Starfield Vae Victis in Secret Home
Image via Prima Games.

How to Complete The Devils You Know in Starfield

Someone important wants to speak with you.

If you’re looking for some of the best side content that Starfield has to offer, then faction mission lines are going to be your best bet. The Crimson Fleet mission line, for example, offers plenty of espionage-type missions that almost feel like an immersive sim in a way. One such faction mission shows up after a cliffhanger for the United Colonies mission Friends Like These. Here’s how to complete The Devils You Know in Starfield.

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Starfield The Devils You Know Walkthrough

The Devils You Know comes right off the back of the mission Friends Like These. After Deputy MacIntyre swears you in, she’ll tell you there’s someone who wants to see you about sensitive information regarding the Terrormorphs but has specifically requested to speak to you alone.

Proceed to Your Meeting in Subsection Seven

Starfield Vae Victis
Screenshot by Prima Games

To kick things off, take the MAST elevator down to Subsection Seven, a new floor that appeared at the start of this mission. As you head through Subsection Seven, you’ll meet an old man behind some glass only listed as “Stranger.” Speak to the Stranger at a nearby intercom, who will reveal himself as Francois Sanon, also known as Vae Victis, Hadrian’s “father.”

It turns out he wasn’t executed as the public was led to believe. Instead, the previous US deemed him and his work during the Colony War too valuable to throw away. To hide their secret, they hid him in Subsection Seven, where many of the UC’s secrets head, never to be dug up again. He’ll mention how he’s impressed by you and Hadrian’s progress and how he wants to assist in stopping the Terrormorphs. In fact, he has the names and locations of Hadrian’s old research team to give.

In exchange, he wants you to track down someone who was part of his team, a Dr. Reginald Orlase, who fled from the tribunal after the end of the Colony War. From there, how you “deal” with him is up to you. He’s been hiding around the world of Etherea in the Wolf System. Rayna Marquez, located in the same system at The Den, can help.

Speak to Captain Marquez

Before you head to The Den, you’ll notice an optional objective appeared to speak to Deputy MacIntyre in Interstellar Affairs. She’ll have known about Vae Victis being in the basement and needs you to keep quiet about it. What you say here is irrelevant and is just a way to learn just how deep this secret goes.

Starfield Captain Rayna Marquez
Screenshot by Prima Games

With that out of the way, head to The Den and speak with Captain Rayna Marquez, most likely on the upper floor. She doesn’t know about Orlase’s location, but does know about a ship named The Warlock in the Etherea debris field that’s been an enigma for some time. Some people have attempted to reach it, though two could never make it back. Sounds like someone not wanting to be found.

Find the Warlock and Either Disable its Engines Or Destroy It

Starfield Warlock Ship
Screenshot by Prima Games

You’ll find the Warlock in the Etherea Ruins near Etherea. When you get there, be mindful of both the nearby bombs and the array of asteroids surrounding the Warlock. Avoiding those, you’ll be prompted either to destroy the ship or disable its engines to board it. If you have at least one point in the Targeting Control Systems skill, it’ll be much easier to disable the engines and board it. Once you do, Dr. Orlase will commit suicide before you can arrest him. You also sadly can’t pilot his ship, as much as it looks nice.

Return the Evidence to Vae Victis

No matter how you take down the ship, you’ll want to grab the evidence and make your way back to Vae Victis in New Atlantis. He’ll want the evidence so he can prove that Orlase is dead, and will be happy with you and to see that you followed through. He’s going to organize all the lost team members so they head over to help with the Terrormorph research, but he will need your help getting the last one: Kaiser. He’s found on the Freestart world of Niira. However, you should check in with both Hadrian and Dr. Walker before heading there so you can have a way to deal with Kaiser’s likely defenses.

Before you can, though, this will end The Devils You Know mission. If you’re looking for help with some other faction missions, check out our guide on how to complete the Deep Cover mission in Starfield.


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About the Author

Shawn Robinson

Shawn is a freelance gaming journalist who's been with Prima Games for a year and a half, writing mainly about FPS games and RPGs. He even brings several years of experience at other sites like The Nerd Stash to the table. While he doesn't bring a fancy degree to the table, he brings immense attention to detail with his guides, reviews, and news, leveraging his decade and a half of gaming knowledge. If he isn't writing about games, he's likely getting zero kills in his favorite FPS or yelling at the game when it was 100% his fault that he died.