Should you side with UC SysDef or the Crimson Fleet in Starfield – Eye of the Storm

Because space-faring can’t just be a simple thing, Starfield will throw all manner of moral choices at you. As you play through the UC Vanguard missions, you’ll go undercover in the Crimson Fleet. The risk of feeling sympathy for the space pirate is high, but who should you actually side with? Does it make sense to side with UC SysDef or throw in your lot with the Crimson Fleet?

Should you side with UC SysDef or the Crimson Fleet in Starfield

For the Eye of the Storm mission, it is best to side with the Crimson Fleet. From a strictly rewards-focused perspective, this can get you the better long-term benefits. No matter which side you pick, you will receive 250,000 Credits, which is a nice chunk of change. So, it all boils down to the overall impact your choice has outside of just the money, and the Crimson Fleet is just a more attractive long-term prospect.

Be warned, there are spoilers for the Eye of the Storm mission in this article. Read at your peril.

What happens if you side with the Crimson Fleet?

So, as I said, you get 250,000 Credits, but you also get to keep your access to The Key, the Crimson Fleet base. This can be a useful base of operations at different points in the game. If you take the option to fight and kill Ikande on the Vigilance during the Eye of the Storm quest, you can also loot his body for the Unfair Advantage special pistol. This is the only way you will be able to get your hands on this, so it’s worth doing at least once in a playthrough.

Importantly, your companions will not really agree with the decision to go full pirate, so you will want to bring someone you don’t really care about or just bring Vasco, the emotionless killbot. One of the most important things to consider here is that the folks in SysDef just don’t hold it against you long-term if you go against them. You won’t be able to visit the Vigilance, but you can still happily go into SysDef space and visit their planets without any issue. Meanwhile, the Crimson Fleet will stay friendly to you, which can be pretty beneficial when you are exploring all manner of places in the game, as they just let you wander around instead of fighting you.

I guess if you really like combat and want to fight as many people as possible, you’ll want to think about this as any time you do get in a scrap with the Crimson Fleet, you will end up getting a bounty that will then need to be paid off in UC or Freestar Collective space. After one particularly hilarious fight against the Crimson Fleet that I didn’t even mean to start, I had to pay off a quarter of a million credits of a bounty.

What happens if you side with UC SysDef?

If you decide to keep on the straight and narrow, you will get your 250,000 Credits. Your companions also like this, so bring someone you are trying to develop good affinity with if you plan on taking this option. The impact of this option is more impactful, storywise. Delgado, whom you may have grown to like, will either die or be imprisoned, and the Crimson Fleet is essentially fractured beyond repair. They will still be out there, and they will hate you, but they will not be the power they once were.

You will still be able to access the Vigilance, but access to The Key is lost. That just isn’t really worth it, gameplay-wise, due to all the vendors and benefits of The Key. You can also sell Contraband there, which can be a solid source of income. In my opinion, ignore SysDef and side with Crimson Fleet here, as it makes a lot more sense in the long term.

Remember, this is also just a faction quest. You can play as far into the questline as you like, so if you choose to leave this one on a cliffhanger to maintain the status quo while you play through the rest of the game, you can do that.