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The Outer Worlds guide: A Small Grave Matter task walkthrough

Help Silas collect his payments

Outer Worlds A Small Grave Matter task Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon
Ryan Gilliam (he/him) has worked at Polygon for nearly seven years. He primarily spends his time writing guides for massively popular games like Diablo 4 & Destiny 2.

One of the first tasks you’ll discover in The Outer Worlds is A Small Grave Matter. After you’ve visited your ship for the first time, your main quest sends you to Edgewater. On your way in, you’ll bump into Silas, the local grave digger. He’s got a job for you.

Talk to Silas

Silas doesn’t immediately bother you on your way in, so you need to walk up and talk to him. (He’s the guy in the hardhat, if you’re having trouble finding him.) Talk to Silas, and he’ll tell you he has a problem: the citizens of Edgewater aren’t paying for their grave plots. Silas wants to hire some muscle, and that muscle just happens to be you.

Finish talking to Silas and he’ll send you after four citizens in Edgewater.

Collect Conrad’s Gravesite Fees

Conrad is the most complicated citizen to get cash from. Walk into Edgewater and turn left, into the barber shop. You’ll find Conrad standing in his shop, acting the scumbag. You’ll only need a few seconds to tell this guy is going to be a pain, so don’t bother going through all of his dialogue options. Suggest he give Silas an IOU and walk away.

But there’s a way to push this step a bit farther. Instead of leaving and going back to Silas, walk into the back room of the barber shop. It’s a makeshift morgue. Now look for a small metal cart near the south wall. There’s a clipboard sitting suspiciously on the cart. Pick it up to get some blackmail on Conrad.

Walk back to Conrad, and tell him he should dig up his most recent body and sell the gold teeth locked inside. He’ll eventually agree and send you back to Silas. By some roundabout means, you’ve settled Conrad’s score. Time to move on.

Collect Abernathy’s Gravesite Fees

The Outer Wilds Grave Matter Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

Martin Abernathy is in a small house just outside of the factory. Walk left from the barber shop, follow the objective marker, and talk to Martin.

Martin’s sick and thinks his untimely death is why Silas sent you. Silas actually has no idea, but don’t tell Martin that. Play into his disease, and he’ll eventually pay up.

If you keep talking about his illness, he’ll give you a new side quest called The Long Tomorrow. When you walk out his front door, a woman named Esther will try and grab your attention, telling you that working for Abernathy is a mistake. Talk to her, and she’ll give you an alternative: Give her the medicine for the good of the entire town. If you missed talking to Esther before, you can still talk to her after you have the medicine.

The rest of this quest takes you outside of Edgewater, so following along with our walkthrough for The Long Tomorrow.

Collect Phyllis’ Gravesite Fees

Outer Worlds Grave Matter quest Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

Leave Martin and walk into the nearby Saltuna factory. Follow the objective marker, climb some stairs, and you’ll find Phyllis standing on the iron walkway. She’ll give up the cash almost immediately, so just tell her why you’re there.

Collect Ludwig’s Gravesite Fees

After Phyllis, leave the town through the east exit. Walk to the shipyard and look for Ludwig in a tiny shack. Talk to him. He’s going to tell to you a lot about the Resistance. Don’t worry about that for now. Just roll with the punches and ask him for the money. Make him believe it has anything to do with the Resistance, and he’ll pay up.

Like Martin, Ludwig will offer you an addition side quest called Die, Robot if you keep talking to him.

Return to Silas

After you’ve talked to everyone, go chat with Silas near the graveyard. Tell him you’ve got the money, and he’ll pay handsomely. You can persuade him to offer a bit more cash if your stats are high enough.

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