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The Outer Worlds guide: Stranger in a Strange Land main quest walkthrough

Find your footing and get off the planet

The Outer Worlds guide 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.

Stranger in a Strange Land is the first quest you’ll get in The Outer Worlds, and it encompasses other quests inside it. Ultimately, your goal is to become captain of the Unreliable and fly off of Terra-2 to somewhere new.

Here’s how to get your ship up and running again to start really exploring The Outer Worlds.

Picking up the quest

This quest is impossible to miss. After you’ve created your character, you’ll pick up this quest automatically when you land on Terra-2.

Find Hawthorne’s ship

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

To find Hawthorne’s ship, you need to head through the tutorial area on Terra-2. Follow your objective marker until it leads you to ADA, the ship’s computer. She’ll say that you’re Captain Hawthorne now, and the ship needs a Power Regulator to fly. When you leave the ship, the two Spacer’s Choice soldiers will question your actions. Just lie to them and say you’re an inspector. They’ll buy it and leave you alone.

Now it’s time to make your way to the nearby town of Edgewater.

Find a Power Regulator

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

To find the Power Regulator, you need to talk to people around town. Ask Silas, the town gravedigger, about a Power Regulator on your way into Edgewater. You can also pick up the A Small Grave Favor quest from Silas.

Silas will point you toward Reed, the man in charge. Head to the Saltuna Cannery at the back of Edgewater and enter in the door — not the garage — with the Spacer’s Choice sign above it. Ride the elevator up and talk to Reed.

Here, he’ll give you the Come Now the Power quest, which you’ll now need to complete before you can proceed.

Divert power from the Geothermal Plant

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

This step is all about the Come Now the Power quest, where you need to choose to divert power to Edgewater or the Botanical Lab.

The steps are fairly straightforward, and you can follow along with our Come Now the Power guide for a more detailed walkthrough.

Retrieve the Power Regulator

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

After you’ve disappointed either Reed or Adelaide and finished the Come Now the Power quest, your objective marker will direct you toward the Power Regulator. Walk over and pick it up.

Note that if you sided with the Botanical Lab, you’ll need to kill some Edgewater soldiers to get at the Power Regulator.

Return to the Unreliable

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

With your Power Regulator in hand, and feeling less than great about how you got it, head back to the Unreliable. Pavarti will ask to join your crew for good. You can deny her, but we think the journey is better with a few more friends. Head into the ship, and speak to Vicar Max, if you completed his companion quest.

After everyone’s caught up, head in to talk to Ada.

Install the Power Regulator

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

ADA needs you to install the Power Regulator, so follow your marker through the cargo bay and into the engine room. Plug it in and head back to ADA.

Speak with ADA

The Outer Worlds guide Obsidian Entertainment/Private Division via Polygon

Tell ADA you’ve installed the Power Regular to finish this quest. Now it’s time to explore the rest of The Outer Worlds’ vast galaxy.

The next level of puzzles.

Take a break from your day by playing a puzzle or two! We’ve got SpellTower, Typeshift, crosswords, and more.