Should you defend the Lodge or go to The Eye in the Starfield High Price to Pay mission? This main quest massively raises the stakes, and the choice you make has devastating consequences for Constellation. Thankfully, we’ve tested every available outcome to make this significant turning point in the Starfield story a whole lot easier for you.
The High Price to Pay mission in Starfield ranks as one of the best in the RPG game. Once you’ve spent enough time exploring Starfield cities and Starfield planets, you’ll eventually reach this quest when returning to New Atlantis as part of the main storyline, and there’s limited time to decide on how its events play out. Needless to say, there are spoilers below.
Should you defend the Lodge or go to The Eye in Starfield?
There are two choices ahead of you in the Starfield High Price to Pay mission: defend the Lodge or go to The Eye. No matter which choice you make, one of your companions will die. There is no way to avoid the death of one of your companions here, so prioritize your favorites by ensuring they’re in the same location as you. The ones you leave behind will all be injured, with the companion with the highest affinity being killed.
‘High Price to Pay’ begins immediately after you add the artifact retrieved for ‘No Sudden Moves’ to your collection in the Lodge. Speak to Noel once she fails to make contact with Vlad to set the events of this Starfield mission into motion.
Once you learn that The Hunter is on his way to retrieve the Artifacts, you only have a limited amount of time to decide whether to defend the Lodge or go to The Eye. All of the Starfield companions in the location you choose will survive the assault. However, the ones you leave to fend for themselves are not so lucky; all of them will be injured in the attack, but the companion you share the closest relationship with will be killed. Consequently, the companion on the chopping block varies from playthrough to playthrough, but Sarah Morgan, Sam Coe, and Barrett are the most likely candidates.
Unfortunately, there’s no way around avoiding the death of one of your companions, so the best outcome is to prioritize the location of your favorite companion – especially if you’ve already begun to pursue a Starfield romance. Once you leave the Lodge, the door is automatically barricaded behind you, locking you into your choice to go to The Eye. Meanwhile, if you choose to help Walter fend off The Hunter in the Lodge, you lose your chance to reach The Eye in time.
Whichever companion you lose, remember to attend their memorial in the subsequent quest ‘Missed Beyond Measure’. It takes place 3 UT days after you receive the quest, so keep an eye on your quest log and don’t be late. Alternatively, you can wait 24 hours after the service to skip the memorial altogether. It’s your choice.
Now that you know whether to defend the Lodge or go to The Eye in the Starfield High Price to Pay mission, check out the best Starfield guns and Starfield armor on offer in the open-world game so you can exact your revenge upon The Starborn. Finally, take a look at our Starfield review to find out how we found Bethesda’s interstellar adventure.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.