What is the Starfield Mantis puzzle solution in the Lair of the Mantis? The Mantis side quest is one of Starfield’s best, but getting to the rewards at the end is no mean feat, as you must work out the solution to a floor puzzle in a tight corridor, where a single wrong step will cause high-level turrets to decimate you before you can blink.
So we’re here to help, because the solution is by no means obvious. Completing the quest nets you some of the best Starfield armor in the game, and one of the best Starfield ships, so you definitely want to complete it as early as possible. Below, we have the quick answer to the Starfield Mantis puzzle for those of you who are stuck there as you read this, wanting to find the loot in the Mantis Lair, followed by a step-by-step guide to the full quest, if you need more detailed instructions.
Starfield Mantis puzzle solution
The answer to the floor puzzle is to spell out the word ‘TYRANNIS’. You can also hack the computer before the puzzle, or jump and boost to the other side to avoid it entirely.
That is all you need to know to get through the floor puzzle. Be careful though, because the plates on the floor are extremely sensitive, so you should walk and turn at 90-degree angles to ensure you get through unscathed – I had to reload a couple of times when I swore I was nowhere near another letter, but the turrets tore me to shreds anyway.
The way you’re meant to figure this out is via one of the previous audio logs you should have picked up called ‘Leon Voclain – Sic Semper Tyrannis’. Leon complains about his mom repeating that phrase over and over, instead of saying anything loving to her son.
Now if you’re looking for a full walkthrough to the Mantis quest, continue onwards – if you just wanted to get past that corridor, you’re safe to head off. Just watch out for the hostile turrets and robots you’ll encounter before the reward.
Starfield Mantis quest walkthrough
To begin the Mantis mission, you must find a note titled ‘Secret Outpost!’ It’s usually on a dead Spacer – I found it on the Nova Galactic Staryard, when you’re tasked with finding Vanguard Moara as part of the mission The Old Neighborhood.
Spacers were fighting against Ecliptics, and the note was on a dead Spacer. Read the note and you’ll get an objective to go to Denebola I-b.
Finding the Secret Outpost
Denebola I-b is in the Denebola system, which – if you’re doing this quest as early as I did – you won’t have been to yet. You can get there fairly quickly, but you’ll have to grav jump from Alpha Centauri to Olympus, then to Volii, followed by Porrima, then Denebola. You’ll pick up a few mission starters along the way too, all of which you’ll have plenty of time to complete later.
When you land at the Secret Outpost, some hostile Spacers will immediately engage, then when you head to the objective marker, you’ll find a few more. Don’t be put off by the high level of these foes – my enemies ranged from level 8-30, but despite me only being level eight myself, no enemy was particularly tough. Just be ready to lob a couple of grenades here and there.
Lair of the Mantis
Throughout the Lair of the Mantis will be plenty more Spacers in the same level range, and some of them will have audio logs on them to progress the quest. These come from Doriane Voclain, the mother of Leon Voclain, and the woman behind the mask of the Mantis.
You’ll come to learn, through these audio logs and some intercoms on the wall, that the Mantis is essentially a superhero vigilante. Sound familiar? That’s not the end of the Batman inspiration… She has set the Lair of the Mantis up to be a test for Leon, so he’s able to become the next Mantis in her stead.
Everything in the Lair is quite linear, but keep an eye out for locked safes and crates, most of which are at an Expert level but contain some worthwhile loot. Eventually, right before you come across the Mantis puzzle, you meet Livvey – or in my case, I accidentally put two bullets into him from across the room before realizing he wasn’t actually hostile to begin with.
If you don’t kill Livvey on sight, he’ll give you some clues about the puzzle in exchange for a cut of the prize, or you can decide to kill him.
Mantis puzzle
Now you’re at the aforementioned Mantis puzzle, where you must walk across the floor panels to spell TYRANNIS. Make it to the other side and you can keep progressing through the winding corridors, but rather than Spacers, you now have some mechanical foes to deal with.
There’ll be a couple of hostile turrets and robots to fight, all of which are at level 20. They take a few more shots than the Spacers did, but you should be able to polish them off without any issues as long as you have enough ammo.
Mantis rewards
Eventually, you’ll emerge into a huge cavern, with one final robot to take down within. As you can tell, this is heavily inspired by Batman, and you’ll have two quest markers to visit. The one to the left is to acquire the Mantis’ Spacesuit, which is excellent if you’ve completed the quest as early as I did. The only caveat is that the perks you get seem to be random across the helmet, spacesuit, and pack.
Each of them also has fantastic physical resistance, though I’m not convinced by the aesthetics – the helmet especially gives me the ick. Once you’ve grabbed the suit and looted anything else that takes your fancy, head up to the other quest marker to activate the landing pad, then leave the Lair of the Mantis to find the ship waiting for you at the top.
The ship is the Razorleaf, which is a phenomenal Class-A ship that comes equipped with a Shielded Cargo Hold – perfect for storing Starfield contraband.
Now you’ve solved the Mantis puzzle and completed the quest, read up on the absolute best Starfield legendary gear in the game. You can also read up on everything we know about a Starfield respec option if you decide you want to go in a different direction with your stats.
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.