The Starfield Mantis Puzzle offers you a pretty straightforward way to unlock a free ship, as well as a legendary spacesuit in the early hours of the game. Apart from these, undertaking this side quest also offers a deeper insight into the lore of Starfield.
The quest takes you to a star system rated level 30, meaning there will be tougher enemies that feature a level as high as 25 will be present there. However, it is easily possible for players with level 8 and upwards to take on this challenge with the help of a companion.
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General Tips For The Starfield Mantis Quest
Things to keep in mind before you start this Quest:
- Keep a companion with you. Starfield companions like Sarah Morgan or Berret can be of great help during this quest, offering you backup and effectively doubling your firepower.
- Ensure you have an adequate supply of firearms as well as med packs. While the Starfield Mantis Puzzle doesn’t throw many enemies at you, there are definitely a couple that will test your might.
How To Start The Starfield Mantis Quest
To undertake the Starfield Mantis Quest, you need to loot a special data slate called Secret Outpost. This particular data slate can be acquired from a Spacer. There is a high chance that most of the enemies you encounter on your space exploration and other quests will have this item in their possession.
The easiest way to get your hands on this data slate is during the game’s first main story mission, The Old Neighborhood. In this mission, when you encounter and eventually battle Spacers on the Nova Galatic Star Station, fallen Spacers will drop this slate as loot. However, it is also entirely possible to come across this item while focusing on exploration and side quests rather than main quests, as many Spacers in other locations in this game will also have this item.
Many Starfield side missions focus on defeating or capturing small bands of rogue spacers. Completing these missions will have two key advantages – you will find the data slate and you can collect bounties for getting rid of these spacers from boards in major in-game settlements.
Once you have the Secret Outpost data slate in your possession, head over to your inventory menu. You will find the data slate there in the ‘Notes’ section and all you need to do is listen to it. After a short audio clip, the Starfield Mantis Puzzle quest will be unlocked in your Quests tab and a marker will be set. This marker will display the location of a secret base on the planet Denebola I-B in the star system Denebola.
How To Find The Starfield Mantis Puzzle
Once you reach Denebola I-B, the quest marker will display the location of the secret base on the South Pole of the planet. Once you land there, you will be ambushed by a group of Spacers. While most of them will be low-level enemies (around levels 6-8) there might be a couple of high-level members present in the group, so watch out for them. Once you have shot (and looted) every last one of them, you can head inside the base and begin your quest.
The secret base is the lair of Mantis, the chosen moniker of the late vigilante Doriane Voclain. Once you get inside the base, follow the quest marker and defeat additional Spacers that can be found lurking inside. Don’t forget to comb and explore the base thoroughly as you will find many great loot items in the area. Make it a point to pick all the locked safes as they contain a pretty decent item haul.
Also read: Starfield Ship Storage: How to Store Items & Increase Capacity
While you are exploring the base and killing the enemies, keep an eye (rather an ear) out for intercoms placed near the doors. These intercoms will let you in on the lore of the Mantis, who had recorded a bunch of messages before her demise, in order to guide her son to her possessions.
Apart from these messages, the lore of the Mantis in Starfield Mantis Puzzle can also be unraveled through looting the Spacers and collecting additional data slates. Audio notes inside these slates will reveal the identity of Doriane’s son as Leon Voclian. These audio notes will further shed light on Mantis and repeatedly offer a crucial Latin phrase – Sic Semper Tyrannis (thus always to tyrants, meaning tyrants will always [eventually] be overthrown). This is your key to solving the Starfield Mantis Puzzle.
Moving deeper and deeper into the base, you will eventually come face to face with a Spacer called Livvey. Talking to him will offer you additional insights, including some clues about the location of Mantis’s ship and spacesuit. After he offers information about a strange corridor with a puzzle etched on it, you are left with three options – form a temporary alliance with Livvey and cut him in on your loot, kill him right away, or threaten and send him on his way. The first two options are much viable as trying to spare him but making him leave will make him attack you.
How To Solve The Starfield Mantis Puzzle
Once you reach the corridor described by Livvey, you will see a large hall with lettered panels on the floor. The hall will consist of eight rows that have seven lettered panels each. Now, you must move forward extremely cautiously, as there is no way across without stepping on at least one panel in each row. Stepping on the wrong letter will trigger an assault on you by four automatic turrets, each featuring level 46. The damage will be significant.
The easiest way is to solve the Starfield Mantis Puzzle by spelling out a seven-letter word and moving across. This is where the audio logs and notes from Leon Voclian will come in handy. The much-repeated phrase, Sic Semper Tyrannis, is the key to solving this puzzle. You have to carefully move in a way that ensures to spell the word ‘Tyrannis‘. Keep your attention on the floor and ensure you do not touch any other panel by accident.
Where To Find The Legendary Mantis Spacesuit
Once you’re clear of the Starfield Mantis Puzzle hall, you will run into a group of robots and turrets of level 20. You have to keep moving forward after defeating them. After a short while, you will reach the Batcave-like lair of Mantis. Once you reach the lair, the quest objectives will change to ‘Claim the Mantis’s Spacesuit’ and ‘Claim the Mantis’s Starship’.
Mantis’s spacesuit can be found in the storage room located in the left corner of the lair. It will be placed in a glass tube. Open the tube and interact with the mannequin to claim the spacesuit for yourself. Ensure that you also explore the area thoroughly for some additional loot.
How To Get The Razorleaf In Starfield
The control panels to lift the Mantis’s starship, Razorleaf, up will be placed on the far back wall of the lair. Interact with these controls to raise the ship to the planet’s surface. Following the same route you traveled to reach the lair, go back outside to the planet’s surface. Once you reach the entrance of the base, a new quest marker will appear, displaying the location of Razorleaf.
Enter the ship and set a course for a Grav jump. This simple action will make the Mantis’s legendary starship your own. If you are still in the early stages of the game, this ship will be a significant upgrade over your starter ship Frontier in almost every way.
Solving the Starfield Mantis Puzzle ultimately rewards you with two legendary and extremely powerful items that will be helpful to you over the course of your entire playthrough. If you want to further modify your Razorleaf, you might want to check out our guide to Starfield custom ship building.
