Starfield High Price to Pay: Defend the Lodge or the Eye consequences explained
Time to pay the ultimate price.
While the game is open for you to do whatever you like out in space, the Starfield High Price to Pay story mission asks players to make one massive and horrible decision.
Landing towards the end of the game's story, Bethesda throws a curve-ball and forces you to make a choice that has a big impact on Starfield's plot.
This isn't something you can avoid, it's not something you can skip around by doing something clever – if you want to complete the game's main questline, you have to make this horrible selection.
Major story spoilers follow. If you don't want anything spoiled, we recommend you leave this page now.
Still here? Good.
During this mission, the character you have the closest relationship with (as far as anyone can tell) in the location you don't defend will die. Is there any way to save them?
Read on to find out whether you should defend the Lodge or the Eye during the Starfield High Price to Pay mission, and to see if there’s any way you can save everyone.
What happens if you defend the Lodge?
If you choose to defend the Lodge during High Price to Pay in Starfield, the companion you are closest with of those in the location will be killed at the Eye.
During the High Price to Pay mission, you’ll be asked to either go and defend the Lodge or the Eye – whatever location you head to, the companion you have the closest relationship with will die at the other.
The companions in question will always be the main four Constellation companions – Andreja, Barrett, Sam Coe, and Sarah Morgan.
It does seem that the companion you have the highest affinity with will be at the Eye and the companion you have the second-highest affinity with will be at the Lodge.
Stay at the Lodge? The character you have the highest affinity with will be killed at the Eye.
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What happens if you defend the Eye?
If you choose to defend the Eye during High Price to Pay in Starfield, the companion you are closest with of those in the location will be killed at the Lodge.
Again, we’re not too sure what decides which characters will be at which location, but the one you have the closest relationship with in the Lodge will die if you choose to defend the Eye.
An earlier mission should make it clear who will end up where, and if there is a character you know for sure you don’t want to die you must make sure you defend the location they are placed in.
Read more on Starfield:
- Starfield review - our final verdict
- Starfield tips and tricks - how to get started
- Starfield romance - all potential relationships
- Starfield character creation - all your options explained
- Starfield digipick - how to lockpick
- How long is Starfield? The hours you'll need
- Will Starfield ever come to PS5? Developer comments
- Starfield cast - all voice actors
- Starfield soundtrack - how to listen
- Starfield storage guide - don't be overburdened
- Starfield FOV - change your point of view
- Starfield FPS - developers explain 30fps
- Starfield PC requirements - specs needed
- Starfield performance - potential fixes
- Starfield factions - all possible groups
Who dies and can you save everyone?
Who dies during the High Price to Pay mission in Starfield is the Constellation companion you have the closest relationship with at the location you choose not to defend. It will be different for every player.
Let’s say Sam Coe and Andreja are at the Lodge, for example. If you choose to defend the Eye, the character you have the closest relationship with left behind at the Lodge will be killed.
It’s not entirely clear what decides which characters will be placed in which location (as far as anyone can tell, it’s based on affinity) but an earlier mission should make it clear who will be at the Lodge and who will be at the Eye.
You’ll have to choose where to defend based on the character you don’t mind being killed compared to the other three – horrible, we know.
Meanwhile, it is possible to save everyone but only in a New Game Plus run.
To save everyone, you need to unlock the New Game Plus-exclusive story mission: Foreknowledge. Complete the following steps to unlock the new mission and to save everyone during High Price to Pay:
- Choose to repeat the main quest and don’t tell anyone about being starborn
- Play through the story missions once more
- This should open up a new starborn dialogue option when talking to Vladimir at the end of the Further into the Unknown mission
- Tell Vladimir that the artifacts need to be moved away from the Lodge
- This unlocks Foreknowledge, in which you build the Armillary before the events of High Price to Pay
Follow those steps to save every Constellation companion and to make sure no one has to die in High Price to Pay.
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Authors
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).
