Starfield Mantis quest explained: Solve the puzzle, get legendary ship and armour

As building ships in Bethesda's mighty space RPG can cost the world, universe and everything in between, getting a brand-spanking new one for free is definitely worth doing. That shiny new armour is worth completing the Mantis quest for, too.

Read on, intrepid space explorer, to find out how to get the Mantis quest in Starfield and how to solve its pesky puzzle to complete the mission.

How to get the Mantis quest in Starfield

To get the Mantis quest in Starfield, you need to just keep killing and looting Spacers until you find a datapad called Secret Outpost! on one of them.

Read the datapad and the quest will automatically be added, simply titled: MANTIS.

A quest marker will appear, which you need to follow to the star system Denebola.

A point of interest will be marked on the moon Denebola I-b. Land there and the rest of the quest will play out.

If you want to go into the quest without knowing what lies ahead then stop reading, as there will be spoilers down below.

Read more on Starfield:

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• Starfield tips and tricks - how to get started
• Starfield romance - all potential relationships
• Starfield character creation - all your options explained
• How long is Starfield? The hours you'll need
• Will Starfield ever come to PS5? Developer comments
• Starfield cast - all voice actors
• Starfield companions - who to recruit
• 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

How to solve the Lair of the Mantis puzzle and complete the quest

As you blast your way down into the lair, be sure to loot everyone you kill, as some will be carrying journals that contain information about the Mantis quest.

In one of these, Leo – the former owner of the lair – will note that his mother would repeat the phrase "sic semper tyrannis", which is Latin for "thus always to tyrants".

Tyrannis is the keyword here, as you will eventually come to a puzzle with eight rows of letters. Getting it wrong will see the turrets open up and puncture you Swiss cheese-style fairly quickly.

To proceed, walk on the letters T-Y-R-A-N-N-I-S to get through safely.

Press the button on the other side and go through the gate, but turn to your right and you will find a locked door. Digipick the lock and you will be rewarded with a very good weapon.

Past this, you will face off against a few robots in the main area of the lair before getting your grubby paws on the good loot.

What do you get for the Mantis quest line?

For successfully seeing off the spacers, puzzles and robots, you will be rewarded with quite the collection of loot and 200 XP. On a mannequin is the Mantis spacesuit, helmet and boostpack.

The Legendary traits are randomised, though, and if you save the game before you open the mannequin case, you can change the Mantis suits traits. Below are some of the traits it can have - but you may see more in game.

Mantis Spacesuit (three traits)

• Chameleon – Blend with the environment while sneaking and not moving
• Weapon Holsters – Weapons weigh 50% less
• Repulsing – 5% chance to disarm nearby attackers
• Mirrored – 4% chance to reflect attacks
• Antiseptic – +25 airborne resistance
• Combat Veteran – -15% damage from Human enemies
• Sturdy – -15% incoming melee damage
• Leadlined – +25% Radiation Resistance
• Headhunter – Deals +25% damage on the next attack after hitting a target’s head
• Ablative – -15% incoming Energy damage
• Mechanized – +40 carry capacity
• Incendiary – 10% chance to ignite nearby attackers

Mantis Pack (three traits)

• Chameleon – Blend with the environment while sneaking and not moving.
• Liquid cooled – +25 thermal resistance. Armor-plated: -10% incoming physical, energy, and EM damage
• Galvanized – +25% Corrosive resistance

Mantis Space Helmet

• O2 Filter – -25% oxygen consumption
• Hacker – +2 max auto attempts that can be banked while hacking
• Sensor Chip – +20 accuracy while firing on the move
• Technician – -15% damage from Robot enemies
• Resource Hauler – Resources weigh 25% less
• Reactive – 10% chance to stagger nearby attackers

There is also the Razorleaf ship ready for the taking. This legendary ship is decked out with all sorts of goodies, and is one of the few ships in the game that already has a Shielded Cargo bay preinstalled.

Razorleaf ship

• Class A ship
• Crew – 2
• Fuel – 148
• Hull – 469
• Cargo – 967
• Shielded capacity – 160

That secret weapon we alluded to earlier has some juicy stats, too.

Med Theft Modified Auto-Rivet

• Ammo – Rivet
• Mag – 20
• Fire Rate – 18
• Range – 20
• Accuracy – 67.9%
• Mass – 6.50
• Mods – 3 out of 4
  • Laser Sight
  • Shielded Tool Grip
  • Hair Trigger

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