Missed the Mark sees you finding the real culprit in Starfield who stole Helena’s package and left her courier for dead.
“Missed the Mark” in Starfield is your typical corporate job with a unique twist. What initially appeared to be a straightforward investigation takes a dark turn when you stumble upon the lifeless body of a courier, who was discovered deceased in his office, with Helena’s package mysteriously gone missing.
The missing parcel belongs to Reliant Medical, and Helena, the manager, is unwilling to take any chances when it comes to its retrieval. Your task is to track down the suspect, but appearances can be deceiving.
Each incorrect decision comes at a steep cost, and even with the right choices, you may still miss out on certain rewards. Therefore, let’s delve into how you can maximize your rewards in the “Missed the Mark” mission within the world of Starfield.
How to unlock the Missed the Mark mission
In order to access the “Missed the Mark” side mission, you must first successfully finish the “Missed Connections” quest in the Starfield game. Following your completion of this quest, Helena will assign you another task, and your Mission HUD will promptly refresh with the next quest listed under the “MISC” tab.
How to complete Missed the Mark in Starfield
To complete Missed the Mark side quest in Starfield you need to head over to Gagarin Landing on Gagarin in Alpha Centauri Star System. You may remember visiting Gagarin during the UC Wants You! And the Media Sponge side quests.
Head straight from the landing pad, take the stairs on the left all the way up and enter the Reliant Medical building, the first one on your right.
Ascend the stairs and engage in conversation with Helena Strickland, the Office Manager overseeing the operations at the Gagarin Landing Branch of Reliant Medical.
In the midst of the “Missed Connections” quest, Helena’s package, harboring sensitive Reliant Medical data, was pilfered, and her suspicion has fallen squarely upon her employee, Bonifac Maksimov. His recent vanishing act has only intensified her doubts, and given your demonstrated competence in your prior assignment, she implores you to track him down on her behalf.
Once you agree to undertake this task, Helena will divulge a lead on his potential location, suggesting that he may have taken refuge in the Hawley settlement within the same Star System.
Find Bonifac Maksimov
Return to your spacecraft and initiate the grav jump to Hawley, the moon of Olivas nestled within the Alpha Centauri Star System.
Upon landing at the Reclaimed Outpost, proceed toward the structure on your right, but exercise caution, as a few lurking Ecliptics may require your attention.
Ascend the stairs to access the first floor and utilize the right-hand door to enter the Reclaimed Outpost. The corridor will guide you to the cargo hold, where you’ll encounter a room in the rear guarded by a handful of Ecliptic adversaries.
Navigate through this area, and you’ll discover Bonifac, bound with his hands secured behind his back on the floor. After liberating him from his restraints, engage in conversation and convey that Helena has dispatched you to recover the pilfered data.
Bonifac reveals that he is not the true wrongdoer but rather a victim. He discloses that Maldonado was the one who dispatched the courier, hijacked his spacecraft, and left him restrained here. He offers to join forces with you to track down the real culprit and retrieve the stolen data.
Find Stephen Maldonado
Return up the corridor and veer left at the first junction to arrive at the balcony overlooking an open office. Descend the stairs and make a left turn to locate Stephan Maldonado within a nearby room.
Without hesitation, he will admit to the value of the data on the open market, and he’ll extend an enticing proposition. If you choose to deceive Helena by placing the blame on Bonifac, Stephan is prepared to offer you a substantial sum of credits as an incentive.
Should you accept or decline Maldonado’s offer?
Should you decline Maldonado’s proposal in the course of the “Missed the Mark” mission within Starfield, he will resort to brandishing a firearm, forcing a confrontation. Defeat him in combat and subsequently retrieve the data slate from his lifeless form.
In the event that you are accompanied by law-abiding comrades such as Sarah Morgan, they will appreciate and stand by your choice to eliminate Maldonado.
If you accept Maldonado’s offer, he will immediately hand over 4000 Credits. This will make Bonifac attack you so you will have to kill him instead.
Even if you don’t attack him, Maldonado will finish the job regardless. Your companions, especially Constellation members, will hate the choice and affect your affinity with them negatively.
Double Cross Maldonado and Bonifac
If your primary aim is to accumulate additional Credits, an alternative approach can be significantly advantageous when undertaking the “Missed the Mark” side mission in Starfield.
To maximize your earnings, opt to accept Maldonado’s offer, eliminate Bonifac, and then turn your attention towards Maksimov as well. This strategy enables you to loot both of their remains, securing more Credits while also obtaining the data.
It’s essential to bear in mind, however, that by embracing Maldonado’s offer, your Constellation companions, such as Sarah Morgan or Andreja, will strongly disapprove, leading to a decrease in your affinity with them.
Best choice for Maldonado’s offer
How you handle Maldonado’s offer in the “Missed the Mark” mission ultimately hinges on your personal values, as well as your circumstances in Starfield, be it the presence of an active companion or your pursuit of Credits.
Accepting his offer may yield a slightly higher financial gain, but it comes at the expense of your integrity and the respect of your companions. If Credits are your main concern, opting for a double-cross is a more viable option, especially if you are going through the mission solo.
Our recommendation leans towards declining the offer, as the difference between the choices is merely a sum of Credits that can easily be earned through alternative Credit-acquisition methods. This decision is also conducive if you are seeking to establish a romantic connection with a companion, as it has a positive impact on your affinity with them.
Report back to Helena
Regardless of the choice you make, your next step in completing the “Missed the Mark” side mission in Starfield will involve reporting back to Helena in her office at Gagarin Landing.
If you opt to reject Maldonado’s offer and successfully recover the data, Helena will commend your diligence and offer you a modest bonus as a token of appreciation. Be sure to mention Maldonado’s offer during your conversation, as this can net you an additional handsome reward that you won’t want to overlook.
Alternatively, if you accepted Maldonado’s offer, you will need to fabricate a story when speaking to Helena. In this scenario, your reward will be considerably smaller in terms of Credits. The fabricated tale you choose to relay won’t impact the ultimate outcome.
Lastly, if you chose to double-cross Maldonado, you’ll still need to dissemble when reporting to Helena. However, this time around, the conversation will include an extra exchange about the retrieval of the data. As you affirm that you’ve successfully reclaimed the data, Helena will compensate you, adding a bonus to your reward.
Starfield – Missed the Mark mission rewards
The rewards for the mission largely depend on what you choose during Maldonado’s offer.
- Refusing the offer gets you 7600 Credits from Helena, 1300 for the job, 2400 for the data slate, and 3900 for being loyal. If you don’t push for more during your report, you will only receive 3700 Credits.
- Accepting the offer gets you 5300 Credits in total, 4000 from Maldonado and 1300 from Helena.
- Double-crossing Maldonado will get you a total of 8700 Credits, 4000 from accepting the offer, 3700 from Helena, and an additional 1000 by looting the dead bodies.
