The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Halcyon Galaxy

A helpful checklist of all the sidequests in the game with mild spoilers.

Questions and Answers

Q: What is the purpose of this guide?

A: To show the locations of all the sidequests in the game with minimal spoilers. Unlike the Borderlands series or The WItcher 3, guest-givers in The Outer Worlds are not marked on the map or on the UI. They are usually found in the major hubs or appear along the intended critical-path.

Q: How many sidequests are there in The Outer Worlds?

A: There are 56 sidequests, 55 of which you can complete in a single playthrough.

Q: Can I kill any NPC in the game?

A: Yes, although indiscriminately killing off NPCs will wall-off content from you.

Q: Can I make the game unwinnable?

A: No. Regardless of how chaotic you are the game will always have a contingency allowing you to progress.

Q: Are there any quests that are easily missable?

A: The pacifist resolution to the conflict between MSI and the Iconoclasts can be easily missed if certain quest-sensitive actions are not taken beforehand.

Q: Can I do quests out of order like giving a guest-giver the item the moment they ask for it?

A: Yes! The game allows for a high-degree of sequence-breaking. Knowing this can make replays of the game somewhat faster.

Emerald Vale

A Few Kindred Spirits

Quest-Giver: Grace Romero
Location: Botanical Lab
Note: This quest-giver will move to Edgewater if convinced to do so.

The Frightened Engineer

Quest-Giver: Thomas Kemp
Location: Botanical Lab
Note: This quest-giver will move to Edgewater if convinced to do so. It is possible to collect all three items needed for this quest before even speaking to Thomas.

Die, Robot

Quest-Giver: Ludwig Miller
Location: Edgewater Landing Pad
Note: It is possible to complete all three tasks of this quest before even speaking to Ludwig.

A Small Grave Matter

Quest-Giver: Silas
Location: Edgewater Cemetery

The Illustrated Manual

Quest-Giver: Vicar Max
Location: Edgewater
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Max.

Fistful of Digits

Quest-Giver: Constable Reyes
Location: Edgewater

The Long Tomorrow

Quest-Giver: Martin Abernathy
Location: Edgewater
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Martin.

The Unreliable

The Cleaning Machine

Quest-Giver: Inspect cleaning machine or speak to ADA
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even inquiring about the cleaning machine.

Weapons From the Void

Quest-Giver: Pick up any Science weapon or inspect Alex's computer.
Note: All five science-weapons can be found across the system in any order, although one is gated behind the quest Space Crime-Continuum.

Companions

After recruiting a companion they may ask for your attention either on the Unreliable or out in the field.

Friendship's Due

Quest-Giver: Felix Millstone

The Low Crusade

Quest-Giver: Ellie Fenhill

The Empty Man

Quest-Giver: Vicar Max

Drinking Sapphire Wine

Quest-Giver: Parvati Holcomb

Don't Bite the Sun

Quest-Giver: Parvati Holcomb
Unlock: Complete the quest Drinking Sapphire Wine.

Star-Crossed Troopers

Quest-Giver: Nyoka

Groundbreaker

Happiness is a Warm Spaceship

Quest-GIver: Junlei Tennyson
Location: Groundbreaker Promenade
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Junlei.

Worst Contact

Quest-Giver: Ellie Fenhill
Location: Medical Bay

Solution Vital

Quest-Giver: Dr. Wanda Dorsett
Location: Medical Bay
Note: It is possible to complete the main task of this quest on Scylla before even speaking to Wanda.

Who Goes There?

Quest-Giver: Cmdt. Sanita
Location: Mardet Office
Note: It is possible to complete the main task of this quest before even speaking to Cmdt. Sanita.

The Distress Signal

Quest-Giver: Gladys
Location: Rest-n-Go
Note: Necessary to undertake to unlock Roseway.

The Silent Voices

Quest-Giver: Edna Ingmire
Location: Groundbreaker Promenade
Unlock: Complete the quest Happiness is a Warm Spaceship.

Groundbreaker: SubLight

The following quest-line happens in sequence and involves the one quest-giver. It will have you going back and forth from the Groundbreaker to Monarch, an abandoned satellite, and Byzantium.

Salvager in the Sky

Quest-Giver: Lilya Hagen
Location: Sublight Salvage & Shipping
Note: This quest can be skipped if you have a navkey to Stellar Bay beforehand. If you wish to have the quest logged then accept the quest and immediately leave the conversation, before speaking again and turning it in.

Space-Crime Continuum

Quest-Giver: Lilya Hagen
Location: Sublight Salvage & Shipping
Unlock: Complete the previous quest.

The Ice Palace

Quest-Giver: Lilya Hagen
Location: Sublight Salvage & Shipping
Unlock: Complete the previous quest.

The Chimerist's Last Experiment

Quest-Giver: Lilya Hagen
Location: Sublight Salvage & Shipping
Unlock: Complete the previous quest.

Roseway

Roseway is an optional zone that can only be accessed after speaking to Gladys on the Groundbreaker. Every item of research found here can be returned to their respective quest-giver or sold to Gladys.

By His Bootstraps

Quest-Giver: Anton Crane
Location: Roseway (Town)
Note: It is possible to save the character needed for this quest before even speaking to Anton, however this quest will not be logged.

The Amateur Alchemist

Quest-Giver: Vaughn Cortes
Location: Roseway (Town)
Note: It is possible to collect two copies of the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Vaughn.

The Doom That Came to Roseway

Quest-Giver: Anton Crane
Location: Roseway (Automatic)
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Anton.

Vulcan's Hammer

Quest-Giver: Orson Shaw
Location: Roseway (Town)
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Orson.

Journey into Smoke

Quest-Giver: Lillian
Location: Roseway, outside exit from Covert Lab
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Lillian.

Monarch: Stellar Bay

A Family Matter

Quest-Giver: Agnes Needham

Herrick's Handiwork

Quest-Giver: Velma Ballard

The Secret People

Quest-Giver: Velma Ballard
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Velma.

Passion Pills

Quest-Giver: Nyoka

The Grimm Tomorrow

Quest-Giver: Grimm
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Grimm.

The Stainless Steel Rat

Quest-Giver: Talmadge Kerr

Mr. Pickett's Biggest Game

Quest-Giver: Sebastian Adams
Note: It is possible to collect the item needed for this quest before even speaking to Sebastian.

Flowers for Sebastian

Quest-Giver: Celia Robbins

Monarch: Beyond Stellar Bay

Little Memento

Quest-Giver: Ash
Location: Amber Heights

Odd Jobs

Quest-Giver: Bronson
Location: Amber Heights
Note: It is possible to complete all tasks steps of this quest before even speaking to Bronson.

Mandibles of Doom

Quest-Giver: Berthold Fox
Location: Devil's Peak Caverns
Note: This quest can also be given by the C3 mercenaries near Devil's Peak Station.

Spratkings

Quest-Giver: Nelson Mayson
Location: Fallbrook

Slaughterhouse Clive

Quest-Giver: Catherine Malin
Location: Fallbrook
Note: Completing this quest will botch the opposing quest A Cysty-Dance with Death.

A Cysty-Dance with Death

Quest-Giver: Clive Lumbergh
Location: C&P Boarst Factory
Note: Completing this quest will botch the opposing quest Slaughterhouse Clive.

Monarch: MSI vs Iconoclasts

On Monarch there are two factions with differing ideologies who must be interacted with to continue the main story. After a certain point the main story will leave Monarch and any further dealings with the two factions are optional.

CAUTION!: If you seeking a peaceful resolution to this conflict then you must accomplish four optional tasks, two of which are highly missable. You also must not kill or antagonize either faction beforehand.

BOLT with His Name

Quest-Giver: Sanjar Nandi
Location: Stellar Bay
Note: It is possible to complete both the mandatory and the optional task before even speaking to Sanjar. The optional task is necessary to unlock the peaceful ending.

Errors Unseen

Quest-Giver: Sanjar Nandi
Location: Stellar Bay
Note: It is possible to complete both the mandatory and the optional task before even speaking to Sanjar.
Unlock: Complete the quest BOLT with His Name.

The Commuter

Quest-Giver: Graham Bryant
Location: Amber Heights
Note: Complete the optional task for Zora to unlock the peaceful ending.

Pay For the Printer

Quest-Giver: Graham Bryant
Location: Amber Heights
Note: Complete the optional task for Zora to unlock the peaceful ending.
Unlock: Complete the quest The Commuter.

Sucker Bait

Quest-Giver: Zora Blackwood
Location: Amber Heights
Unlock: Complete the quest Pay For the Printer and both prior optional tasks for Zora.

Canid's Cradle

Location: Devil's Peak Station
Note: The peaceful option is only available if all four optional tasks and the quest Sucker Bait was completed. The Iconoclasts must also undergo a change in leadership. Collect the optional item for Sanjar to unlock the peaceful ending. This item can be collected before Sanjar even asks for it.
Unlock: Complete the main quest Radio Free Monarch or Signal Point in Space.

Byzantium

Byzantium is accessed later in the game by completing the main quest Radio Free Monarch, or early on by completing the main quest Balance Due.

Cupid of the Laboratory

Quest-GIver: Giles Molina
Location: Prosperity Plaza, outside Maintenance Tunnels

Makes Space Suits, Won't Travel

Quest-Giver: Celeste Jolicoeur
Location: Prosperity Plaza, inside Jolicoeur's Haberdashery

At Central

Quest-Giver: Maverick Johnston
Location: Prosperity Plaza

Why Call Them Back From Retirement?

Quest-Giver: Hortense Ingalsbee
Location: Outside the entrance to the Halcyon Holdings Corporation

The Lying Earth

Quest-Giver: Minister Clarke
Location: Minister Clarke's Residence
Unlock: Given during the main quest The City and the Stars.

All Halcyon in a Day

Quest-Giver: Alonzo Vallejos
Location: Bureau of Exploration

The End?

Comment below if there are any mistakes to be corrected, or additions that need to made. Please don't lift the written content of this guide without crediting the proper source.

[MiTaReX]

Halcyon is not a galaxy, you could just refer to it as "Halcyon system".

[Poorbull]

Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's guide to the galaxy great and funny book like this game......... . .

[Kleronomus]

(Yes, I know it's a reference to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.)

[Kleronomus]

Halcyon is a Solar System, not a Galaxy! :)