As you continue your job as an interstellar cowboy for the Freestar Collective questline On the Run, you’ll soon bump into the head honcho of the First, Marco Graziani. You’ll find the owner of the Red Mile cantina on Codos, which is one of the moons orbiting Akila. When you confront him, however, you’ll be able to approach the encounter in a couple of ways. So, if you’re wondering whether you should accept Marco Graziani’s bribe or kill him in On the Run in Starfield, here’s what you need to know.
**Story Spoilers Ahead!**
Marco Graziani in On the Run – Freestar Collective Mission in Starfield
Upon speaking to Marco in his Fortuna lair on Codos, you can choose to either [Attack him] or [Show Badge] during the initial dialogue sequence. Obviously, attacking him kicks off a large scale conflict that will pit you against Marco and his armed goons.
On the other hand, if you opt to [Show Badge] and then choose [I want details of the First’s operations, including who hired you.], Marco will ask for something in return: Marco wants the Freestar Rangers to let the First crime syndicate to operate freely without any further interference.
Here, you can either accept with [That works for me.], refuse with [No deals. Tell me what I want to know or face the consequences.] or [Attack].
If you Accept Marco’s Bribe
If Sarah Morgan is your companion, she’ll disapprove with your choice to make a deal with the bandit overlord. In addition, the Fortuna area will be neutral to you and you’ll be able to come and go as you please. Most importantly, however, Marco will give you the Encrypted Slate and you’ll then have to visit the Freestar Collective’s cryptology expert, Alex Shadid, to decrypt it for the next step of the quest.
If You Refuse Marco’s Bribe
If Sarah Morgan is with you, she’ll approve of your choice to refuse the bribe. Marco will give you some spiel about how the the Council of Governors are a bunch of corrupt liars who don’t care about the Freestar Collective. Here, you can either opt to say [You’re not persuading me to abandon my duty.], [I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing it to protect the innocent people.], or [No more stalling, Marco. Either talk or get shot, your choice.] though all options will instigate a fight with the crime lord.
Luckily, after the conflict, you’ll be able to loot the Encrypted Slate from the body of Marco, along with his Keycard.
Should You Accept Marco’s Bribe or Kill Him in Starfield?
From our experience, we think refusing the bribe and killing Marco and his cronies is the better option. Not only will it net you Marco’s Keycard and way more XP and loot, but you’ll also be doing the galaxy a favor as Marco is bad news. Marco drops the following:
- Calibrated Equinox Laser Rifle
- 3KV LZR Cartridge ammo x 36
- Credits x 874
- Marco’s Keycard
- Encrypted Slate
Thankfully, Marco is a pushover to defeat, but his armed guards and automated turrets can prove to be more of a challenge due to the sheer volume of them. There are roughly around a dozen guards and about six turrets to deal with. As long as you’re prepared, take cover, and you’re stocked up with Med Packs, strong armor, and decent weapons, you should be able to prevail in this battle.
What Does Marco’s Keycard Open?
Once you’ve looted Marco’s Keycard, you can use it to open the locked door in his office. Inside, we found three weapon cases and an ammo box containing useful loot, including:
- 7.77mm Caseless ammo x 5
- Beowulf Rifle
- .43 MI Array ammo x 16
- Modified Magshot Pistol
- Disassembler Shotty, Rare Shotgun
- Europium x 12
- Copper x 4
- Caseless Shotgun Shells ammo x 30
- Sealant x 3
- Calibrated Deepcore Space Helmet
- Shrapnel Grenade x 1
- Toxic Gas Mine x 1
- Fragmentation Mine x 1
- Credits x 2808
As the loot in Starfield is mostly randomly-generated, it’s likely that what you get may vary slightly to what we found. That said, it should be a good haul for those looking for some decent loot.
Lastly, Marco’s Keycard also opens a couple of other doors in Fortuna, which lead their way to some additional locked safes and loot as well.
And on that note, we conclude our guide on whether you should accept Marco Graziani’s bribe or kill him in On the Run in Starfield. For more, here’s how to target engines and how to remove environmental damage from your spacesuit. And for everything else, you’re in the right place at Twinfinite.
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