Progressing ahead in the storyline of Starfield, we are here at last for the famous Mantis quest. For those not in the know, the Mantis Legendary Spacesuit is a highly-prized spacesuit among Starfield players, and you can have it once you finish the Mantis quest. That’s not all. You’ll also get a brand new spaceship, the Mantis’ spaceship called ‘Razorleaf‘ for free!
The thing is, in the Starfield universe, there are some Spacers who have found the location of the secret base of the Mantis, a much-feared figure amongst the bad guys. According to the Spacers, the Mantis quest is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”. Some of them know about the location of the secret base.
But that would pose a problem for me, would it not? A lot of bad people in Starfield are thinking of getting to the loot first. Some of them could already be there. There lies the challenge. To learn the secret of the Mantis and get the Mantis Legendary Spacesuit and Spaceship before anyone else.
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How to Start the Mantis Quest in Starfield?
You would stumble upon the Mantis quest during one of the Starfield missions; it can be any mission. When on a certain mission, look for the ‘Secret Outpost!’ slate in one of the Spacers’ possessions.
Various players have found this slate in different Starfield missions. I found it on the bodies of two dead Spacers in the Groundpounder mission that takes place on Altair-II in the Altair system.
Where is the Secret Outpost of the Mantis?
When you read the slate, you will get to know that the Mantis outpost is on the moon Denebola I-b in the Denebola system. To know just how far it is from Alpha Centauri, here is an image.
I know what you are thinking. Why can’t we go directly to Denebola? You cannot. You will have to make a series of grav-jumps, in that order, to reach the moon that has the secret Mantis outpost.
Land at the Mantis Outpost on Denebola I-b
As soon as you come out of the ship, you will hear a warning from some spacers to stay away. They wanted the secret to be amongst themselves, and now that you know, no wonder they are pissed. There will be two of them near your ship. Take care of them and then wait a bit to get your bearings.
You will see a landing pad and a building next to it (on the left side in the image). The entrance to the building is on the other side.
Now, we are not going to do what everyone would do, which would be taking the stairs. Here is how we are going to proceed.
➡️ Pro Tip#1: Get to the Top of the Building
Instead of taking the ground route via the stairs, I suggest that you use your boost pack to get to the top of the structure. It is high and will give you the perfect vantage position; you’ll be able to see and scan the entire area around the entry door.
Just stay in the crouched position while you do so. If you have a rifle with a scope, then you could easily spot the 4-5 Spacers patrolling the area.
Eliminate them one by one but do note that they would throw grenades at you. So be alert and keep changing your position.
After you have dispatched each one to their graves, now is the time to come down and enter the Lair of the Mantis.
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Enter the Lair of the Mantis
If you can be stealthy during the whole Mantis operation, your objectives will be easier to accomplish. The corridors would be dark and ill-lit, and it would be better if you proceed slowly; make sure to pick up whatever can be useful to you.
I overheard a conversation between two Spacers and learned that there were slates and messages dropped throughout the lair by the Mantis. That the Mantis is dead now and was someone to be feared as he took out The Beast and J Gato.
Eliminate all hostiles till you reach close to a chamber-like area where you have a descent. It’s best if you don’t show yourself.
➡️ Pro Tip #2: Ask Your Companion To Wait
You could ask your companion to wait at a certain location inside the Lair of the Mantis, just before you know that you are going to come into contact with a lot of Spacers, like the chamber.
After you are done with the hostiles, you could just come back and ask your companion to rejoin you. That way, there are two benefits. One is that your companion does not spoil your stealth maneuvers by jumping into the fight like it’s the trench warfare in World War I. Second, you get to earn more XP by single-handedly taking out the enemies.
Take Out The Spacers in the Chamber from Afar
The wise thing to do would be to not go barging into the chamber and revealing your location to every Spacer there. There would be many of them, so crouch and take your shot from just outside the chamber (the place where the machines are whirring and there is a helmet).
One Spacer did find me, chuckling to herself (“I smell some credits!”), but I managed to do away with her quite easily.
Once the chamber is cleared of enemy forces, you will find the dead body of Leon Voclain in the middle. A Spacer called Livvey would be there and surrender to you. Livvey is the smart one; he’s figured out the puzzle, but that’s his leverage, so he won’t tell you. If you choose to trust him, he will accompany you. He just wants some taste of the final loot you get.
Next comes the Mantis Puzzle room/corridor. But before that, scan for lootable objects and make sure you have listened to all the audio tapes and seen the slates.
The Mantis Puzzle: How to Get to the Other Side by Solving it
Remember the phrase you heard in Leon’s audio slate? “Sic Semper Tyrannis”. The clue to the Mantis Puzzle is in this phrase, You see, you can cross the deadly puzzle area by stepping onto the lettered steps one by one in this manner: “T Y R A N N I S”.
But there is one problem, if you have a companion, you should ask them to wait outside before trying to get to the other side. They just might trigger the turrets by stepping onto the wrong slate.
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The Mantis Puzzle: How to Get to the Other Side Without Solving it
Is it absolutely mandatory to solve the Mantis Puzzle in order for you to cross to the other side? No, it’s not. But for that to work, you need to take out all the Mk-VI turrets.
You’ll need 4-5 grenades for this. Both frag and shrapnel grenades would work. Station yourself outside the entry door of the Mantis puzzle area and lob a grenade toward one of the turrets. As soon as the blast happens, the turrets would start firing.
Quickly evade by moving to the right. Show yourself just for the nick of that time when you are throwing the grenades. Do this 4-5 times, aiming in the right area, and all the turrets would soon be destroyed.
Your companion might take some heavy damage, but if you are fast enough, they won’t get pinned down by the highly damaging turret guns.
➡️ Pro Tip #3: Take Your Companion With You After You Solve The Mantis Puzzle
When you activate the gate at the other side of the puzzle room/corridor, the turrets will get deactivated, and you can then fetch your friend from the other side. You would need him/her for the next challenge. Livvey will come and join you too.
The Chilling Story of the Mantis: What The Messages and the Slates Tell
Through the automated messages and the slates, I learned that Doriane Voclaine, mother of Leon Voclain, was the Mantis and is now dead. The Mantis is a codename for an elite operative and bounty hunter who strikes terror in the hearts of Spacers and pirates and keeps them in check. The Mantis always chooses his/her successor before retiring.
Since she was the Mantis and operated out of her base on Denebola I-b, Doriane Voclaine wasn’t in touch with her son for a very long time. However, she wanted Leon to discover the secret of the Mantis and become one after her.
But she did not want to make it easy for him. So, she put this condition in her will that Leon would not inherit anything from her (she is super rich, btw) until he goes to her base. Not only that, she rigged up the base with various kinds of traps.
To give a hint to her son about the answer to the Mantis puzzle, she kept saying “Sic Semper Tyrannis” in the video, hoping that Leon would be smart enough to crack the puzzle. Sadly, he does not and dies soon after the turrets in the puzzle room riddle his body with bullets.
Livvey’s Betrayal
A part of me always thought Livvey would try to double-cross me, and he certainly did by closing the door behind me at one critical point after we got past the puzzle room. But by doing that, he triggered some bombs and died on the spot.
Next, you would have to contend with turrets, robots, and robot dogs against whom your companion would prove a great help, especially with the dogs. I took Heller with me on the Mantis mission. Check out our guide on how you can recruit Heller in Starfield!
The Mantis Trained Her Son For This
From the automated messages on the doors, you would learn the secret of the Mantis that Doriane Voclaine trained her son in his teens so that he could take on the mantle of the Mantis one day.
But Leon didn’t know the reason. In the end, her desire that her son take up the mantle of the Mantis couldn’t come true.
The Lair of the Mantis: Claim the Ship and the Spacesuit
You would have to fight several robot models once you go inside the Lair of the Mantis.
After you have destroyed them, claim the spaceship of the Mantis by activating the starship lift controls. The ship is called the Razorleaf and is superior to the Frontier. The Mantis spaceship will be lifted up to the landing pad you first saw when you arrived at the base.
In the adjoining room, you would find the full Mantis Legendary armor/spacesuit. Grab it. It’s yours now and gives you many passive abilities like +40 carry capacity, resources weighing 25% less, -15% damage from robots, and more.
Take whatever else you want to and exit the lair. You’ll see Razorleaf, the Mantis’ ship, outside.
That’s it. You have both the Mantis Legendary Spacesuit and Razorleaf, the Mantis Spaceship now.
Wrapping Up
Starfield’s Mantis quest gives you some legendary-level rewards like the whole Mantis spacesuit and a new, free spaceship. It grips you with a chilling story about one woman trying to test if her son really had it in him to become the next Mantis the Spacers and other pirate crew would tremble to hear the name of.
With powerful challenges consisting of Spacers, turrets, traps, robots, and robot dogs, Starfield’s Mantis quest is one hell of an adventure in the cosmos that has enough ingredients to keep you hooked till the end.
Before you head out on your Starfield adventure to search for more artifacts, check out how to get Artifact Beta and Artifact Chi in the game!
