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Shaw holding a rifle in Starfield
Screenshot by Prima Games.

Should You Attack or Persuade Shaw in Starfield? – Answered

Outlaws for a reason

Once you help Sam Coe reach The Empty Nest in Starfield and loot the Artifact that was inside the cave, Shaw won’t be happy with how you treated her outlaws. You have three options to deal with her: Attack Shaw, or persuade Shaw in Starfield.

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Getting to Shaw in Starfield

Shaw will become an obstacle for you in The Empty Nest mission, which is one of the missions alongside Back to Vectera and Into the Unknown that Sarah Morgan gives to you after finishing the second main story mission, The Old Neighborhood. Sarah wants you to join an expedition headed up by Sam Coe because Sam has a lead on an Artifact.

Along the mission, you’ll eventually go to Sam’s parents’s house and gather Solomon’s maps, which point you to a cave in Shaw Gang territory on the frontier of Akila. After collecting the Artifact from this cave, upon leaving, you’ll be greeted by Shaw herself, and she’s none too pleased.

Tip:

Like our guide on attacking or persuading Shaw in Starfield? We also have a walkthrough on How to Complete Into the Unknown Quest in Starfield. And if you need help on the quest Back to Vectera, we’ve got you covered for that too. You can find both guides right below this tip box.

Should You Bribe, Attack, or Persuade Shaw in Starfield

You should definitely attack Shaw when she confronts you at The Empty Nest on Akila. We already know the Shaw Outlaws cause plenty of trouble for the city, and having her bully you even further isn’t helpful.

Attacking Shaw in Starfield

If you attack the outlaws and successfully beat them, there is a lot more loot in it for you without any consequences. The only downside to attacking Shaw is the fight itself.

Screenshot of player character choosing to attack Shaw in Starfield
Attack Shaw right away (Screenshot by Prima Games).

Killing Shaw in Starfield

To start attacking Shaw, you must choose the dialogue option “[Attack] We’re not cutting deals with a criminal!” This will immediately start combat, where you have to deal with Shaw and optionally kill the Ashta. Because there are so many enemies, the key to winning this fight is utilizing one of the larger nearby crates for cover to take out Shaw right away, because she’s pretty high-level when you start this quest. After you kill Shaw, it’s optional to take care of the Ashta. However, since you’ve already come this far, you might as well kill them for the XP.

Siding with Shaw will help you in the optional Ashta fight, which makes it easier. However, the fight with the Ashta isn’t too challenging, so we don’t recommend basing your choice on the challenge.

Bribing Shaw in Starfield

Your other options are to persuade or bribe Shaw. Bribing Shaw is the worst option in Starfield but also the “easiest” in this case. You can walk away without any attacks and you don’t have to pass a dialogue check. With that said, you lose 4,000 credits and she still treats you like trash. It seems like a scam to us.

Screenshot of player character with a rifle shooting an Ashta in Starfield
Screenshot by Prima Games.

Persuading Shaw in Starfield

Persuasion is the last option, and if you manage to fill all six persuasion bars, it’s not the worst option. If you bribe or persuade the outlaws and help them kill the Ashta, they will even give you a Razorback weapon as a reward. But who cares about one weapon when you can have them all by attacking?

Modified Razorback Pistol Stats in Starfield

Here’s a list of stats for the Modified Razorback Pistol in Starfield.

  • Damage: 56
  • Ammo: 7.5MM
  • Type: Ballistic
  • Fire Rate: 12
  • Accuracy: 67.1%
  • Range: 40
  • Mods: 8

After dealing with the Shaw Outlaws, make sure to sell all their loot and buy some new weapons in Starfield.


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Daniel Wenerowicz
Dan has been writing gaming guides, news, and features for three years after graduating with a BA in writing . You can find him covering Call of Duty for eternity, action-adventure games, and nearly any other major release.
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Seth Lowe
Seth has been a writer for Prima Games since 2023. An avid Nintendo lover and a true Pokemon master, surely you'll find him glued to a Game Boy no matter where he is. You can find his previous work at TheGamer.
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Michael Dawson
Michael Dawson is a skilled writer on pop culture, video games, and film/TV. He has 8+ years of experience writing on various topics and for multiple publications. He loves Elden Ring, Zelda, Mario, Metal Gear solid, competitive games, horror, and indies.
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