In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to search for clues for the side quest ‘The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market‘ in The Outer Worlds 2.
Also Read: The Outer Worlds 2: All Main and Side Missions & Collectible Guide
How to Search for Clues in The Outer Worlds 2
In this quest, your objective is to correctly answer all three of Stallworth’s questions when reporting your findings.
Speak with Otto
Head to the Central Bazaar and look for an NPC named Otto. You’ll find the old man at his shop on the northern side of the bazaar. Speak with him to learn more, but he’ll only share additional information if you pass a Level 5 Engineering skill check or spend 1,000 Bits at his shop.
How to Solve Otto’s Safehouse Puzzle
To gather additional information, you can also visit Otto’s Secret Room. From the starting area, head straight ahead, then turn left near the rift anomaly. There you’ll notice a small opening near the ground. Crouch down and crawl through this narrow passage.
On the other side, you’ll come across a ladder. Climb it to access the upper platform. At the top, you’ll discover an area lined with several mechanical switches. These switches must be activated in a correct sequence to unlock the hidden door and reveal what Otto has been keeping behind it.
Free Market Station Switches Puzzle Solution
To solve the Free Market Station switch puzzle, you’re meant to use the N-Ray gadget, found at the N-Ray Range in northwest Golden Ridge during the main story. This device lets you see hidden power lines through walls, which connect the switches to the door.
In order to solve the puzzle, the player needs to create three non-overlapping power paths from the switches on the right to the door on the left by flipping them in the correct order. Follow the switch order shown in the guide to unlock Otto’s secret room instantly.
Once the door unlocks, head inside Otto’s secret room to collect your rewards. You’ll find an Advanced Decryption Key, 440 bits, a Triple Barrel Shotgun, and a text log.
Examine the Destroyed Engines
To check the destroyed engine parts, you need at least Engineering 8. Without it, you won’t be able to find this information. Go to the Rift Anomaly area in Free Market Station. Crouch through the opening to reach the wreckage of the Free Market ship. Examine the larger engine debris using your Engineering 8 skill.
Acquire the Buried Audio Log
Make sure you have either the Brawny Trait or Sneak 5, or you won’t be able to retrieve the ship’s buried audio log. Head to the Rift Anomaly area in Free Market Station and crouch through the opening to reach the wreckage of the ACS Free Market. Examine the smaller debris and pass a Brawny or Sneak 5 check to locate the buried audio log titled Another Sunk-Cost Fallacy (1). Listen to it to learn what happened during the ship’s final moments.
Access Sub Rosa’s Archive
Head to the Free Market Bazaar and look for the “The 2nd Choice” Salon sign. Enter the salon and make your way to the restroom.
Inside the bathroom, you’ll find a vent in the corner. Get into the vent and crawl through it to reach a small basement with a sleeping guard.
Steal the Reminder Note (password) from the sleeping guard. Once you have the password, hack the nearby terminal and read all the messages about the ACS Free Market.
Acquire Prospero’s Information
Head to the Free Market Bazaar and look for a sign for the “The 2nd Choice” Saloon. Go inside the saloon, you’ll find Prospero sitting at one of the tables near the stage. Talk to him and ask about the ACS Free Market. He’ll tell you that he won’t share any information for free and will ask for a bottle of Glacial Age Iceberg Aged Whiskey.
Leave the Second Choice and head to the outdoor bar on the opposite side of the bazaar, where you will find the bar operated by a robot named Chef de Mechanique.
If you have Hack 3, you can talk to the Chef and pass the check to get the whiskey. Alternatively, if you have Lockpick 5, go to the armor shop next to the bar. From there, slip through an opening to the back of the bar and unlock the safe to steal the whiskey.
Once you’ve secured the Glacial Age Iceberg Aged Whiskey, return to Prospero and give him the whiskey. He will tell you about what happened to the ACS Free Market.
Report Your Findings to Archivist Stallworth
Once you’ve checked all sources, return to Archivist Stallworth and report back about the investigation.
Questions and Answers
Stallworth: How did the ACS Free Market meet its end? Possible Answers are mentioned below.
- A local gossip mentioned it was due to a heartbroken captain.
Stallworth: Aside from the crash, what occurred in the ship’s final moments?
- The crew tried to overpower the captain, but they weren’t able to stop her.
Stallworth: Were there any contributing factors to the crash? Anything that might recontextualize what actually happened?
- One of the ship’s chief engineers was demoted right before the crash.