Starfield Groundpounder Quest Guide: Uniting Factions Against Spacers

I just finished the Groundpounder side quest in Starfield, and let me tell you—it feels as epic as a main storyline mission! 🤯 Ever wondered what happens when the bitter rivals, the Freestar Collective and the United Colonies (UC), are forced to work together? This quest shows you, and it's a wild ride from start to finish. You're not just shooting Spacers; you're witnessing a fragile, tense alliance form right before your eyes. Who knew saving a research outpost could be so... political?

🚀 How To Start The Groundpounder Quest

So, how do you jump into this chaos? I found there are two main ways:

1. The Proactive Approach: Early in your playthrough, you might get hailed by another ship warning you to steer clear of the Altair system. They'll mention a distress signal about Spacers. If you tell them you'll check it out, boom—quest started!

2. The Direct Approach: Or, you can just travel to the Altair system yourself. As soon as you arrive, you'll pick up a desperate call from Private Mahoney begging for help against a Spacer invasion at a research outpost.

No matter how you start, your first destination is the same: land at Research Outpost: U3-09 on Altair II.

🧭 Finding Private Mahoney & The First Alliance

Once you land, follow your quest marker inside. The place is a maze, but here's the path I took:

• Go inside, take a left through a red door, then another left into the Security room.

• Clear out the Spacers there (get ready for a fight!).

• Take the stairs down and head left toward the server room.

• Just ahead, open the storage room on your right. Inside, you'll find Private Mahoney, a Freestar Ranger, hiding out.

She's super grateful and drops the first bombshell: a team of UC Marines also answered her call and are the only reason anyone is still alive. Talk about an awkward team-up! She immediately asks you to help Corporal Lezama, who's holed up with others in a makeshift infirmary. The faction drama is already brewing!

🔫 Clearing the Outpost & Meeting the Crew

Leaving Mahoney, I headed out, took a left before a barricade into a server room (more Spacers!), and then exited into a hallway leading to stairs. After dealing with an explosion and a hallway packed with 9-10 Spacers, I found the Comms Center.

Inside were Corporal Lezama (UC) and Dr. Adamou Moussa. Here's the scoop from them: The Freestar Technical Officer, Lieutenant Torres, has locked down the facility and needs rescue. He's believed to be on the third floor near the doctor's office. Lezama hands you a facility keycard (opens most doors, but not Security ones). The plot thickens!

🤝 Rescuing Lieutenant Torres & The Moral Choice

Time to climb! I went back to the hallway, turned right, and took the stairs up. After clearing Spacers on two levels, I found Lieutenant Torres and Sergeant Dasari in the Head of Research office.

This is where the quest's heart shines. Torres says we must next help Captain Myeong of the UC Marines. Sergeant Dasari objects—"She's not Freestar!" But Torres shuts it down: "She came to save us. I refuse to leave her behind." 🥹 It's a powerful moment of putting duty and decency above faction loyalty. Dasari reluctantly agrees and gives you the security keycard. Now, with Torres and Dasari as backup, your goal is to rescue Captain Myeong.

💥 The Rescue & The Camp Cleanup

We fought our way back, took a left at a lab, and went down some stairs. After dispatching two Spacers outside an office door, we found Captain Myeong. But before we could chat, about six more Spacers barged in from the back! After clearing them, we finally talked.

Torres reveals he still has people at a Research Camp on Altair II. He asks YOU to fly there and clear out any Spacers. With your new keycard, you can exit through the back door of the office (where those last Spacers came from) to get outside.

I boarded my ship, flew to the Research Camp on Altair II, and found it swarmed with Spacers. After a satisfying cleanup, I checked in with the survivors and headed back to the main outpost.

🛰️ The Space Battle & The Final Stand

Back at the outpost, Torres and Myeong had a new plan. They'd spotted Spacer shuttles reinforcing their numbers nearby. If those reinforcements hit the outpost, it's game over. My next job? A space battle!

I had to fly to orbit near Altair V and Altair I and destroy three Spacer ships at each location (six total). It was a tense dogfight! Just as I took out the last one, Myeong radioed in a panic: The Spacers are invading the outpost! I rushed back.

What followed was an epic, multi-wave ground defense. I shot every Spacer with a quest marker (careful not to hit a friendly!). Then, a shuttle landed south of the outpost, disgorging more enemies. I rushed it as the doors opened. That shuttle left, and another immediately landed in the same spot—talk about relentless!

🏆 Mission Complete & Rewards

After eliminating the final wave and all stragglers, the threat was finally over. I spoke with Captain Myeong to wrap everything up. The reward? Totally worth the effort:

This quest is more than just a shoot-'em-up. It's a story about unity, sacrifice, and overcoming old hatreds. Seeing Torres and Myeong, representatives of warring factions, stand together to save lives was a highlight of my Starfield journey. If you're looking for a side quest with the weight of a main story, Groundpounder is an absolute must-play. Now, who's ready to take the Peacekeeper for a spin? 🔫✨