Starfield Shattered Space - The Scaled Citadel Full Quest Walkthrough

After the long hours of helping to restore the Mourning Device in Starfield Shattered Space, your work comes to fruition in The Scaled Citadel quest. This is the final main quest in the DLC and allows you to get the Mourning Device powered on so you can enter the Scaled Citadel to search for Anasko.

Unlike other quests in Shattered Space, The Scaled Citadel features several choices that you alone have to make. It's time to see what those choices are and how to complete the entire quest in Starfield.

Once you hand over the Vortex Interlock from the Exhuming the Past quest, Ekris Kaisir will begin to start up the Mourning Device. Your job is to use the targeting control and the fire button when Ekris says (quest markers will pop up as well). Fortunately, the Mourning Device is successful and you can head down to speak Malibor Dul'kehf to learn what you need to do next.

Malibor says you will need to enter the Scaled Citadel yourself and discover what Anasko's next moves are. On your way to the Scaled Citadel, you'll notice the Phantoms slowly fading away as a result of the Mourning Device (some enemies do remain outside the citadel's walls). After some running and ascending to the Scaled Citadel, you can enter and meet Anasko.

Inside the citadel, you'll immediately be greeted by Anasko, who tells you to meet him in the lower levels. Progress through the citadel, going down wherever possible, and fight any Phantom enemies along the way. You can also simply run past the Phantoms, but some more aggressive ones will chase you.

If you keep heading downstairs, you'll eventually come to a door marked "Research Level." Enter this door and keep following your quest marker through all of the blue-glowing energy doorways. As you're walking to your next marker, the entire floor will be put under lockdown.

At the end of the quest markers in the Research Level of the citadel, you'll come to a Facilities Computer. When you try to activate the computer to end the security lockdown, you're told that power needs to be diverted. Follow your new quest marker to a Modulator Containment Release switch and activate it. Just above this switch, a Modulator will appear out of a sphere in the containment chamber (shown in the screenshot above). Shoot at the Modulator until it's destroyed, activating the switch again if necessary.

Now, return to the computer, override the security lockdown to open all remaining doors, and follow your next quest marker through the doors that just opened.

Continue to follow your quest markers, which will lead you through quite a large number of robots, until you reach the Reactor Level of the Scaled Citadel. You can fight the robots along the way or simply run past them, as many of them are slow and can't keep up. However, there are also turrets that you should take out, as they're more annoying.

In the Reactor Level, you meet Anasko again. Your first task is to replace the citadel's current Vortex Interlock, which didn't work, with the one you got at the Ma'Leen Dam. Keep activating switches on the Interlock Console until you can put the right Interlock in and activate it. Once the correct Interlock is installed, follow Anasko into the next room to see what he's been working toward for House Va'ruun.

This next section of The Scaled Citadel is the most important. In the next room, Anasko reveals that his plan all along has been to create Phantom soldiers that will help him re-engage the Great Serpent War, which pits House Va'ruun against the entire Settled Systems. Anasko has hundreds of pods containing Phantoms that have been kept on life support during the Scaled Citadel's outage. Now that you have installed a new Vortex Interlock and restored power to the citadel, Anasko is ready to unleash his Phantoms to the world.

However, since Anasko is a Phantom himself, he can't physically enact the plan. He needs you to release the Phantoms for him. You're now presented with a choice: release the Phantoms and help Anasko kill millions or terminate the life pod support for the Phantoms.

In the end, your decision here doesn't truly matter. Regardless of what you choose, the outcome will be the same. Still, for posterity's sake, you can see the outcomes of both decisions below, which will take you to near the end of the quest.

If you choose to release the Phantoms, you're siding with Anasko and his plan to wage war on the Settled Systems. You now have to reach the Pinnacle of the Scaled Citadel, which requires you to go through several levels of Phantoms and Zealots, who have infiltrated the facility. This is no easy task, as the route to get to the Pinnacle is long and will take you roughly five to ten minutes. There are also several routes to the upper levels blocked off by the blue glowing energy substance, making the journey even more difficult.

Eventually, after you reach the Pinnacle, you can find Anasko standing in front of a huge energy device. Here, Anasko tells you that your job is complete, but you won't live to see the end of the plan. Essentially, Anasko is telling you you have to die. When he says this, you can either attack him or submit and die. If you choose to submit, the game restarts from when you entered the room. You're not allowed to submit, meaning you can only attack.

By attacking Anasko, you now have to repeatedly deplete his health, as he can't die yet, and shut down his machine. Shutting down the machine requires you to shoot and destroy four Modulators that can only be opened one at a time by activating specific switches around the room. Once you activate a new switch, look for where the Modulator is opening up and shoot it as quickly as possible. The Modulators are normally right near the switch, but the last one is outside of the room where the switch is located.

When all the Modulators are destroyed, you can leave the Scaled Citadel.

If you choose to terminate the Life Pod Support of the Phantoms, Anasko will be immediately hostile towards you. However, the events of the quest play out similarly to if you released the Phantoms. You still have to chase Anasko to the Pinnacle but instead of getting the choice to attack or submit, you can attack Anasko right away and shut down the machine. Shutting down the machine still requires destroying all of the Modulators and escaping the Scaled Citadel after it's done.

After you escape the Scaled Citadel, you'll be knocked out and wake up surrounded by the leaders of the Noble Houses. They'll initially be mad at you for not saving the Scaled Citadel or Anasko, but once you explain what happened, they'll begin to understand.

Once that's taken care of, the business of choosing a new Speaker for House Va'ruun needs to be settled. The houses leave the choice up to you, and you can select any one of House Veth'aal, House Ka'diq, or House Dul'kehf. The choice doesn't have any impact on the story.

You then need to decide whether or not to follow through with Anasko's plan of restarting the Great Serpent Wars. Once again, though, whatever you decide doesn't make a difference either way. After that's wrapped up, you're free to roam Dazra, complete side quests, and explore the planet of Va'ruun'kai. The main story in Starfield Shattered Space has been completed. For more on Bethesda's massive RPG, use our Starfield guides hub.