Starfield: Should You Kill Or Spare Vaeric? (Conflict In Conviction)

Shattered Space, the first major DLC for Bethesda Game Studios’ open world space RPG Starfield, gives players a brand-new planet to explore, complete with the usual quests, side quests, and new locations players would expect. Shattered Space is also a great look at one of Starfield’s least-explored factions. Set on the homeworld of the secretive and mysterious House Va’ruun, a society of religious zealots, players are tasked with dipping into the complex and complicated internal politics of House Va’ruun during a time of great catastrophe. In Shattered Space, no one is spared from the devastation, not even the great noble Houses.

During the Conflict in Conviction quest, players are tasked with finding and executing Vaeric Veth’aal, the runaway heir to House Veth’aal. Branded as a traitor by his father, Vaeric simply wants to live a different life than the one he was supposed to. Although he has supportive people within House Veth’aal — his aunt Vitoria, as well as Luthor Veth’aal — Viktor still wants him dead. As the player, there are three different ways of playing this quest, with some different outcomes.

Option 1 – Kill Vaeric Veth’aal

Killing Vaeric Veth’aal is exactly what the player is hired to do. As Promised, a member of House Va’ruun, it’s the player’s duty to carry out the will of the Great Serpent. “All Must Serve,” after all. Killing Vaeric is a valid option, and it does award more credits than some of the other options, as well as some gear drops. If this is the way you decided to go, you’ll need to loot the House Veth’aal Signet Ring from Vaeric’s corpse.

Returning to Viktor Veth’aal and telling him Vaeric is dead grants the basic quest reward of 1000 Credits and some XP, and the codes for the main quest. This outcome makes Vitoria very angry, and Luthor isn’t pleased with it either. This outcome still allows recruitment of Tane Salavea, depending on how Vaeric was killed.

Should You Attack Vaeric & Tane Salavea Together, Or Just Attack Vaeric Alone?

For players heavily into the roleplay of House Va’ruun, Tane deserves to die just as much as Vaeric for aiding and abetting a traitor. Viktor was very clear that anyone found aiding Vaeric should die. But, killing Tane will cause you to miss out on a new crew member, as Tane can be recruited after this quest (if he’s still alive). Both Vaeric and Tane will object to the decision to attack both, so there is still a chance to walk back from it even if it’s originally chosen. But, it’s probably the worst choice for this quest in terms of outcomes, since it blocks you from getting a new crew member for little in the way of reward — literally just what loot Tane has on him, which isn’t much.

Option 2 – Persuade Vaeric To Go Home

Although Vaeric wants to leave Va’ruun’kai entirely one day, he can be persuaded not to live his life as a groat herder in the Va’ruun’kai highlands in the meantime. The Persuasion check here isn’t particularly difficult, and Vaeric will then agree to return home and ask for forgiveness for leaving. This is one of the better outcomes, because no one has to die, but it isn’t the outcome Vaeric wanted.

Mechanically speaking, this is a neutral outcome for the player, as they will still be able to recruit Tane Salavea and will receive the basic quest reward of XP and 1000 Credits from Viktor Veth’aal at the end.

Option 3 – Let Vaeric Go & Take His Signet Ring To Viktor

Option 3 is the best of all possible worlds: Vaeric gets to live his life as he wishes, Viktor is happy, Tane is recruitable, and the player gets the codes to advance the main quest. With this option, the player can simply lie about having killed Vaeric through dialogue choices and receive the same reactions as if Vaeric had been killed. Vitoria will still be angry, and Luthor will be upset, but Vaeric will be alive.

Should You Extort Vaeric?

The player has two options for dealing with Vaeric’s freedom. More altruistic players may be inclined to simply let him go and take his Signet Ring as “proof” of his death. But, there is another option that rewards 10000 Credits. Vaeric can be asked to provide 10000 Credits and the Signet Ring in exchange for his freedom. Mechanically, this is the best outcome for the quest because it’s the biggest reward. The basic outcomes reward only 1000 Credits, XP, Tane Salavea (if living), and the codes, whereas this outcome nets the player a very nice 11000 Credits total.

(Optional) Speak To Vitoria After The Quest

For players who’ve decided to spare Vaeric, there’s a special interaction with Vitoria after the quest. True to her word, she leaves, but she leaves to go stand on a balcony of the keep. If you follow her, you can initiate a conversation where you tell her, in secret, that Vaeric is still alive. This interaction doesn’t appear to have mechanical benefits to the player, but it’s a nice option to have included. Vitoria will then be less angry with the player.

How To Recruit Tane Salavea After Conflict In Conviction

Tane Salavea is recruitable after the quest concludes, but only if he still lives. If Vaeric is killed, Tane is slightly less enthusiastic about joining the player, but since he has no other options to get off Va’ruun’kai, he’ll agree anyway. Return to the Herald’s Rest to speak with Tane and offer him a place on the crew. Once accepted, he can be assigned to an active outpost or ship.

The Best Choice In Conflict In Conviction

The best choice is sparing Vaeric while extorting him for 10000 Credits. Mechanically, this achieves everything that killing him does, while also granting the player 10000 more Credits than the alternatives.