Starfield: The Key City [Complete Guide]

I believe that exploration is the most vital feature of Starfield and keeps the campaign fresh. It brings us to The Key, located in Kryx System, a space station occupied by Crimson Fleet. It offers many new exciting opportunities and rewards. Therefore, this guide will help you understand what to expect from the Key city.

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Key Takeaways

• The Key is a space station city orbiting around Suvorov in the Kryx System.
• The Crimson Fleet operates this space station and does not take kindly to strangers.
• The Key has much to offer and is divided into three distinct areas.

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The Key is located in the Kryx System and can be found outside the planet Suvorov. However, at this point, players will not be granted access to this Space Station as you are yet to be a member of the Crimson Fleet. Once on the ship, players can take advantage of all the facilities this Space Station offers.

How To Get On The Key

The Key is no ordinary space station, as it is owned and operated by the Crimson Fleet. Therefore, players must follow and complete a few quest lines to gain access. 

Players must first get arrested by UC Security to start their quest line. This can be done in many ways during the early hours of the campaign.

You must commit a crime and wait for the security officers to take you in. Moreover, get through the dialogue options and get yourself arrested.

What worked best for me was to shoot a UC guard on Cydonia and immediately holster the weapon. Make sure to holster your gun quickly, as you do not want to fight the full force of UC Security.

Players will be offered the job to infiltrate the Crimson Fleet as part of the Deep Cover Side Mission. This quest line will have a few missions to get through. However, to gain access to the Key, you must play till the Rooks Meet King quest. During this quest, you will encounter a Crimson Fleet leader, Naeva Mora.

I found most of these missions relatively easy, as they usually involved fetching something. You will need to accept the mission she gives you and show her your loyalty. Once the task is completed, you will gain access to the Key. The Key can be found outside planet Suvorov in the Kryx System.

The space station is a complete city and contains everything a player would need during their stay. The Key has many exciting opportunities for the players and can be a new place for you to call home. 

The Key is divided into three main areas: 

Area on The Key	Description
The Docking Bay	This is the landing zone for your space ship.
The Operations Center	This is where the Crimson Fleet quests are given.
The Reckoner's Core	This is where you can find various vendors and quests.

Docking Bay

This is one of the first areas of the Key that players will encounter. The Docking Bay is the spaceport on the Key, meaning players will land and take off from this spot. However, this is all Docking Bay has to offer, as the place is empty, aside from a few NPCs going around.

When you first get on the Key, this is also where Naeva Mora will first welcome you.

Operations Center

I could access the Operations Center through the elevator in the Reckoner’s Core. This is where the critical Crimson Fleet missions are planned. Therefore, this is the brains of the entire operation, where all the Crimson Fleet leadership meets.

You will also meet influential members of the administration and Delgado here. 

Moreover, most Crimson Fleet quests start or end in this station area. Additionally, if you decide to be on the side of Crimson Fleet, choose this as your faction during the Legacy’s End questline. This will allow you to have your room in the Operations Center area, making you an essential part of the fleet.

The following items can be found inside the Operations Center:

Item Name	Item Location	Prerequisites
Deep Mining Suit (full)	Inside the bunks, on the right from the elevator.	Advanced Lock Picking
Lawgiver	Above the Operations Center inside Delgado's room.	No prerequisites.

Reckoner’s Core

The Reckoner’s Core is the station’s busiest and most significant area. This is where you will find all the vendors on the space station. This place is an NPC hotspot where you will have exciting conversations and discover new quests.

Players can also find several terminals here. These terminals serve to provide players with a few Crimson Fleet sidequests. These sidequests are full of pirate activities, including stealing and cargo smuggling. I would recommend taking on these quests and earning a few credits quickly.

Following are all the Vendors and important areas players can encounter in the Reckoner’s Core:

Ship Services

The Ship Services serve as the ship technician on the Key in Starfield. Players can spot this as the first place when they exit the Docking Bay. Therefore, head to the reception and interact with the NPC, Jasmine Durand. She will allow you to open up the Ship Builder menu and offer repair services for your ship.

Moreover, you can buy parts from her to upgrade your spaceship. However, these parts may not be that rare, but they can still provide bonus stats to your ship. Jasime will also sell a few ships that players can add to their fleet. I was able to buy a few essential upgrades here for cheap.

Following Space Ships are sold at the Ship Services:

Space Ship Name	Price (Credits)
Crimson Fleet Haunt	72,000
Crimson Fleet Ghost	67,000
Crimson Fleet Phantom	39,000

Medbay

The Medbay is your standard medical store located on the Key. This vendor can be found right next to the Last Nova Bar.

Once you get here, initiate a dialogue with Saminah Mirza. You can buy and sell crucial medical supplies here. 

Moreover, I encourage players to use the Pharmaceutical Table here to craft medical supplies with raw items. This vendor can also offer the Doctor’s Order quest, taking you down an exciting path.

TK’s Tactical Gear

This vendor exclusively deals in Space Suits for the players. These suits serve as your armor in Starfield and can come with permanent buffs.

Therefore, you can get a few Crimson Fleet Space Suits at TK’s Tactical Gear. These will provide you with protection from the harsh Space, as well as give you the Pirate look.

However, I could not find anything special here as most suits were common and standard.

Zuri’s Essentials

Zuri’s Essentials may be one of the best stores on the Reckoner’s Core. Like most vendors, she will buy anything from the players, including illegal items.

However, what makes this store important are the items she has available to sell. I would consider visiting this store whenever you visit the Key for what she sells.

These items include some potent weapons and some essential aid items. Therefore, stop at this vendor to load up before a challenging mission.

Trade Authority

The Trade Authority is my personal favorite vendor in the galaxy, as they do not ask many questions. You can buy and sell your cargo here, depending on the available credits. 

However, make sure to visit this store frequently, as you might be able to find a rare weapon or suit from time to time.

The Gym / Shooting Range

This area of the Reckoner’s Core does not necessarily serve much of a purpose to the player. However, you can find a few essential items within this area.

Players can find free ammo lying around that can be stolen. Moreover, I discovered a magazine in this area that permanently increased my character’s carrying capacity.

The Last Nova

The Last Nova serves as the bar on the Key. This bar is located right next to the med bay and can provide you with a few valuable interactions. Firstly, as this is a bar, players can buy drinks that will give them a temporary buff. Moreover, you can also talk to NPCs here and hire them to be your crewmate.

I recommend haggling with the NPC and using your persuasion to convince her to decrease her hiring rate.

Aludra’s Weapon Shop

This is the standard weapon shop on the Reckoner’s Core in the Key. Players can expect ammo, rare rifles, and other weapons here. Moreover, like any weapon vendor in the galaxy, you can sell the extra weapons you collected through various missions.

I also exploited the patented Bethesda bugs to get some of the weapons for free. Therefore, point your crosshair to weapons behind her and add them to your inventory for free weapons. Moreover, I was surprised that no one noticed these guns missing, and you could always return for more.

Isra’s General Goods

This vendor will sell players several aid items in the Reckoner’s Core Depot sect. You can buy various food items here and a few other resources.

The best thing about this vendor is that she will buy anything from you. These items can be contraband and completely illegal; she will still buy them.

This makes it an ideal place to unload most of your contraband and earn a few credits. Moreover, I would not recommend trying to steal from her, as she keeps a keen eye on her goods.

Quests

The Key becomes an integral part of your campaign and offers critical missions. These missions will help you progress through your quest line with the Crimson Fleet and offer exciting rewards. Four main campaign missions are shown on the Key and will help you with character progression.

Following are the main quests offered on The Key:

Echoes Of The Past

The Echoes of the Past is one of the first missions I encountered on the Key. These missions test your loyalty and commitment to the Crimson Fleet.

Players must talk to Crimson Fleet’s leader, Delgado, to start the quest. This mission will take you down to the planet Suvorov and task you to uncover the secrets of Jasper Kryx.

Therefore, after the mission, players will be rewarded with the following items:

Item Name	Quantity
Credits	20000
EXP	350
UC Prison Shuttle	1
Keelhauler Pistol	1

The ‘Best There Is’ 

This is the second main quest located on the Key. However, finish the Breaking the Bank mission before you talk to Naeva. After the mission, find and speak to Naeva Mora, and she will assign you The ‘Best There Is’ quest.

Following are all the rewards you will get from this mission:

Item Name	Quantity
Credits	9600
EXP	250

Eye Of The Storm

The Eye Of The Storm is the start of the ending of the quest line. To start this mission, players would need to talk to Naeva. Moreover, speak to Captain Kibwe and Delgado before you go out for the primary mission. 

Therefore, once here, you would need to head inside and look for the final recording of Jasper Kryx. You must listen to this recording and uncover the long-lost mystery. However, this is when you are also given a tough choice between the UC Vigilance or the Crimson Fleet. Whoever you decide to give this recording to will become your final faction.

Item Name	Quantity
Credit	8400
EXP	350
Revenant (Legendary Rifle)	1

Legacy’s End

The Legacy’s End is the ultimate finale of your long-running Crimson Fleet questline. How this mission plays out depends on your choice in the Eye of the Storm. However, if you start this mission siding with the Crimson Fleet, you will be rewarded with your room in the Key.

This makes you one of the leaders inside of the Crimson Fleet and allows you to store your cargo on the Space Station. However, if you go the other way and side with UC Security, you will forever lose the Key and access to the Crimson Fleet. Therefore, I would consider my options carefully before making this decision.

Item Name	Quantity
Credits	250000
EXP	350

My Thoughts

The Key contains many vendors and quests for players to explore. I recommend taking up the quests here, as this will be your only opportunity to be a space pirate. Moreover, the main quest line here runs deep and explores the history of the Crimson Fleet. Make sure to complete these quests to earn some incredible rewards.

Check out more reads for Starfield:

• Starfield New Atlantis.
• Starfield Best Armors.
• Starfield Best Ship Weapons.