Once you are far enough in the story missions for Starfield, you will meet both the Hunter and the Emissary. Both are Starborn, a mysterious and intriguing humanlike species that is also trying to collect the Artifacts you are seeking. Eventually, you will have to make the decision between siding with one of them. But should you side with the Hunter or the Emissary in Starfield? Below we will go over both options to help you make your decision.
SPOILER WARNING: Due to the nature of this guide, there may be spoilers below in regard to the story, the Starborn, and the later portion of Starfield.
Choosing the Hunter in Starfield
In the Hunter’s eyes, whoever is strong enough to take the Artifacts from everyone and access Unity deserves to, period. There is no right or wrong to the Hunter, as to him the different universes only exist for whoever is obtaining the Artifacts. To him, no matter what, the strongest will claim the Artifacts at the end of the day, and that is that. Essentially, violence and defeating the other Starborn to claim their Artifacts is the way of the Hunter.
If you choose to join up with the Hunter, he will become your companion for the final quest. Together you will kill off other Starborn, as well as the Emissary. He will also ask you to kill the other Keep Aquilus in your universe, as he doesn’t like having two versions of himself in the same universe. You can choose not to, and it does not affect the end result either way.
Once you’ve defeated the Emissary and obtained the final Artifacts, you will be able to proceed to Unity.
Helping the Emissary in Starfield
The Emissary believes Unity needs to be protected by a Starborn, and therefore will decide who is worthy to enter. He feels he deserves that right, and thus dubs himself the guardian of Unity and the Artifacts. Even though this may seem like a less violent route, the result is the same. The Emissary believes you have to defeat the other Starborn looking to claim the Artifacts.
If you help the Emissary, he will become your companion for the final quest. You will fight off other Starborn together and in the end, face off against the Hunter.
Once you’ve defeated the Hunter and obtained the final Artifacts, you will be able to proceed to Unity.
What happens if you side with neither of them?
Finally, you have the option to side with neither of them. With this option, you will opt for a change in the way things are done. Both the Emissary and the Hunter are wrong, and it’s time things went a different way.
If you choose this route you will have to fight off Starborn in the final mission all alone without the help of either the Emissary or the Hunter. At the end of the mission, you will encounter them both. However, you have the ability to do a Persuasion check to convince them its not worth fighting over. Succeeding the Persuasion check will result in them standing down and letting you proceed to Unity without fighting them.
No matter which of the three decisions you go with, the ending does not change. You will continue to Unity and unlock the ending of Starfield.