Should you kill Shaw in Starfield?

Empty Nest is a quest line in Starfield that will take you to the Freestar-governed planet Akila to find another mysterious artifact shard. The Shaw gang will stand as an obstacle for almost your entire time around Akila City, though after you exit the Empty Nest Cave, you will be prompted with a decision whether or not to kill Shaw, the gang leader herself.

It is entirely possible to escape this final standoff with Shaw without firing a bullet, though it will require you to pass a persuasion check. Whether or not it’s worth it to spare Shaw and her dangerous gang is entirely up for debate.

Should you kill or persuade Shaw in Starfield?

Though you can complete the Empty Nest main story quest whether you kill or spare Shaw and her gang, I recommend that you spare Shaw. If you manage to pass your persuasion check, you can help the camp fend off against several alien beasts.

Once you help defend the camp, Shaw will reward you with a Modified Razorback. This is a powerful double-chamber pistol that deals massive damage and is one of my personal favorite sidearms that you can unlock early in Starfield. If you’re a pistol professional, I highly recommend unlocking and equipping this sidearm.

To escape the standoff without killing Shaw, you will need to select the Persuade dialog option. Thankfully, Shaw is much easier to persuade than other characters in Akila City and only requires a +4 to pass. Even so, I highly recommend putting some points into the Persuasion skill before taking on this task.

If you fail the persuasion check, then you will need to shoot your way out. You can still get the Modified Razorback this way, though you will miss out on extra XP, miss out on points with companion Sam Coe, and likely expend a lot of ammo and health fighting your way out.