Should you join the Crimson Fleet in Starfield?

The Crimson Fleet is one of the mercenary Factions in Starfield, and you will have a few chances to join their ranks during the course of the game. If you’re completing the United Colonies questline, you will have to join the Crimson Fleet as a part of an undercover operation.

But this is not the only opportunity you will have to fully commit to the Crimson Fleet. Over the course of the questline with the UC and the fleet, you can abandon your fellow Vanguard members of the UC and choose to officially join the Crimson Fleet. This decision is not to be taken lightly, though, especially if you’re traveling with companions in Starfield.

As such, I’m here to tell you whether it’s a good decision to jump ship and shack up with the Crimson Fleet or if you should fulfill your duties with the UC Vanguard. As a warning, there are spoilers for the Crimson Fleet/UC Faction questlines below.

Joining the Crimson Fleet in Starfield

First and foremost, I should clarify that your initial joining of the Crimson Fleet is mandatory to progress the United Colonies questline. So in that sense, you will technically already have joined the Crimson Fleet. What this guide will dive into is whether or not you should become a full-fledged member of the Crimson Fleet or continue on with the United Colonies’ plan of sabotaging the fleet.

The decision to join the Crimson Fleet or leave them behind comes near the end of the UC Vanguard questline. In this quest, you have to decide whether you want to attack the United Colonies onboard the Vigilance ship with your new pirate brethren or launch an assault against the Crimson Fleet as a member of the Vanguard.

What you choose here will determine what Faction you maintain a relationship with after the questline has ended.

Siding with the Crimson Fleet

If you choose to leave the Vanguard and become a space pirate, you will be forced to defend The Key from the UC’s attack. You will then have to board the Vigilance ship and attack all of the UC members you were working with previously.

Related: How to join the Xenofresh Corporation in Starfield

Successfully eliminating everyone onboard the Vigilance will net you 250,000 credits and every Crimson Fleet pirate in the Settled Systems will not give you any trouble for the remainder of the game. Of course, you will no longer be friendly with the United Colonies, but for whatever reason, no bounty will be placed on your head if you decide to slaughter all of the people onboard the Vigilance.

Siding with the United Colonies

On the flip side, if you choose to stick with your UC Vanguard oath, you have to assault The Key and kill all of the Crimson Fleet pirates you can find. Depending on how much evidence you gathered against the fleet, you could have a ton of backup from UC SysDef for your assault. The more evidence you gather, the more backup you will have.

Once the Crimson Fleet is dismantled at The Key, you will earn the same 250,000 credits as you would have if you sided with the fleet. Of course, in this scenario, you will be in the good graces of the UC and all Crimson Fleet pirates in the galaxy will be hostile toward you.

Which side should you choose?

In the end, it doesn’t truly matter which side you choose as you receive the same rewards in either scenario. It comes down to which side your moral compass is telling you to follow.

It should be noted that if you choose to kill everyone on the UC Vigilance, then all of your companions will hate this action. In my playthrough, they didn’t fully leave, but they all had a stern talk with me about my choice. If you’re looking to romance any of your followers, it might not be worth making them mad by joining the Crimson Fleet.

But if you really want to become a full-fledged space pirate, you should fully embrace being a Crimson Fleet member in Starfield.