Starfield The Old Neighborhood: Should you pay Moara’s bar tab?

Starfield’s The Old Neighborhood campaign mission sees you traveling to Cydonia on Mars in pursuit of a Vanguard called Moara.

When you ask bartender Jack whether he knows where Moara is, he’s reluctant to tell you because the Vanguard apparently has a hefty tab that hasn’t been paid. But should you pay Moara’s bar tab in Starfield to obtain the information on his whereabouts, or should you convince Jack to tell you without having to part with any Credits?

What happens if you pay Moara’s bar tab in Starfield?

Jack asks for 2,500 Credits to settle Moara’s bar tab and to give you the information on his location that you need, but the bartender isn’t exactly being honest. The bar tab is actually only 1,000 Credits and Jack is trying to take advantage of your good nature. You can find out the real amount by selecting companion Sarah Morgan’s dialogue option when asked to pay the tab: “[Sarah Morgan] Skip to the part where you admit you’re lying.”

Jack initially claims he will throw you both out of the bar for calling him a liar and then, after more of a tongue-wagging from Sarah, submits.

If you pay either the full tab or the actual tab, Jack tells you Moara was talking about the Lady of Love, suggesting he’s on Venus.

What happens if you don’t pay Moara’s bar tab in Starfield?

If you don’t want to pay Moara’s tab then you need to pass a Persuasion check for Jack to give you the information you need to continue the mission. I easily managed to do this with Rank 2 Persuasion by selecting the following dialogue options:

• “[Persuade] He could need help. You shouldn’t put a price on that.”
• “What matters to you more, the money or Moara’s life?” [Persuasion +2]
• “We could be the only ones who could find him.” [Persuasion +2]

If you pass the check then Jack reveals what he knows about Moara’s whereabouts and you don’t pay out a dime. If you fail the check then you need to pay.

Should you pay Moara’s bar tab in Starfield?

Hell, no. Not if you can avoid it. You should persuade Jack if you can and, if that doesn’t work, make sure to only pay the actual tab rather than the price-hiked one.