Playing the role of a diplomat isn’t something you’d associate with Starfield’s UC Vanguard, but that is exactly what you’ll be doing in the mission Friends Like These.
Your diplomatic duties include getting an Archive Code from Ambassador Radcliff, a Freestar Collective representative on the council, so you can access the banned archives to retrieve classified Terrormorph data.
Whether you get the Archive Code by being a silver-tongued devil, a bit of a scumbag, or a really good infiltrator is up to you—and so long as you don’t use violence, anything is on the table. Each method of acquiring the Archive Code from Ambassador Radcliff has its own set of challenges and will require a different character build. Read on to determine what your best course of action is based on your playstyle.
How to get Ambassador Radcliff’s Archive Code in Starfield
There are three different ways you can get Ambassador Radcliff’s Archive Code. You can either:
- Charm Ambassador Radcliff into giving you the Archive Code by succeeding in Persuasion.
- Blackmail Ambassador Radcliff into giving you the Archive Code.
- Steal the Archive Code all by yourself.
No matter which option you choose, violence is off the table. This is diplomatic work, after all, so only lying, stealing, or bribing is acceptable. The path you choose to acquire Ambassador Radcliff’s Archive Code will not have a significant effect on the mission later on—it is totally a matter of preference and convenience.
How to Persuade Ambassador Radcliff into giving you her Archive Code in Starfield
This is probably the most difficult route you can take, but is certainly the most “honest,” so if that sort of thing matters to you, this is the route you’ll want. There is no special trick for charming Ambassador Radcliff, but there are some things you can do to make life easier.
Most important is to Quicksave before attempting to persuade Radcliff into giving you the Archive Code—no matter how charismatic you are, Persuasion ultimately involves a bit of luck.
Once you’ve got a save that puts you right before the Persuasion attempt, I recommend popping a Paramour or drinking a nice bottle of Chardonnay (seriously). Paramour is an aid item (technically a drug) that gives you a 25 percent increase in your chances of succeeding in Persuasion. Alcoholic beverages only offer 10 percent, but are still better than nothing if you don’t feel like going through the trouble of buying or creating Paramour.
Once you’ve gotten nice and tipsy, it’s time to persuade Ambassador Radcliff. This ultimately comes down to luck, but we found selecting options that charm her (as opposed to trying to intimidate her) worked best. Specifically, any Persuasion option that mentions the fact Radcliff used to be a soldier seems to work wonders on her. The woman has a huge ego, and that’s what you want to appeal to.
If you fail the Persuasion, simply reload your autosave and try again. Once you’ve succeeded, Radcliff will lead you downstairs and give you the Archive Code.
How to blackmail Ambassador Radcliff into giving you her Archive Code in Starfield
This is certainly the scummiest way to get the Archive Code, but also the most fun. It isn’t Ambassador Radcliff we feel bad for when using the blackmail route, but rather Cameron Long—a you man working on Radcliff’s staff who must be lied to and exploited in this route.
The blackmail route starts by undertaking the optional objective Speak to the Freestar Embassy Staffer. Earlier in the mission, the president of the United Colonies explained that Radcliff has a staffer who is honest and virtuous and as such could probably be convinced to betray Radcliff. That staffer is Cameron Long.
Speak to Cameron, and you’ll see the option to lie pop up over and over. Selecting these lying options will cause Cameron to give you a key to the back hallway that leads to Radcliff’s chambers. Basically, you tell Cameron that the UC sent you because they’re all aware of how great and honest he is, and that if he does this for you he’ll get a sweet new job helping people over at the United Colonies. Poor guy.
Anyway, once you have the key from Cameron, unlock the door that will now be marked with an objective tracker. Keep in mind that this is trespassing even with the key, so don’t let any security guards see you unlock the door.
Once you’re in, look up and to the left to find a vent that lets out directly inside Ambassador Radcliff’s room. You’ll have a new objective tracker now that leads to a plant in the corner of her room. Activating this plant plays an audio recording from a bug set up by the UC in which you hear Radcliff asking Cameron Long to look into having Elias Cartwright murdered so that she can take his place as mayor of Akila City.
Cameron (bless his soul) refuses and tells Radcliff it’s time for bed.
Now you’ve got the recording, you are ready to blackmail Radcliff into giving you the Archive Code. Return to her by taking the same vent path as before, again making sure you aren’t seen. She will play dumb at first, but will immediately cave and offer you a deal. If you go this route, you can make an extra 7,000 Credits and receive a Rare (but not very good) pistol by telling Radcliff she must also give you a gift while blackmailing her.
How to steal the Archive Code from Ambassador Radcliff
This is the most straightforward option and is simultaneously the easiest and the hardest way to get Radcliff’s Archive Code. Ask yourself this one simple question: Can you lockpick Master locks? If so, great! You can steal the Archive Code. If not, you’ll have to either blackmail or persuade Radcliff into giving you the Archive Code.
There are several locked doors and vents that lead to the Archive Code room in the basement. While some vents get you close while only needing Advanced or Expert locks, you will ultimately need to lockpick a Master lock on a door or vent to reach the Archive Code by yourself.
Since there is no later effect on the mission from persuading or blackmailing Radcliff, we only suggest this route if you are able to pick Master locks. Otherwise, putting skill points into Lockpicking for this mission specifically likely isn’t worth it.
