As a Freestar Deputy, your ongoing investigation into the First mercenary company is your big case, and it culminates in the mission The Hammer Falls. This corrupt criminal organization has been up to no good as it soon becomes clear that HopeTech founder and member of the Council of Governors, Ron Hope, hired them to run the farmers off their land by force. Not exactly the most ethical decision, eh? During the climax of the quest, you’ll have to choose whether you should kill or spare Ron Hope in The Hammer Falls in Starfield. It’s not an easy choice, but we’re here to lend a hand.
Ron Hope in The Hammer Falls – Freestar Collective Mission in Starfield Choice Explained
Once you confront Ron Hope and show him the ‘Details of the Arrangement’ Slate that was given to you by Colony war veteran Major Paxton Hull implicating the HopeTech founder, he’ll put all his cards on the table and come clean about the entire fertiliser conspiracy.
Interestingly, there are four potential outcomes that can shake out in this mission, though they are slight variations on the same theme.
Spare Him and Accept His 20,000 Credit Bribe
After agreeing that the whole “cost-cutting endeavour” is at an end, you can opt to choose the dialogue option “[Accept 20,000 Credits] It’s too bad Hull died before he could tell me anything]“. Ron Hope will take the Slate and ask you to tell Marshal Blake whatever he needs to hear to patch things up. You’ll receive your 20,000 Credits and your next task will be to speak to Marshal Blake in Akila City on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
Spare Him and Raise His Bribe to 50,000 Credits Using the Negotiation Skill
If you’ve unlocked the Negotiation Skill in the Social tree, you’ll be able to eke out a sizeable bonus to Ron Hope’s bribe. Near the end of your lengthy conversation with the corrupt official, you’ll be given the opportunity to choose the dialogue option “[Negotiation] [Accept 50,000 Credits] For a very substantial bonus, I think we can come to an agreement].” This will net you 50,000 Credits and your next objective will be to go to Akila City in the Cheyenne System to report back to Marshal Blake.
Spare Him Without Taking the Bribe
After your extensive chat with the HopeTech founder, you’ll be able to spare Ron Hope by opting to choose the dialogue option “For your employees’ sake, I’ll keep your secret, but your scheme ends now]. The Slate will be removed from your inventory, and you’ll be tasked with the next step of your objective: to report back to Marshal Blake in Akila City.
Try to Arrest and Then Kill Him
Unfortunately, you can’t actually arrest Ron Hope in Starfield, as when you try, all the outcomes lead to violence. Ultimately, it’ll boil down to the dialogue options “[Attack] Bribes and threats aren’t going to work on me]” and “[Attack] If you refuse to come quietly, I’ll have to use force]. Luckily, Ron Hope is a piece of cake to defeat, though he has a security detail comprising of three nearby guards – which are Level 12, Level 20, and Level 28 enemies.
When we looted his body, we found the following items:
- 773 Credits
- 36 x .27 Caliber
- Ramen
- Rattler
Instead of reporting back to Marshal Blake, you’ll be tasked to “Eliminate Hope’s Security” and then “Talk to Birgit McDougall”.
Birgit McDougall will be shocked at the revelations that she has just overheard about Ron Hope, and will admit that she saw Ron Hope as both noble and a personal father figure. You’ll discuss whether there’s a second-in-command who can take over from Ron Hope, and she’ll recommend Elana Nwanko. Lastly, your next objective — much like the other outcomes — will be to report back to Marshal Blake in Akila City.
Should You Kill or Spare Ron Hope in The Hammer Falls in Starfield?
From our experience, we think that taking the bribe or sparing him was narratively unsatisfying as we didn’t feel like justice had been properly dispensed. Really, the HopeTech founder is a nasty piece of work who has actively put profits above his workers’ welfare and wellbeing. I mean, he literally ordered his mercenaries to chase out the workers from their homes by force — that’s not a good look, folks!
While you do get a nice financial payout, especially if you accept the 50,000 Credits bribe, money is quite an easy commodity to obtain in Starfield. And depending on how your moral compass skews, taking the bribe just doesn’t sit right with us.
As a result, we’d opt to kill Ron Hope. Not only is this more satisfying from a narrative perspective, but you’ll also net yourself some additional XP and loot too. You can also rest easy that justice has well and truly been served under the watchful eye of the Freestar Collective. Of course, it’s your call at the end of the day, but that’s just our two cents.
And with that, we come to the conclusion of our guide on whether you should kill or spare Ron Hope in The Hammer Falls in Starfield. For more helpful tips and info, here’s whether you should accept Marco Graziani’s bribe and the best easter eggs in the game. And for everything else, stick with us right here at Twinfinite.
