Skip to content
The Distress Signal
The Outer Worlds

The Distress Signal

Follow our comprehensive guide to The Outer Worlds' 'The Distress Signal' quest. Learn how to investigate the signal, explore Roseway, and complete all associated objectives.

By ···10 min read·Multi-source verified
1 reading this guide  

Follow our comprehensive guide to The Outer Worlds' 'The Distress Signal' quest. Learn how to investigate the signal, explore Roseway, and complete all associated objectives.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    After getting the Unreliable airborne again and completing 'Stranger in a Strange Land', talk to Phineas Welles. He'll direct you to Gladys on the Groundbreaker for a Stellar Bay Navkey.
  2. 2
    Gladys will charge 10,000 Bits for the key. She offers an alternative: investigate a distress signal from Roseway on Terra 2 and retrieve lucrative secrets.
  3. 3
    Return to the Unreliable, talk to ADA, and play back the distress call. This grants access to the Roseway landing pad and reveals three names: Anton Crane, Vaughn Cortes, and Orson Shaw.
  4. 4
    Use the Navigation Terminal, set your destination to Terra 2, and travel to the Roseway Landing Pad.
  5. 5
    As you disembark, Ellie will hail you from near the door, offering opportunistic commentary.
  6. 6
    Leave the Unreliable and follow the road west from the landing pad. At a fork, turn north to find Raptidons feasting on a dead scientist.
  7. 7
    Exterminate the Raptidons (plasma damage is effective). Note the automechanical loader and loot nearby houses. A locked house south of the loader (Lockpick 15) contains Snakeskin.
  8. 8
    Continue west along the road to reach the corporate town of Roseway.
  9. 9
    Enter Roseway and talk to Berke, an Auntie Cleo trooper. He'll refer you to scientist Anton Crane.
  10. 10
    Before seeing Anton, explore Roseway:
  11. 11
    Loot corpses for potential Elite Troop Armor.
  12. 12
    In a building south of the eastern gate, find Orson Shaw. Assure him you're not a marauder. Pass a [Science 30] check and ask for help to start the quest 'Vulcan’s Hammer'.
  13. 13
    In the Roseway Luxury Apartments (southwestern end), search the western ground-floor room for the unique Raptidon Handler’s Armor and the 'Systems and Serfdoms' book. Anton Crane's apartment upstairs (Lockpick 25) contains his terminal [Hack 16].
  14. 14
    In the common room of the Roseway Luxury Apartments, find Vaughn Cortes. Pass a [Science 30] check about Raptidons. He'll tell you about an abandoned experiment and ask for your help, starting the quest 'The Amateur Alchemist'.
  15. 15
    Anton Crane will tell you about the attack on Roseway, starting the quest 'The Doom that Came to Roseway'. He will also mention his missing protege, Jameson, starting the quest 'By His Bootstraps'.
Tips
  • Plasma damage is effective against Raptidons.
  • A [Lockpick 15] check in a house near the automechanical loader can yield Snakeskin.
  • A [Lockpick 25] check is required to enter Anton Crane's apartment.
  • A [Hack 16] check can be performed on Anton Crane's terminal.
  • [Science 30] checks can be passed when talking to Orson Shaw and Vaughn Cortes for bonus XP and dialogue.
  • Access to the Roseway map area.
  • Potential for various side quests: 'Vulcan’s Hammer', 'The Amateur Alchemist', 'The Doom that Came to Roseway', and 'By His Bootstraps'.
  • Lootable items including Elite Troop Armor, Snakeskin, Raptidon Handler’s Armor, and the 'Systems and Serfdoms' book.

100% Human-Written. AI Fact-Checked. Community Verified. Learn how AntMag verifies content