Should you pick Crimson Fleet or UC Sysdef in Starfield?

Factions play a major role in the Starfield campaign and you get to choose a faction in the Eye of the Storm quest. Here’s whether you should pick Crimson Fleet or the UC Sysdef in Starfield and the consequences of both actions.

Although Starfield is nowhere near its peak popularity in 2024, it still boasts thousands of active players, and new updates are being released ahead of the launch of the Shattered Space DLC.

Starfield offers hundreds of hours of content through planet exploration and shipbuilding, but that’s not all. The campaign features an intriguing story as well and your faction choices have a major impact on the gameplay.

If you’re confused between choosing the UC Sysdef or the Crimson Fleet in Starfield, here are the consequences of both choices and the best one to make.

• Starfield: Choosing UC Sysdef explained
• Starfield: Choosing Crimson Fleet explained
• Which choice is best in Starfield: Crimson Fleet or UC Sysdef?

Starfield: Choosing UC Sysdef explained

If you pick UC Sysdef in Starfield, the Eye of the Storm mission will task you with attacking The Key to wipe out the Crimson Fleet once and for all. The mission starts with taking out three large lasers guarding the base, as well as an epic space battle against enemy ships.

You must then battle through hordes of Crimson Fleet pirates to reach Delgado, who can either be killed immediately or convinced to turn himself in.

Choosing the UC Sysdef path in Starfield comes with the following rewards once the quest is complete:

• 250,000 credits
• Access to the Vigilance
• Approval of Constellation companions

Starfield: Choosing Crimson Fleet explained

Alternatively, choosing the Crimson Fleet in Starfield flips the Eye of the Storm mission and asks you to defend The Key from UC Sysdef. The military will attack the three lasers, but the strength of the assault will vary based on how much intel you fed them in previous missions.

After successfully holding off the attack, board the Vigilance to take out everyone on the ship. Finding and killing Commander Ikande will bring an end to the mission and earn you a permanent place in the Crimson Fleet.

The Crimson Fleet path in Starfield grants these rewards:

• 250,000 credits
• Access to The Key
• Safe travel through Crimson Fleet territory

Which choice is best in Starfield: Crimson Fleet or UC Sysdef?

Overall, the Crimson Fleet is the best option in Starfield’s Eye of the Storm mission. We recommend siding with the space pirates despite the fact that a number of your companions might disagree with the decision.

Since the cash reward is the same for both sides, it all comes down to which of the two factions is the most useful as you progress through the rest of the game. You can get completely shielded ships from the vendor in The Key to continue your smuggling operations and unlock many other vendors.

Most importantly, choosing UC Sysdef will turn the Crimson Fleet against you, so you’ll have to fight off any of the forces you come across. However, picking the opposite side doesn’t rack up a bounty with UC Sysdef, so there are far fewer consequences to deal with.

All that being said, though, the differences between the two are relatively small, so feel free to pick whichever faction you align with most.

For more on Starfield, be sure to check out our other guides:

Does Starfield have multiplayer or co-op? | Does Starfield have mod support? | Does Starfield have New Game Plus? | Is Starfield on Steam Deck? | Will Starfield have DLC & story expansions? | Starfield Outposts explained: How to build bases | Starfield plants explained: All types & how to scan | Who is the Adoring Fan in Starfield? | Starfield jail system explained