Grunt Work is the first official mission you’ll get when you join the UC Vanguard faction in Starfield. This page offers all the information you need to complete the quest, including where to go and how to defeat the Terrormorph that’s plaguing the citizens at Tau Ceti II.

How to Start Grunt Work¶

Before you get assigned the mission Grunt Work, you’ll need to become a member of the UC Vanguard. Don’t worry, it’s super easy to join them and they’re one of the first factions you’ll encounter in the game! Head over to our guide on how to join the UC Vanguard for more information. And once you’ve sworn an Oath with Commander John Tuala, you’ll be assigned the mission.

This mission entails heading over to the Tau Gourmet Production Center on Tau Ceti II in the Tau Ceti System. And, although it’s meant to be a routine check up mission, it soon turns out to be a much deadlier mission than Tuala predicted!

When you arrive at the Production center, you’ll be greeted by a bloody scene and if you’ve got a companion, they’ll comment on the gruesome surroundings. Your quest marker will update and you’ll need to proceed out another door.

As you head out the door and further into the plant, a woman called Hadrian will call to you through the intercom and mention that something knows you’re there. She asks you to come meet her on the second floor. You can reach the room by heading up the stairs on your right.

When you speak to her, she’ll mention that a deadly Terrormorph has run rampant at the production center and you can offer to take it down. She’ll also ask that you retrieve a sample of the Terrormorph so she can figure out why it’s here. Additionally, she’ll also mention that you could reboot the security system to power up some of the plant’s tech to help take down the Terrormorph.

Before you leave the room, you can pick up some ammo and aid and once you’re ready proceed out the door facing south and up the stairs. You don’t need to worry about the Terrormorph just yet so just make your way across the platforms and down into the security building in the courtyard (it’s marked with “SECURITY” on the outside).

Once inside, locate the Security System and select the connection status option. Then, opt to “Reset Security Connection”. Hadrian will pop back on the intercom and tell you to pass into the next room to set the Tracking System frequency to 183.5.

To do this, open up the Tracking System then turn it on by hitting the “System Status” option. Once the system’s on, you’ll get the Tracker Frequency Tuner option where you can input 183.5.

When you do this, it’s time to panic a bit as you’ll have attracted the attention of the Terrormorph. This tracking system will now beep continually, increasing in frequency when you get closer to the Terrormorph (or it gets closer to you!).

How to Defeat the Terrormorph¶

There are basically two ways of dealing with the Terrormorph. You can either do as Hadrian suggests and power up the lasers on the kill lanes, or you can go in guns ablazing and take him down with your weapon of choice. It’s a level 10 monster with a reasonable amount of health and has some pretty powerful attacks including a ranged scream attack that does some damage.

This is certainly the quicker way but if you’re not well equipped you’ll have some issues doing it this way. If you’re a bit lower-leveled or just enjoy doing the optional content, consider doing Hadrian’s method and powering up the lasers.

How to Switch on the “Kill Lanes” in Tau Gourmet¶

If you’ve opted for the kill lanes, you’ll be required to turn on the lasers that are set up between the buildings. Whilst fighting the Terrormorph head-on is a scary option, this method also has its challenges.

For starters, you’ll want to get well acquainted with the sneak mechanic. If you don’t sneak you’re going to draw the attention of the Terrormorph. If the beeps of the tracker increase in frequency then you know it’s getting closer!

To get to the first power breaker, head back into the security system room and up the stairs. Proceed outside along the path and into the next building. Hop down onto the ground floor and head south towards the breaker. The Terrormorph could be around this area so proceed slowly before you activate the breaker.

After activating the power, head up the steps to the south and proceed up onto the roof. The second breaker should be right in front of you as you step onto the roof. You’ll have now activated one of the kill lanes, you can stop here and try to attract the attention of the Terrormorph or you can carry on to the other power breakers to switch on the other two kill lanes.

It’s worth mentioning that the kill lanes don’t one-shot the Terrormorph and you will need to deal some damage to it yourself as well as kite around it when you lure it into the lasers’ range. If you think you’re gonna need to run around more than just in the small area around the kill lane, consider powering up more of the breakers to turn on the other two kill lanes. But we found that having one on was enough!

Once you’ve defeated the Terrormorph, don’t forget to loot it for the sample for Hadrian. Then, return to Hadrian in the office. She’ll proceed over to a microscope to test the sample and it’ll all come out inconclusive, but after some extra background and history on the Terrormorph you’ll learn that its presence at the plant is very worrying.

Hadrian will ask you to report these findings to Commander John Tuala as she wants to study the tissue sample at a more high tech lab. She’ll reward you with 1,800 Credits and also hand over the Terrormorph Cell Sample. So, when you’re ready, return to the MAST building at New Atlantis in the Alpha Centauri system and speak with the commander. He is, of course, very impressed with your combat skills and for your troubles, he’ll offer you 5,800 Credits and a UC Vanguard Pilot Pack. You’ll now also have access to some fun UC Vanguard spaceship modifications at the Spaceport too.

This concludes the Grunt Work quest and begins the Delivering Devils faction quest, in which you’re tasked with meeting Dr. Percival Walker and looking further into these mysterious Terrormorph sightings.