Starfield is a game that has set a new level for RPG titles. From the deep RPG mechanics to the space exploration and combat, the game manages to do what Star Citizen failed. But being a Bethesda game, Starfield also has a lot of glaring issues that need to be addressed. Among those issues is the Matters of the Hart quest bug.
Well, it surely seems like lots of quests in the game are currently bugged. Quests like High Price to Pay to Juno’s Gambit, are marred with bugs and hence unplayable for many. Coming to the Matters of the Hart quest, there are several bugs associated with this one. One bug simply makes Sam disappear, and another turns Sam angry after he kills the ship captain of Dumas. So, can you fix these bugs? Let’s find out!
Starfield Matters of the Hart Quest Bug: Is there any fix yet
Until Bethesda releases an official fix for this particular problem, players can try out the following workarounds. Follow these one by one and see if any of them provide a meaningful result for you.
Get to the correct location –
For the “Wait for Sam to contact Lillian” part of the quest, some players tend to confuse the fact that they will find Lillian there. As stated here, this isn’t the case. To find Lillian, you will need to head back outside the Victor Compound and navigate down the starting trail. You can also use your quest marker for this. At the end of the trail, in the field, you will find both Sam and Cora. Approach them, and a cutscene will start playing.
Don’t kill the Ship Captain and have Sam wait at the entrance –
This particular workaround is for the Dumas stage of the quest. There’s a bug where Sam gets mighty angry if he kills the caption of the Dumas. There’s a destroy the ship option too, but that just makes your companion hate you. So the alternative is to board the ship and get the required information. This method will necessitate speed more than anything.
As per the Reddit comment here, first, you need to consume every possible extra health, damage resistance, and speed increase items. Then, board the ship and head straight for the cockpit as fast as possible. Ignore everything and keep running. Once you are in the cockpit, find and loot the info there. After that, run to the docking door, undock, and initiate a grav jump. Remember you need to do all this before Sam has the chance to kill the ship captain. Getting successful on the first try would be hard but possible. However, we suggest you make a hard save before boarding so that you can retry this method.
Players who want to get the ship for themselves should first complete these steps and then ask Sam to wait at the entrance. Kill everyone except for the ship turrets and the captain. Go to the cockpit and alter the turret settings to friendly. Next, the turret itself will kill the captain, resulting in you getting a brand new ship.
Start another quest –
If Sam disappears somehow, then the best way to get him back is to simply start another quest until he reappears. This was how u/No_Bell8908 got him back, so this might work for you too. The whole essence of this workaround is to just activate another quest. Keep doing the same until you get Sam back.
Go to Akila and sleep for 24-hrs –
Another workaround mentioned was to go to Akila and then sleep for about 24 hours on your ship. After the hours have passed, Sam will return to you. You can then interact with him. However, some players opted to pistol-whip him and then leave the ship. Next, they would chase Sam and then hit the action button the moment he stopped.
Use console commands –
Console commands are only available for PC players. Furthermore, the moment you use it, the game will designate your current save as modded, leading to achievements getting disabled. If you’re okay with all this, then:
- Press the tilde key (~), and this will make the console command appear on your screen.
- Next, type in setstage 00263262 [(quest stage id here)].
- You can find the quest stage ID by typing in the following command: sqo 00263262.
- Try entering the following command: setstage 00263262 1400 and check whether you skipped the bugged part of the quest.
Use mod –
There’s this mod that allows you to teleport a companion back to you. It’s especially helpful for bugs like this, where companions can disappear out of nowhere. Do note that using this mod requires access to the console command, so console players can ignore this method. In case Sam disappears, type in the following command on the console to get him back: bat movesam.
That said, we hope you find this guide useful. For more guides and information on Starfield, check out DigiStatement. Also read: Starfield Divided Loyalties Quest Bug: Is there any fix yet
