As a passionate Starfield player with over 100+ hours logged since launch, I‘ve made sure to thoroughly explore as much of the game‘s content as possible. And like many vast Bethesda RPGs, Starfield is packed with engaging side adventures that provide a welcome break from the main story.
One such early game side quest that stood out to me is Alternating Currents. This mysterious investigation has you teaming up with Louisa Reyez to track down an unknown power drain plaguing the neon-lit streets of New Atlantis.
In this complete walkthrough guide, I‘ll be detailing all the objectives, choices, and locations involved with successfully finishing this quest based on my firsthand experience.
For fellow Starfield fans and expert players, I also plan to provide additional context, analysis, tips, and commentary as we go along. Let‘s dive in!
How to Start Alternating Currents
To kick off Alternating Currents, you first need to complete Louisa‘s initial introduction quest called "Tapping the Grid" that has you monitoring power levels in the city.
After helping narrow down the drain to the Trade Authority corporation, Louisa asks for your aid in confronting their representative.
I strongly recommend accepting her proposition to trigger the Alternating Currents questline. While optional, this investigation provides valuable early game rewards and continues developing Louisa as a key ally.
Follow her lead to meet receptionist Zoe Kaminski inside the Trade Authority lobby. However, rather than conflict, Zoe ends up cooperating once Louisa shows the suspicious power data. She explains an unknown third-party is actually causing the issue.
Overview of Goals and Rewards
Before diving into the alternating currents walkthrough step-by-step, let‘s briefly summarize the quest objectives and rewards:
Main Goals:
- Locate and reboot a series of junction boxes
- Investigate apartment with suspicious power drain
- Obtain and deliver incriminating evidence
Completion Rewards:
- 2,000 Credits
- High XP (Scales to player level)
So with a solid credits payout and XP boost, it‘s certainly worth your time to take on this mystery. Now let‘s get to it!
Finding the First Junction Box
After agreeing to help Zoe and Louisa track down the real power drain source, your first task is to locate and reboot the closest junction box to restore standard power flow to the area.
As the objectives can get confusing to navigate, I highly recommend marking Alternating Currents as your active quest at this point to enable the on-screen marker arrows that will guide you straight there.
To reach the first box, head out the front entrance of the Trade Authority headquarters. Hang a tight right near Jakes Bar and ascend the winding stairs until you emerge onto the upper level suspended platforms.
Use your jetpack to traverse a small gap to the isolated area with the junction box. Interact with it to restart power flow.
With the first box reactivated, we can cross that objective off the list!
Pro Tip: Be sure to keep an eye on your quest updates by pressing up on the dpad when playing on console. The purple quest markers are also indispensable for navigation.
The Crossroads Choice – Trust Louisa or Zoe?
An intriguing decision point arises at this juncture between the partner characters of Louisa and Zoe.
They each suggest a different junction box for you to divert to next based on their own theories about the power drain‘s source.
- Louisa believes Junction Box 45A is the correct path forward
- Zoe advocates for Junction Box 47B instead
So which recommendation do you follow? I personally enjoy moments like these that let me roleplay different motivations. Ultimately, I opted to side with Zoe since 47B seemed physically closer from our position.
But narratively, you could argue Louisa deserves more trust as she‘s been investigating this mystery longer. It‘s an interesting moral quandary I hope Bethesda expands on regarding the UC corporation priviledge‘s in New Atlantis.
Either way, your choice doesn‘t actually impact completion or prevent you from befriending both characters. But it allows added roleplaying flavor I appreciated.
Venturing into the Residential District
For the second junction box, plot a course back to the Well District and glance to the right of the Athena apartment complex. You should clearly spot the external box mounted on the wall.
On my first playthrough, I actually missed it at first because I didn‘t physically look upwards toward the building facade. So be sure to scan vertically to locate that final coupling!
With the Athena Tower flow restored, it‘s time to check out the actual apartments for the next leg. Use your lockpicking skills to bypass the novice door panel security.
Pro Tip: If your hacking skill isn‘t high enough, you can also loot keycards from Trade Authority guard corpses
Ride the main elevator up and veer left immediately after exiting to locate the final junction box terminal within an upscale vacant apartment. Get it back up and running!
Now comes the fun part…
Uncovering the Power Drain Source
After restoring all the junction boxes, their diagnostic reports pinpoint this lavish penthouse as the exact source of the system-wide power drain!
Upon closer inspection of the apartment interior, you discover a remote hacking computer discretely rigged-up to siphon credits off every New Atlantis digital transaction.
But who set this up? Rather than staying around, it appears the mysterious perpetrator cleared out leaving only their equipment behind.
I love little story beats like this that suggest a larger world happening outside the scope of our missions. It builds intrigue and excitement around what else awaits discovery out in Bethesda‘s meticulously crafted vision of the Settled Systems.
Make sure to download the incriminating evidence off the terminal before leaving. This will complete the vital "Find Evidence" objective crucial for finishing the Alternating Currents questline.
Pro Tip: Take a moment to explore the bedroom on the left and pick up the vintage book "Oliver Twist" off the shelves. Adding this rare collectible to your inventory unlocks a fun Earth location activity for fast traveling there later!
Quest Completion
Armed with the encrypted data, you now have to decide who to deliver it to – Louisa or Zoe?
I went with Louisa on principle since she was more directly helpful from the start. But Zoe also promises discretion if you want to keep New Atlantis authorities uninvolved.
Ultimately, it makes little narrative difference so choose whoever fits your character‘s motives best!
Regardless, return to either Zoe at the Trade Authority or Louisa in the Well to officially wrap up the Alternating Currents questline for its rewards:
Alternating Currents Completion Rewards:
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Credits | 2,000 |
| XP | High (Scales Based on Level) |
With another investigation closed, it was time to head back out and answer my Starfield Transmitter for where help would be needed next! What was your favorite side quest arc in Starfield? Let me know in the comments.
