“The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market” quest in The Outer Worlds 2 requires skill check upon skill check… and then throws in a few more skill checks. As if that’s not enough, the quest may lead you to Otto’s puzzle in Free Market Station, which is arguably the most impossible puzzle in The Outer Worlds 2, depending on your progress.
Here’s how to solve Otto’s puzzle in The Outer Worlds 2, gather intel from Prospero, search the ACS Free Market’s wreck, hack a stubborn robot, and do whatever else it takes to complete “The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market” quest.
‘The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market’ quest location in The Outer Worlds 2
“The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market” is a side quest that takes place on the Free Market Station planet. You must complete the “Saboteur of Paradise” main quest to unlock this map.
To start “The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market”, talk to Archivist Stallworth and offer your help. She’s the woman loudly being questioned by a guard, about halfway between your ship and the shopping area.
How to complete ‘The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market’ in The Outer Worlds 2
Although Archivist Stallworth asked you to search for clues, you don’t need to find every clue to complete the quest. However, you must acquire enough info to answer Stallworth’s three questions. One piece of info is enough to answer at least one question and complete “The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market,” but you won’t obtain the full quest rewards.
That said, this only affects the amount of experience and money gained from this quest. There are no special quest rewards to miss out on. If you give Stallworth incomplete intel, she’ll award you with 465 bit cartridges, and if you answer every question correctly, you gain 1,387 bit cartridges (the exact amount may vary slightly depending on your level).
Here’s every piece of info you can possibly acquire in “The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market” quest. Pick the ones that match your current abilities, such as the skills you’ve picked so far:
- Otto’s information: Engineering level 5 or the N-Ray Scanner gadget.
- Prospero’s information: Hacking level 3 or Lockpick level 5.
- Read the Sub Rosa archive: Hacking level 8 or the “Pickpocket” perk (obtainable as an early game perk) are handy, but not required.
- Search the ACS Free Market’s wreck: Engineering level 8 for one half of the info, and Sneak level 5 or the “Brawny” trait for the other half.
And here’s the info needed to answer Stallworth’s questions. Use the sources listed above to ensure you can answer every question:
- Question 1: Otto’s info, Prospero’s info, the Sub Rosa archive, or the ACS Free Market’s engine debris can provide an answer.
- Question 2: Prospero’s info or the ACS Free Market’s buried audio log can provide an answer.
- Question 3: Otto’s info or Sub Rosa’s archive can provide an answer.
To illustrate, Otto’s and Prospero’s info would be enough to claim the full quest reward for “The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market.”
When you hand in the quest, avoid lying, saying “Uhh… not sure,” and saying “A lot of screaming and running around, probably?” as this will count as incomplete info.
How to acquire Otto’s information in The Outer Worlds 2
To find Otto Riesling, walk west until you enter the circular area with all the shops. On your right hand, in a stall that says: “Oddments & Gubbin, Scrapyard Finery,” you’ll see Otto.
Ask Otto if he knows anything about the crash of the ACS Free Market. He’ll deny it, but there are two ways to obtain Otto’s information anyway:
- Engineering skill check: If you have Engineering level 5 or higher, use it to convince Otto.
- Solve Otto’s puzzle. You must find Otto’s secret room, then you must flick a bunch of switches in the correct order to access it.
How to solve Otto’s puzzle in the Free Market Station
To find Otto’s secret room, walk back toward your spaceship. On your right hand, you’ll see a sparkly rift. In front of that rift, on the right side, crawl through the hole in the wall.
Follow the path ahead, climb up the ladder, and you’ll see Otto’s switch puzzle. He’s posted a note next to the puzzle to confirm that his room is behind it, but you won’t find Otto’s puzzle solution in this note.
The only way to see the clue to Otto’s puzzle is to use the N-Ray Scanner gadget. Unfortunately, if you decided to visit Free Market Station before clearing a good chunk of the Golden Ridge content, you won’t have this gadget yet. If that’s the case, there are two ways to proceed:
- If you’d like to solve Otto’s puzzle yourself, you’ll need to grab the N-Ray Scanner gadget, which can be found in the N-Ray Range during the “On the Trail of the Traitor” main quest on Golden Ridge. We recommend completing the “On the Trail of the Traitor” switch puzzle and the “Discrete Mathematics” side quest before you head back. Be warned that it may take about half an hour to obtain the gadget if you speedrun the quest and possibly hours if you take it slow.
- If you’d like to solve Otto’s puzzle now, we’ll show the solution below, starting with a hint.
To solve Otto’s Free Market puzzle, you must connect the three lights on the right side of the switches with the ones next to the doorway. If you use the N-Ray Scanner, you’ll see the wire connections between the switches. Start from the right, then follow the cables to the left to establish a connection, and repeat that process two times.
Whether you’ve got the N-Ray Scanner or not, flick the switches in the order shown in the image below to solve Otto’s puzzle in The Outer Worlds 2:
The door to Otto’s room will open, allowing you to read his journal and (optionally) grab some loot — surely Otto won’t mind. Return to Otto and use the info from his journal to say: “I read your journal, and what happened to you.” Just continue the conversation to acquire Otto’s information.
How to acquire Prospero’s information in The Outer Worlds 2
To find Prospero Paolo, enter The Second Choice bar in the circular area with all the shops (on the left as you enter). Inside the bar, turn right to find Prospero.
Offer to help Prospero, then head outside to buy Iceberg Aged Whiskey from Chef de Mecanique on the opposite side of the market. Since you’re not Prospero, the robot will refuse to sell the whiskey. You have two options:
- Hack Chef de Mecanique: Requires Hacking level 3.
- Steal the whiskey: Sneak behind Chef de Mecanique and open the safe. You’ll need Lockpick level 5 and one mag-pick.
Bring the whiskey to Prospero and he’ll tell you what he knows.
Read the Sub Rosa archive in The Outer Worlds 2
To find Sub Rosa’s information storage, go to The Second Choice bar in the circular area with all the shops (on the left as you enter). Enter the bathroom and crawl through the vent.
You can acquire Sub Rosa’s secret intel from the terminal next to the sleeping cutthroat in one of three ways:
- Hack the terminal: Requires Hacking level 8 and a bypass shunt.
- Pickpocket the cutthroat: Use the “Pickpocket” perk to obtain the terminal’s password.
- Kill the Sub Rosa Cutthroat: He’ll fight back, but nobody will hear or see this crime. Make sure to loot the password from the body.
Whichever method you choose, be sure to read every file on the computer to acquire the Sub Rosa headquarters intel — it concerns an insurance policy on the ACS Free Market.
Search the ACS Free Market’s wreck in The Outer Worlds 2
To find the remains of the ACS Free Market, walk back toward your ship until you see a rift anomaly on your right. Crawl through the hole in the wall on the right, but instead of taking the ladder to Otto’s room, inspect the grounds.
You will find two parts of the wreckage that can possibly reveal some info: a buried audio log, and a piece of engine debris. Here’s how to extract info from each wreckage:
- Buried audio log: Extract the log with Sneak level 5 or rip it out if you have the “Brawny” trait, and listen to the recording.
- Engine debris: Inspect it with Engineering level 8.
Should you spare or kill Archivist Stallworth?
At the end of “The Last Voyage of the ACS Free Market,” you have the option to ask Archivist Stallworth: “So what did you conclude from what I gave you?” Doing so will reveal her true reasons for gathering info on the ACS Free Market and present you with additional choices.
Here’s what happens depending on your response:
- Pass a level 3 Sneak check: You receive 150 additional bit cartridges.
- Pass a level 3 Speech check: Gain +3 reputation with the Order. You must choose “Wait, what? I thought you were compiling a historical report!” to unlock this skill check.
- Approve of Stallworth’s method: Gain +1 reputation with the Order. Pick “Keeping every option open to further the war effort? I like it,” or “I can’t say I appreciate it, but I at least understand your reasoning.”
- Kill Archivist Stallworth: She won’t put up a fight, but every nearby guard will attack you. There doesn’t seem to be a benefit to killing Stallworth other than destroying your reputation with the Sub Rosa faction, so this isn’t recommended.
- Anything else: Nothing happens.
For more help on your Arcadia adventure, check out our Outer Worlds 2 beginner guide and recommendations for the best skills and best perks. Make sure to recruit companions like Tristan to spice up your journey! Don’t forget to check out our interactive maps to help you navigate your way through space.
