Starfield: Shattered Space has one mandatory core ending: Anasko Va’ruun dies, the Phantom army is stopped, and the Scaled Citadel collapses. Your choices determine how you reach that conclusion, which House leads House Va’ruun, whether the Serpent’s Crusade is restarted, and whether Dazra remains accessible.
This spoiler guide covers the final mission, “The Scaled Citadel”, including every meaningful ending variation and the “Burn it All” fail state.
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How Starfield: Shattered Space ends
Anasko Va’ruun has transformed into a Phantom and is using Vortex technology to create an army of Phantom soldiers. He intends to use them to restart the Serpent’s Crusade, House Va’ruun’s historical war against the Settled Systems.
After you replace the Vortex Interlock and restore the Scaled Citadel’s systems, Anasko asks you to release the Phantom soldiers from their life-support pods. You can either Release the Phantoms or Terminate Pod Life Support.
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That decision changes the route through the Citadel, but not the ultimate result. In both cases, the Zealots invade, Anasko must be defeated, the Vortex Gate is overloaded, and the Scaled Citadel collapses.
Release the Phantoms
Choosing Release the Phantoms temporarily supports Anasko’s plan. He approves of your decision, but the Zealots soon breach the Citadel. You fight your way toward the Pinnacle alongside—and against—Phantoms and Zealots.
At the Pinnacle, Anasko reveals that you are no longer useful and orders you to die. You can choose:
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- Attack: Begins the required boss confrontation.
- Submit: Your character dies and the game reloads the last checkpoint. This is not an alternate ending.
There is no route in which releasing the Phantoms lets you permanently join Anasko, preserve him, or allow the Phantom army to conquer the Settled Systems.
Terminate Pod Life Support
Choosing Terminate Pod Life Support kills the dormant Phantom army before it can be deployed. Anasko becomes hostile immediately, so there is no later “Attack” or “Submit” conversation.
The Zealots still breach the Citadel, and the rest of the mission follows the same essential sequence: reach the Pinnacle, disable the four Modulators, overload the Vortex Gate, kill Anasko, and escape the collapsing Citadel. The choice is therefore the clearest moral alternative, but it does not create a substantially different post-quest world state.
How to defeat Anasko and escape the Citadel
Anasko cannot simply be killed at the start of the final encounter. During the fight, you must:
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- Activate the switches around the Pinnacle.
- Expose and destroy all four Modulators.
- Overload the Vortex Gate.
- Deliver the final blow to Anasko.
- Escape before the Scaled Citadel collapses.
The official mission guide confirms the required objective sequence in Bethesda’s walkthrough.
The mandatory final sequence
Regardless of what you do with the Phantoms:
- Anasko Va’ruun dies.
- The Vortex Gate is overloaded.
- The Scaled Citadel collapses.
- Your character escapes and loses consciousness.
- You wake in Dazra surrounded by the leaders of the three noble Houses.
- The council asks you to choose House Va’ruun’s next Speaker.
You cannot save Anasko, preserve the Scaled Citadel, or turn the Phantom army into a permanent playable faction.
Choosing House Va’ruun’s new Speaker
The council offers three candidates:
- House Veth’aal: The traditionalist and militaristic choice.
- House Dul’kehf: Associated with trade, reconstruction, and a less expansionist position.
- House Ka’dic: Associated with political maneuvering and clandestine dealings.
Each House becomes the ruling House, but the choice does not produce a unique final cinematic, separate main-story campaign, or major change to the wider Settled Systems. Whichever House you choose, you receive access to the Vacant House and proceed to the Serpent’s Crusade decision.
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You can also try to nominate yourself as Speaker. The council rejects that proposal and makes you choose one of the three Houses instead.
What happens if you reject all three Houses?
Selecting “I don’t think any of you are fit to lead” is the one Speaker choice with a major practical penalty. You can soften or retract the statement, but confirming that House Va’ruun should remain dissolved produces this outcome:
- Dazra becomes hostile.
- Residents and guards attack you when you enter.
- You do not receive the Vacant House.
- Andreja disapproves, even if she was not your active companion.
- The Serpent’s Crusade decision is skipped.
This is not a conventional game over. You can continue playing elsewhere, but Dazra is effectively closed to you. Reloading an earlier save is the practical way to undo the decision. Game8’s ending guide and its House Va’ruun guide document these consequences.
The Vacant House reward
If you select House Veth’aal, House Dul’kehf, or House Ka’dic, you gain access to the Vacant House in Dazra. The identity of the ruling House does not change the basic reward.
If you reject all three Houses and confirm that none should lead, the Vacant House is not unlocked because Dazra becomes hostile.
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After you choose a Speaker, the council asks whether House Va’ruun should restart the Serpent’s Crusade. The two outcomes are:
Start the Serpent’s Crusade
House Va’ruun announces that it intends to resume its war against the Settled Systems. You still receive the Vacant House, but the decision has limited mechanical impact:
- Sarah Morgan, Sam Coe, and Barrett disapprove.
- No galaxy-wide invasion begins.
- No new Va’ruun war fleets attack major cities.
- No new UC or Freestar faction war starts.
- No major Crusade campaign becomes available after the credits.
The political threat is described in dialogue, but the wider game world does not visibly enter a new war state.
Oppose the Serpent’s Crusade
Opposing the Crusade is the closest equivalent to a peaceful ending. House Va’ruun does not publicly commit to restarting the war, you remain welcome in Dazra, and you still receive the Vacant House.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHowever, the game does not add a major peace treaty, diplomatic questline, or substantially altered Settled Systems. Calling this the “good ending” is a player-guide convention rather than an official classification.
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Every major ending combination
| Phantom choice | Speaker choice | Crusade choice | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminate or release | Any of the three Houses | Oppose | Anasko dies, the Citadel collapses, the Phantom army is stopped, you receive the Vacant House, and Va’ruun does not formally restart the Crusade. |
| Terminate or release | Any of the three Houses | Start | Anasko dies, the Citadel collapses, you receive the Vacant House, and Va’ruun announces preparations for a renewed Crusade. Sarah, Sam, and Barrett disapprove. |
| Terminate or release | Reject all three | Skipped | Dazra becomes hostile, the Vacant House is unavailable, Andreja disapproves, and you can continue playing outside Dazra. |
What the ending reveals about the Great Serpent
The DLC does not definitively prove that the Great Serpent is real. It establishes that Anasko believes the Great Serpent commands House Va’ruun to restart the Crusade and that he interprets the Phantom experiment as a way to fulfill that will.
You never encounter a clearly identified Great Serpent entity, and the ending does not confirm that a supernatural being caused the Vortex phenomenon. Anasko’s statements are evidence of his motivation and religious conviction, not objective proof of the deity’s existence. Bethesda’s mission text describes his belief without confirming it as fact.
Does the ending change the wider Settled Systems?
Only in limited ways. The ending changes your relationship with Dazra, your access to the Vacant House, companion approval, and the political dialogue surrounding House Va’ruun’s future.
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It does not add a visible Va’ruun invasion, a new galaxy-wide faction war, a different main-game ending, or a major post-credits Serpent’s Crusade questline. Starting the Crusade is narratively significant, but its gameplay consequences are much smaller than the dialogue suggests.
The “Burn it All” failure state
Bethesda identifies “Burn it All” as a separate terminal choice during the final mission. Selecting it causes all Shattered Space missions to fail and makes those missions unavailable to start or resume.
This is not a normal story ending. The supported recovery is to reload an earlier save and make different choices during “The Scaled Citadel.” See Bethesda Support’s explanation.
Common claims that are wrong
- “The three Houses create three completely different endings.”
- They determine the new Speaker, but do not create separate main-story campaigns or substantially different post-game worlds.
- “Releasing the Phantoms lets you side with Anasko.”
- No. You must still attack Anasko, destroy the Modulators, overload the Vortex Gate, and escape.
- “Submitting unlocks a hidden ending.”
- No. Submission kills your character and reloads the checkpoint.
- “Starting the Crusade triggers a galaxy-wide war.”
- No visible invasion, new war state, or major Crusade questline follows.
- “Rejecting the Houses only changes dialogue.”
- No. It makes Dazra hostile, removes the Vacant House, causes Andreja to disapprove, and skips the Crusade choice.
- “The DLC confirms the Great Serpent exists.”
- No. It confirms Anasko’s belief in the Great Serpent’s will, not the objective existence of the deity.
Which ending should you choose?
For the most favorable practical outcome, terminate Pod Life Support, choose any of the three Houses, and oppose the Serpent’s Crusade. That combination prevents the Phantom army from being deployed, preserves access to Dazra and the Vacant House, and avoids disapproval from Sarah, Sam, and Barrett.
If you want to role-play a more militant House Va’ruun, you can release the Phantoms or start the Crusade, but neither choice unlocks a hidden faction route or a major new war. The one choice with a serious permanent downside is confirming that none of the three Houses should lead.
The ending structure remains relevant to the current game. Bethesda’s latest update listing before August 8, 2026 records Starfield Update 1.16.244, dated June 11, 2026, and does not indicate a redesign of the Shattered Space ending.
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