If you want to avoid the later refugee deaths reported by game guides and earn more Order reputation, side with the Order and keep the Exclusion Zone closed. If you want the Burst SMG and support the Displaced expanding their settlement, side with them; guides report that a later rockfall kills several refugees. You can also decline to decide, but that reportedly fails the quest without a reward.
What the Exclusion Zone decision is about
In “Present and Future Company Excluded,” you mediate a dispute at Matriarch’s Mercy in Golden Ridge. The Displaced are refugees who want to expand their overcrowded settlement into the Exclusion Zone. The Order of the Ascendant argues that opening it risks disaster. Administrant Agarwal and the Voice of the Displaced are involved in the mediation.
The question is whether to let the Displaced use the zone or keep it closed—not whether to continue the main story. Guides describe the choice as local to the camp and Order standing, and say it does not lock you out of main progression.
What each choice gives you
| Choice | Reported immediate reward | Reported Order reputation | Reported later consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side with the Displaced and open the zone | 500 bits and the Burst SMG | +1 | After a later main quest, a rockfall hits the expanded settlement and several refugees die. |
| Side with the Order and keep the zone closed | 500 bits and the Supportive Scholar armor set | +3 | The guides report no rockfall casualties because the zone remains closed. |
| Decline to rule | None | None | The quest fails, with no decision-linked camp change reported. |
These specific rewards and consequences are reported by published guides rather than confirmed in an official quest reference or an independent test. For the choice and reported outcomes, see PC Gamer’s choice guide and GamesRecon’s guide.
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When the consequences appear
The camp does not change immediately. The detailed outcome guide says to clear the N-Ray Range in the northwest and then return to Matriarch’s Mercy to see the result. In other words, do not expect to see the settlement’s later outcome as soon as you make the ruling. See All Things How’s explanation of the Exclusion Zone choice for the reported timing.
Which option should you choose?
Choose the Order if you prioritize avoiding the reported casualties
Keeping the zone closed is the better fit if you want the route associated with no later rockfall casualties and the larger reported Order reputation gain. You also receive the Supportive Scholar armor set, according to the guides.
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- Get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!
- As a daring Earth Directorate, the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions—your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.
Choose the Displaced if you want the Burst SMG
Opening the zone is the route to the Burst SMG and supports the refugees’ effort to relieve overcrowding. The trade-off reported by guides is a later rockfall that kills several refugees, along with a smaller Order reputation gain.
Do not decline if you want to complete the quest
Declining to rule is an available option, but guides report that it fails the quest and grants no reward. It is not a way to postpone the choice while retaining the quest’s rewards.
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How certain are these outcomes?
The quest-specific outcomes in published guides agree on the central trade-off, but the exact consequences here are guide-reported rather than independently tested. Obsidian’s Patch 1.2.0.0 notes cover general game updates and do not document this quest choice. For another account of the decision, see Digital Phablet’s guide.
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