Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Jump to:
  • Who should you choose to save?
  • How to save everyone in Entangled
  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Starfield

The Starfield Entangled choice and which universe to save

Guides
By Joel Franey Contributions from Leon Hurley last updated 29 November 2023

Should you save Rafael or Director Patel and the rest of Nishina station in Starfield?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Starfield Entangled Nishina choice
(Image credit: Bethesda)
Jump to:
  • Who should you choose to save?
  • How to save everyone in Entangled
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

For the Starfield Entangled choice, you've got to decide between two realities to save - one with the intact Nishina base or one with the overrun base with Rafael inside. It's your classic trolley problem in this Starfield mission, where destroying one reality preserves the other. In fact, you needn't pick either, as there's a secret third option that allows you to save both realities and all within in a single stroke. I've explained the outcomes of all three decisions below, including how you can get the best option for this choice to save everyone in the Starfield Entangled mission (except the scorpion monsters).

Who should you choose to save in the Starfield mission Entangled?

Starfield Entangled Nishina choice

(Image credit: Bethesda)

The Starfield Entangled choice is set up pretty clearly: there are currently two realities at Nishina base clashing with each other; one where everybody was killed in an accident except for poor Rafael, and one where everybody but Rafael is fine. You have to choose which of the two realities to save, though there are actually three choices, as mentioned earlier.

  • Save Rafael's universe by collapsing Director Patel and the Nishina base's universe
  • Save Director Patel and the Nishina base's universe by collapsing Rafael's universe
  • (Secret method/best choice) Save both universes by calibrating the probe correctly
More Starfield guides

Starfield lock prison cell cache
Starfield locked door and Pilgrim's Computer
Starfield Scorpion's Sting
Where to find your Starfield parents
Starfield Emissary or Hunter

To get either of the first two results is fairly simple, as the Entangled mission tells you how it's done: jump to whichever of the two realities you want to save by using the Distortions, then walk up to all the marked switches and "Disengage the Power Interlocks" (fighting off either Cataxi aliens or robots along the way). 

Afterwards, head to the marked Emergency Shutdown Control and trigger it to save that reality and doom the other (actually, it's left unclear if the other universe/reality is actually doomed or if it just becomes its own universe, but for all intents and purposes you won't be able to see it again).

The rewards for each universe vary, and we've laid them out below:

  • Saving Rafael
    • Indicite Wafer
    • Comm Relay (2)
    • Vytinium (4)
    • Tasine (5)
    • Credits (varies)
    • Rafael will later be hireable as Starfield crew from New Atlantis
  • Saving Director Patel and Nishina base
    • Experimental Nishina Spacesuit (legendary)
    • Experimental Nishina Helmet (legendary)
    • Credits (varies)
  • Save everybody in both realities
    • Experimental Nishina Spacesuit (legendary)
    • Experimental Nishina Helmet (legendary)
    • Credits (varies, but usually higher than other results)
    • Rafael will later be hireable as crew from New Atlantis

Unless you have a particular hankering for highly specific crafting materials, it's pretty clear that both narratively and financially, saving both realities is the way to go. But… how do you actually do that?

How to save everyone in Entangled

Starfield entangled

(Image credit: Bethesda)

In the 'main' unruined world you'll be able to find Rafael's body in the lower level left-hand corner, below the lab above. On his body you'll find the Calibration Protocol data slate which will tell you how to save everyone by running a calibration test on both universes.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Starfield entangled

(Image credit: Bethesda)

To run this test you will need to 'degauss' switches in both universes. To do that go to the lab, via the stairs near Rafael's body, and on the computer you'll find a range of options. The degaussing option will list power interlock switches that need degaussing. To do that you need to turn each of the listed switches off and on again in both universes - there will be a different set of switches for each. 

Once you've degaussed all the switches in both universes you'll be able to activate the Frequency Calibration option. This will require you to pick a frequency in both universes to create a 'stable' intake waveform. 

For me the correct Entangled Frequency Calibration were: 

  • Ruined universe - 40Hz
  • 'Main'  universe - 24Hz

When you set both the frequencies correctly you'll need to activate a Primary Calibration Control in both universes, each of which are to the left of the Artifact. You don't have to choose an option here as this will incorporate both universes into a single reality. 

Starfield entangled

(Image credit: Bethesda)

As mentioned before, you and a living Rafael will wake up in a world where nobody died with the following rewards: 

  • 23000 credits
  • Incendiary Advanced Experimental Spacesuit
  • Reactive Advanced Experimental Helmet

Starfield entangled

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Rafael will also eventually become recruitable as an engineer on your crew after some time to contemplate his place as a collapsible probability in the wrong universe. You'll be able to find him later at Viewport in New Atlantis on Jemison. Now that you've completed this mission, you're nearing the end of the Starfield Constellation questline and will have to make even more choices.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission

Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Social Links Navigation
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

With contributions from
  • Leon HurleyManaging editor for guides
Latest in RPG
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"
 
 
Starfield screenshot showing Saturn's vista
Starfield composer has "no doubt" Bethesda's RPG will eventually "be legendary," but "people were just not ready"
 
 
Screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing a number of characters stood together, a gloomy sky ahead of them.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 remains on course to match Baldur's Gate 3 GOTY record
 
 
Kliff rides on horseback downhill in Crimson Desert towards a town, through lush greenery
Crimson Desert locks down early physical copies to block spoilers, but some call it a "slippery slope" for preservation
 
 
The Adventures of Elliot
Oh, the Octopath Traveler creators' new action RPG is "filled with cats," and suddenly it's the only game I care about
 
 
Key art for Solasta 2.
"We're 2 different beasts": Studio behind CRPG Solasta 2 bought their team copies of Baldur's Gate 3 and they "love" it
 
 
Latest in Guides
Marathon unlocking faction upgrade from CyberAcme
How Marathon faction upgrades work and the best ones to get early
 
 
A broken Pokemon Center in a player's Pokopia Cloud Island.
How to create and visit a Pokemon Pokopia Cloud Island
 
 
The Ultra Rare Mew stamp from the Pokopia Stamp Rally.
Pokemon Pokopia Stamp Rally explained
 
 
A Graveler, one of the Pokopia crush Pokemon.
All Pokemon with the Pokopia Crush specialty
 
 
Marathon Cutthroat Competition Traxus contract looting in maintenance
How to find rod salvage for the Cutthroat Competition contract in Marathon
 
 
GTA Online Clovers
GTA Online Lucky Clover locations and how to find a Golden Clover
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Photo of Donkey Kong Bananza and Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom and a pair of Switch 2 Joy-Cons.
    1
    If you don't want to play Pokemon Pokopia, these Switch game deals will keep you busy
  2. 2
    3 new to Prime Video shows I recommend you binge-watch this weekend (March 13–March 15)
  3. 3
    Resident Evil Requiem fans are imagining all the quips Leon would say in other games: "'Guess that's The Last of Him'"
  4. 4
    "Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3 million units sold," says a stunned Mega Crit
  5. 5
    "What if we could just drop 30 new heroes into Overwatch?": Marvel Rivals "definitely had an impact" on Blizzard

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...