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Sam Coe, gunslinger and proud wearer of a good old-fashioned cowboy hat, quickly proved himself as one of the ౠmore popular companions Bethesda revealed prior to the launch of . More than a few pending players have wondered how and when they can get the former Fre⛄estar Ranger into their party.
Hold your horses - it'll happen organically, so you won't need to go gallivanting across the cosmos to find Sam. That said, Bethesda Game Studios titles have a tendency to get us all lost in exploration for a hundred-odd hours before returning to the story, so here's how far you need to get before Sam Coe's at your side.
The Empty Nesters
Your first order of business on the path to recruiting Sam Coe is to get to Starfield's 'The Empty Nest' main quest, which should only take you a couple of hours if you're beelining the early parts of the story. Note that while we don't recommend rushing the entirety of the game's main arc, we do suggest getting to at least this point before dabbling much elsewhere, since it'll earn you a few more companions.
You'll get tips from the Lodge on three separate things here: Barrett's last known coordinates, Vladimir's space station home, and a supposed Artifact at Akila City, capital of the Freestar Collective. Finding Barrett will take a while, but Sam Coe is actually at the Lodge already when you begin 'The Empty Nest'. He and his daughter, Cora, will come aboard the Frontier (or whatever ship you're presently flying) for the duration of the Akila City portion of the quest.
In other words, you technically recruit Sam Coe as soon as you reach this quest. But in order to secure him permanently for the rest of the game, read on.
If this is your first time at Akila City, you'll likely bump into a hostage situation at GalBank on your way in. This is a great chance to earn some early affinity points with Sam if so - provided you manage to handle things peacefully with the bank's would-be robbers. Having Persuasion perks helps, of course, but chug some fine wine and down a chem for further boosts.
Family Matters
Head into the GalBank vault, following the objective marker as per usual. Grab the keycard, and Sam will mention a 'Jacob' who saw this all coming. There's a Persuade chance here to get Sam to open up a few moments early. In our experience, pointing out the obvious - that he's going to need to discuss this momentarily, anyway - works well.
Follow the steps upward to Jacob's house. If you have the Empathy trait, you'll definitely want to let Sam speak when Jacob accosts you; even if you don't, you'll get some affinity points from him. After the fun conversation between Coes concludes, you'll have three paths forward.
This is a tough Persuasion check, but worth a shot. Try telling Jacob that Constellation is trying to follow up on Solomon's work, and that you'll be respectful of the maps, which should hopefully be enough. You can also try a distraction or bring Cora over. We'd suggest going with Cora as a last resort, as she's not exactly delighted.
Good Ol' Boys
Just as Sam fears, reaching the 'Empty Nest' cave means bumping into the Shaw Gang. You'll be fine until around 30 meters or so from the cave, at which point your objective notably shifts - this is right before Shaw Gang members attack from just below your position.
Watch out for turrets as well, and whatever you do, unless you're drastically overleveled, don't go in all guns blazing; take this slowly, methodically, and use the high ground to your advantage. Go ahead and clear out the interiors here as well so that you can scrounge around for loot. When you're done dealing with these delinquents, enter the cave through the door.
Gal Banks On Dialogue
Venture through the cave, dealing with a few more gang members along the way. After you grab the Artifact, you'll come face-to-face with Shaw herself. Your options are to Persuade, pay 4000 credits, or attack. We weren't actually able to beat the Persuade check here, unfortunately, but we'll update this guide to let you know what worked for us once we do.
What we can tell you is what didn't work: talking about a scientific discovery, or boasting that you've gotten past her crew. Give the bottom (red) one a try. If you do have to fight Shaw, know that Shaw has a considerable health pool, so you'll want to stay back and use cover to your advantage.
On the other hand, if you pay her off, Ashta will attack, and you can help out or high tail it. We presume the Ashta attack occurs regardless. We bribed Shaw, but helped out, since hey, experience points per kill. Talk to Shaw again afterward if this is the route you take, and she'll fork over a Modified Razorback gun and some ammo.
Head back to the Lodge, and let Sam know you're interested in partnering up some more in the future!