United Colonies
This Starfield United Colonies faction guide breaks down everything we know about the UC, including key locations, NPCs, and how to join.
| Faction Types | Major faction |
| Joinable | Yes |
| System | Alpha Centauri, Sol |
| Item Code | 0005BD93 |
The Starfield United Colonies faction is the largest military and political force across all of the Settled Systems. The United Colonies is a centralized republic based in the capital city of New Atlantis on the planet Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
The United Colonies oversee many Starfield locations and settlements, having been a force to be reckoned with across the Settled Systems for many decades. The UC is one of many Starfield factions you can discover, join, and collect missions from.
United Colonies background
The United Colonies was established in 2159 AD, making them 171 years old at the start of Starfield’s narrative.
While the United Colonies was young, it created an initiative allowing colonists to fly out in search of other Starfield planets to inhabit. Critically, the UC allowed these colonists to form their own independent systems of government. This decision incentivized many to leave the UC, and ultimately resulted in the formation of the Freestar Collective.
Unfortunately for the UC, the new factions that arose from humanity’s early colonization efforts would not remain peaceful towards the United Colonies. The UC build a facility known as The Clinic in orbit around Deepala in 2194 AD, accidentally antagonizing the local residents of Narion. In the wake of the UC’s perceived expansion, the Narion system voted to join the Freestar Collective (FC), kickstarting the conflict known as the Narion War.
Though the UC ultimately ceded control of the Narion system to the FC with the Treaty of Narion, tensions would remain high between the two factions.
Eventually, a second conflict broke out when the Freestar Collective established a colony in the Lunara system. This conflict was far more terrible than the last, and came to be known as the Colony War, and while peace was achieved in 2310 AD, it was an uneasy truce.
By 2330 AD, the United Colonies remain an incredibly strong and independent powerhouse whose citizens aren’t granted citizenship by virtue of their birth, but by the length of their military service. Should you also want to become a United Colonies citizen, you will need to join the UC Vanguard.
How to join United Colonies
Once you’ve signed up with the Constellation faction as part of the One Small Step mission, Sarah Morgan will direct you to John Tuala, a recruiter for the UC Vanguard. Speak to Tuala and ask to sign up with the UC Vanguard. You’ll being the Supra Et Ultra quest, and be directed to the Vanguard Orientation Hall where you can access a terminal and sign a contract.
You are now a prospective member of the UC Vanguard, and on your way to earning your citizenship. You’ll find a brief history of the Settled Systems behind you, which will provide considerable insight into what the United Colonies, and now you, are up against.
You don’t have to listen to any of the orientation; you can run through to the end to access an elevator to a Piloting Simulator. Here, an exam proctor by the name Samuelson will guide you through the simulation. It’s worth picking up the Piloting skill before starting the simulation as the simulated enemy ships are very easy to deal with and count towards the rank-up challenge.
The simulation in question requires you to beat three waves of increasingly difficult enemies. Beat them, and you can return to John Tuala and be assigned a probationary mission. You’ll also receive an enlistment credit bonus.
However, before you go to see Tuala, it is worth trying to beat more than the initial three waves, as you’ll get an increasingly better enlistment credit bonus. You can try the simulation as many times as you like before you return to John Tuala. There are six tiers in total.
The final tier is considered so difficult that Tuala and Sarah Morgan will be shocked you completed it. In fact, the only way to beat it without using the Starfield console command for god mode is to hack the exam terminal behind the piloting chair and give yourself one of several advantages. The top tier reward is 20000 Credits, and Tuala does not criticize or penalize you for utilizing the built-in cheats.
Having received your test results from Tuala, you’ll have to swear an oath at the steps of the MAST building. Congratulations, you are now a member of the UC Vanguard, and will be given a probationary quest: Grunt Work.
United Colonies locations
The United Colonies faction has a presence in the following systems:
Who are the United Colonies’ enemies?
Fleet Admiral Pascual Logan has a zero-tolerance policy in place for the Crimson Fleet. However, they may not be the only point of contention on the UC’s list. While an uneasy peace remains, the Freestar Collective could be a sore spot you steer clear of, or dive into.