Should you choose Aceles or Microbe in Starfield?

By Jesse Lennox October 4, 2023

Starfield has perhaps Bethesda’s best main narrative yet, however, most people will still prefer to spend most of their playtime going through the various faction questlines. Among all the different groups out there that your character can join, one of the earliest and most appealing is the UC Vanguard. During one of these faction quests called “A Legacy Forged,” you will have a critical decision to make regarding the use of either Aceles or Microbes to stop the deadly Terromorph threat. The consequences of which one you pick won’t be made clear until after you commit, so here are the repercussions of each decision in Starfield.

Should you choose Aceles or Microbe?

Sarra congratulating you for dealing with the Terromorphs. — Bethesda Softworks

The Terromorphs are a created species designed to completely destroy whatever environment they encounter and must not be allowed to propagate. To contain this threat, Abello from the UC Council presents you with two options to destroy the Terromorphs: Aceles and Microbes.

Aceles are another species that is the only one capable of hunting and killing the Terromorphs. By allowing them to breed and hunt down the Terromorphs, you can end the threat safely, but over a longer period and at a higher cost.

The Microbe mentioned is a bioweapon that will infect the Terromorphs essentially all at once to wipe them out. However, the Microbe will also infect any nearby flora and fauna, essentially killing anything else nearby as collateral damage. It will end the threat in one shot, yes, but at the cost of many innocent lives as well.

Both will result in the Terromorphs being stopped, but the choice comes down to whether you want to deal with it in a more “natural” way by using a natural predator or dropping a chemical bomb of sorts that is indiscriminate in what it will infect. Your choice won’t impact your reward or the narrative beyond this, though some Companions may not agree with one choice or the other.

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All sphinx riddle solutions in Dragon’s Dogma 2

A sphinx in Dragon's Dogma 2.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is full of mythological monsters and beasts. During your travels, you will encounter many classics like Cyclopses, Griffins, and Dragons, but a more obscure creature is hidden away in a cave waiting to challenge you in a different way. The Sphinx is found in the Mountain Shrine at the top of the hill once you go through Wordlsend Cave. It won't attack you when you approach, but instead, it will challenge you to a test of intellect. There are a total of 10 riddles to be solved, with a reward given for each one you manage to crack. Dragon's Dogma 2 never holds your hand with anything, so we'll help you unravel these riddles.
First five riddle solutions

The first half of the riddles are given at the location mentioned above. Once you solve this first batch, the Sphinx will move, and you will need to find it again to continue. Here are the first five riddles, their solutions, and rewards.
Riddle of the Eyes
“Our eyes are our allies, yet oft do they betray, for eyes tell lies, so I advise, and thence do lead astray. Yet how will your eyes advise you? Venture through yonder door and retrieve that which is of greatest value.“

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How long is Dragon’s Dogma 2?

A sphinx in Dragon's Dogma 2.

Open-world RPGs can be anywhere from around a dozen hours long to well over 100. Dragon's Dogma 2 is very unique, even among others in the genre, for not adhering to a lot of traditional design philosophies, such as how it handles fast travel. If anything, that will only add to your total playtime, plus there are all the optional quests to do, Vocations to try out and level up, and more if you're a completionist. If you're wondering if you have the time to fit Dragon's Dogma 2 into your schedule among all the other games releasing, here's how long you can expect this adventure to last.
How long is Dragon's Dogma 2?

For the main quest, Dragon's Dogma 2 can probably be beaten in around 25 hours, give or take. That's assuming you mainline the story as efficiently as possible and don't get stuck on any boss fights being under-leveled. A more realistic playthrough where you explore a bit, do some side content, and maybe go for the true ending will push you into the 30 to 35-hour range, as it did for us.

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The best vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon's Dogma 2 key art featuring a knight with a fiery hole in their chest.

Your Vocation defines your role in combat in Dragon's Dogma 2. Everything from your skills to what weapons and armor you can use is tied to this class. You will pick from just a handful at the beginning of the game, but can easily change Vocations later on, as well as unlock more than twice as many new options than what you start with. It can take a while to really get a feel for a Vocation and how it performs in combat, as well as to look through all of its skills and augments, before knowing if it's worth sticking with to level up. Personal preference will play a part to some degree, but these Vocations have the most potential to make you the strongest Arisen in history.
The best vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2

You can pick from 4 Vocations at the start of Dragon's Dogma 2, but will end up with a total of 10 by the end of the game if you unlock them all. New Vocations are unlocked by completing quests, but they are almost unmissable. Four Vocations -- the Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Warfarer -- can only be used by your character and not any Pawns.
Warfarer
There's very little downside to being a jack-of-all-trades in Dragon's Dogma 2, which is exactly what the Warfarer is. This is the only Vocation that can use any weapon in the game AND learn any skill from other Vocations. This is the only Vocation that really lets you build whatever class you want and gives you the ability to adapt to any situation you find yourself in. The main downside to this class is it has the lowest base stats, but that is a small price to pay for how versatile you can be.
Mystic Spearhand
Hybrid Vocations are all quite powerful, but we put the Mystic Spearhand at the top of the heap. This class turns you into a fighter that can take advantage of magic to output crazy damage. The two almost overpowered abilities you get here are the ability to slow enemies for a short time and to create a magical mimic that doubles all your actions. It is great for both crowd control and large single targets, but takes a while to unlock and lacks some range.
Warrior
If you're going to be a straight-up melee fighter, you might as well hit with the biggest weapon you can, right? The Warrior swings swords large enough to make Guts blush and is a full-on tank. You won't be doing anything fancy with this vocation beyond charging up and swinging as hard as possible. The obvious drawback is any flying or ranged enemy will counter you, so bring some Pawns in those classes to cover your bases.
Sorcerer
For those who fancy themselves a pure mage, stick to the Sorcerer over the actual Mage vocation. While the Mage is more focused on healing, it is the Sorcerer who gets the best offensive spells you will want to be casting. If you have a second Sorcerer with you, you can even sync up and decrease your casting time. If not, you will need some tanks to take aggro while you deal with some slightly long casting times and low total health.
Thief
As far as the starting Vocations go, the Thief is the one we find the most fun and viable for the entire game. This is a light and speedy build focused on critical hits and being able to climb and hang on to large beasts. Once on, you have a number of great skills to stagger and knock down an enemy so the rest of your squad to gang up on it. Just don't get hit because you're one of the squishier Vocations.